Canton Cup 10/29/11 MA State Champ!

Woke up excited to race, but not sure as to how my body would feel after a rough week of being sick and having to miss work and training. Never-the-less I stayed positive, even when the freezing rain started pouring down as soon as we got to the race! I got a lap on the course before it turned into a slip and slide. I rode a smart race. After lap 1 I was in second place and never let anyone else pass me. I held my ground and kept charing on confidently through the mud. It was really tough in places and the barriers were really high for me and my short legs. My quads were very sore and cold by the 3rd lap. I took off my glasses, which was not the best idea, but neither was keeping them on due to fogging. I was very happy with my effort and result. I paced 2nd overall and 1st in my age group, 23-29, for the MA state Championship! I changed asap (no cool down obviously!) and got some food in me before standing out in the cold and rain(almost snow at this point) again to cheer on Ryan and other brave souls. Someone had to make them smile out there!

My photo in Velo News Online!!!!

Running It Up! <---click it

"Jena Greaser of NorEast Cycling maintains her focus and drive in the Women’s Elite race." Photo: Matt Gendron

Providence RI UCI Cyclocross Races 10/8-9/11

Day 1: Well, I was fortunate enough to even race this weekend, due to breaking my rear derailleur and hanger Wednesday night at Night Weasels Commeth race. I was one of many needing to repair their bike before the weekend of racing. The course was a disaster. Mud and grass covered every drive train. Luckily, I had a derailleur on my road bike and picked up a hanger. The weekend was far from Wednesday night's conditions. Not your typical weather for Cross season. 80 degrees was pretty warm to be racing in, but better than 20 degrees and snowing. Ryan and I arrived early both days to do some marshaling and helped re-route the course for Sunday and take down the course. At the start of the race I was on the last row again. I got in a bottle neck at the start and had to un-clip and run my bike. I had to fight my way back up. The beginning cost me, and I stayed pretty consistent in my placement for the remainder of the race. I did not feel like I was at 100% a few times, and I tried to make some moves to get into the top 15, but my timing was off and I did not execute them properly. This is something to work on for the remainder of the season. I got a sharp side stitch before lap 4, but then I was able to take a feed and for the last lap I was fine. I did not know there was a feed until call up, so we were unprepared for that. I ended up taking a random feed from some nice lady! I was riding with 15th-16th place on the last lap, but did not move ahead of them before the final winding section and small stair run ups. I ended up 17th. My hands were blistered from wearing full finger gloves and sweating. I had a fun time and raced the best I could on that given day!
Day 2: My body felt good in the morning. The course was super fast today. I got to line up on the 4th row instead of the 5th row. Yipee! I had a much better start and was able to get clear of any mishaps and avoided as much bottle necking as possible. I was between 15th and 13th place for the entire race. I was on the 12th place riders wheel, but she opened up a small gap from three of us with one lap to go. It was a battle for 13th-15th place, and I lost 13th by 3 seconds, due to the fast barrier section that I slowed down way to much for and I did not carry my speed through efficiently. I at least sprinted it out at the finish and I did not give up my 14th place to the other rider. Only my hands were a bit sore where the blisters had formed from yesterday, but the short finger gloves made them sweat less and there was not as much bunching.
Overall, it was a great weekend! I look forward to this coming weekend racing my mountain bike before Canton Cup and Orchard Cross.

GP of Gloucester Cross 10/2/11

Great race today! Got my bike set up Saturday night in the nick of time for the race on Sunday. It was announced that the race was starting at 3, 30 min. later then it was planned. This was due to a sewage leak on the course having to be re-taped! I pulled the highest number, so I was literally THE LAST person called up. I was 5 rows back, since I have not done any aces this season. But after racing strong today and seeing how much more confident I am on the course than last year, I know I will continue to gather points throughout the season. The whistle blew and I tried to pass several people up the first hill, but it was hard, since no one was really moving up in front of me. I got stuck over in the orange barricades, that are evil! In the first section on the grass, it was really twisty and everyone was on their brakes. I was so annoyed and did my best to get around people on the outside. Throughout the first 1/2 of the first lap I ended up passing about 30 people! I was stoked. I just got into a solid rhythm and kept hammering the rest of the race. The smile in my heart never left the entire race. I had so much fun out there!!!! I placed 21st out of 47 racers. I got an awesome shout out for NorEast on two occasions. The first was due to my impressive moving up and the second due to grabbing $3 on the run up by the beer tent. Whooot! It was cool to have the crowd cheering at me for my attempt. My left calf cramped up on the last lap on the first run up section on the course. It is apparent I need to get some running work under my belt during the remainder of the season. I felt like that was where I lost the most of my time, along with the dismount at the barriers. I need to work at coming at them with enough speed and carrying it through confidently. I was really happy that my back was not in pain. This was a huge issue for me last year and caused me to not be able to finish many races and have a bad rapport with Cross. I am glad that I had a successful race and feel much better about participating in the discipline. I cannot wait to race at Night Weasels this Wednesday night under the lights and at Providence UCI races this weekend.