Twin City Bellas

ironman

2008-04-28T10:29:00.002-05:00

Some claim the charms and the namesake of the Ironman Bike Ride the last Sunday in April in Minnesota, is due to the fact that it's in Minnesota. 2007's Ironman was a glorious spring day. 2008... let's just say I'm stoked I finished before the big fat snowflakes. ugh.

Anyhoo, Brooke, Kate, Danielle, Becca, Rebecca, Barb, and me did the 62 mile ride, with hella bad headwind the whole time. It made grandpa's walk to school (uphill both ways), look like a walk to school in the sunshine, with rainbows in the sky.

In retrospect, at least it was snow in the air... and NOT rain. Because if it snows when you are on bike, you stay more dry than if it rains.

Cold Sunday Ride

2008-04-14T20:16:00.002-05:00

On what I hope is the last sub-40-degree Sunday for awhile, Brook, Laura and I met up at Lake Calhoun to view the still-frozen lake before we headed north past Cedar Lake and Wirth Park. The Parkways were quiet on this chilly morning, and we had the roads to ourselves. Aside from the debris waiting to be streetcleaned from the gutters, we had a perfect ride. The route that Brook created even had some surprise hills to challenge us. We managed to get in 30 miles and a coffee break before noon, all without ever being more than a few miles from downtown Minneapolis.

rainy sunday

2008-04-07T10:43:00.000-05:00

Brooke blogs coherently about our rainy Sunday morning ride...

Well, here's tribute to the good souls who said to heck with the forecast and joined Kate and I for the Inaugural Sunday Bella Rides. The ride start was at Dunn Bros. Coffee on Lake Street and River Road at 9 a.m. Kate and I were joined by Barb and Bruce for the ride over to the Greenway to pick up others enroute. We met Manda just off of the Chicago/Greenway intersection and then went on to pick up Becca and Rebecca at the dog park meeting spot at Lake Calhoun. Here Barb and Bruce left us to complete some scheduled interval training. Our group headed west on the pre-decided route. We were not blessed with sunny skies and warm weather as was the day before but we were a hardy crew and pedaled on. The route took us to the end of the paved Greenway and then south a bit to connect with the Smetana hill and onto Shady Oak Road. We discovered that our ride time at that point coincided with services at Wooddale Church. We may need to alter the course or time a little in the future to allow those seeking redemption full rights to the road and us an exception for an early exit to heaven.

As we headed back through Edina the first few sprinkles started to fall. Being the optimistic bunch we are, we initially figured it was road spray from those in the front. Unfortunately, Manda and Kate confirmed that they too, were getting dripped on with no one in front of them and alas, the weather forecaster was going to have an accurate forecast come to pass. The sprinkling stayed light until we crested Vernon and crossed Hwy 100. The skies then decided that it was time to rain and rain it did. By the time we reached Lake Harriet, we were all pretty darn wet and ready for the ride to be over. Becca and I left Manda and Kate at 40th and Bryant as they headed towards the Greenway and off their separate ways to continue home.

Although not as pleasant of ending as wished, it was a good ride. Our distance was about 32 miles as planned (if you started at Dunn Bros) and the time approximately 2 hours 20 minutes. I think everyone enjoyed themselves until the rain came in so all-in-all a successful outing. After wiping down my chain and drying my bike, I was able to get out of the wet clothes and into a hot shower. A cup of hot cocoa, a slice of peanut butter toast and I'm ready to think about next Sunday.

Next week, we'll try the Northeast route. Watch for time and start location to be announced. Till then, roll on.......

REALLY. it is better than a huffy.

2008-04-05T19:58:00.002-05:00

Ok. Picture the scene.... the high of the day is a mere 10 degrees F. It's the 4th or 5th cold spell of similiar temperatures this winter. The cats are all sitting on the other human in the house, who happens to be warmer and less squirmy than you, so you've got the laptop warming your lap, and you're dreaming of spring. while shopping on eBay. You see a shiney bike that seems to be an incredible deal, and a teammate's husband has introduced you to sniping. So.. you bid. 2 weeks later, you get a bike for a sweet deal... that will hopefully... oh please oh please fit well enough.

This seems to be the way I end up with most my rides. Having obtained my first real road bike (Bridgestone RB-2) from a drunken grad student who was storing his bike in my basement... there is no other way. So... after doing my first group ride of the year, i wander off to get the bike running... shorter stem, wheel trued, minor rear derailleur adjustment.... easy... right? HA HA HA. no. turns out my handlebars, which were measured at 31.8mm are a little smaller than 31.8, and only fit well on the too long for me space age looking carbon stem... after having 3 people say... WTF? and searching the Q's knowledge base on this... we found the one stem that was short enough for me, and tightened down enough on the handlebars... so that it worked.

As the home mechanic, who is frequently seen in skulking around mpls bike shops near closing time with a botched home repair... having the mechanic say... 'seriously. dude. what did you do to this?'... i'm relatively grateful, i witnessed several mechanics, saying.. 'HUH. that's weird.' for a seemingly simple matter.

at the same time, as an owner for a spendy ass new road bike, from a spanish bike maker with a decent reputation, the weird sized part thing... makes me think i bought a flippin' huffy/magna/wal-mart bike. and that's annoying. Here's to hoping that it stays nice, so I can take the new bike out. and new bike... prove me wrong. until then. your name is Huffy.

it's finally spring!

2008-04-05T19:56:00.002-05:00

Manda, Laura and I with serveral other NOW/Synergy folk (and Lori Jug
from Kenda Tire who kicked butt at Superweek a couple of years a go-
gotta keep an eye on her) gathered at NOW/Snelling on this lovely
Saturday morning.

NOW gal Miriah led the group on a very civilized tour of St. Paul. One
group splintered for a longer ride to Afton, but some held back for
now.

News: Lori was on her new shiney bike, Manda is planning on when she
will have her open house, her BF has a new bike too, and I have a new
TT bike.

Man it was nice out! But I'm still wearing booties.

I hope the weather holds out for the Sunday ride!!! ( roll out 9am east lake st. and river road Dunn Brothers.... passing the Lake of the Isles dog park at 9:20ish...)

-- Barb

2008-03-06T20:35:00.003-06:00

SKiiNG VeLo BeLLaS

It's been a wonderful winter for skiing! The best part about all the snow is the fact that I got to spend quality time with my fellow Bellas (that's fun to say) while racking up the km's in preparation for the Birkie.

Here's proof that the hours on the trail paid off-- check out the picture of me putting the hurt on this old guy at the halfway point.

But seriously, it's been great fun hanging out with Becca, Brook, Barb, Marjie and a few other special guests this winter. I've never had so much fun training during ski season. And I probably would have never bothered to drive all the way out to Carver by myself, and may have never known what awesome trails they have.

I'll ski as long as the snow lasts, so if anyone is itching to get out, there's still some winter left!

Thanks everyone, for the great company on the trail. It was fun to be first up the hills for a change, but I'm looking forward to you all kicking my a** on the bike come spring.

Kate :)

p.s. to see some pics of the skiing Bellas, check out the pictures on the VBTC Yahoo group.

fast snowy fun?

2008-02-27T11:22:00.002-06:00

A lot of the Bellas here like snow. I'll have to get someone to blog about the cross country skiing that goes on here... 'cause I don't. do. that.

Anyhoo, Maria has been ski racing this winter... and here's one of her Birkie exploit.

Spring Kickoff Meeting-- Come on down!!!

2008-02-21T11:55:00.000-06:00

When: Sunday March 16th, 3-5pm
Where: Bella Barb's house at 3039 36th Ave S in Minneapolis
Who: All you Bellas, friends and acquaintances interested in Velo Bella
Why: To talk about the great things Velo Bella will be doing this year, sign up for the Ironman bike ride, and put names to faces and meet our wonderful local sponsors

back from not blogging

2007-12-18T17:44:00.000-06:00

Something about racing makes me not blog. Which is totally counter to why this blog exists, I guess. But. really.... this author's race blog is ALL the same. 1. Got there. 2. Mostly on time. 3. (this happens only most of the time) pre-ride. hey that wasn't so bad. 4. race. ouch. that hurt. Didn't DNF.

But... when you rock at racing.. you have kick ass stories to tell and pictures to show. And that is just one of the reasons why Maria rules.

Check out her adventures in her first season racing with the CX big girls... http://marialikescheese.blogspot.com/.

bridge go boom!

2007-08-02T11:29:00.000-05:00

I think all Bellas accounted for.

There actually were a good chunk of us out riding and unfortunately crashing (stupid potholes) when it happened.

Sorry about the silence of late. Home demolition has wound down, and I'm back from Portland, OR... so more updates, and copy-ed race reports from weeks previous here...

Black Dog Time Trial June 13th

2007-06-13T20:50:00.000-05:00

I finally did my first race!

I managed to leave work on time to find the location of the time trial, not get lost, and even had time to warm up sufficiently beforehand.

Bruce showed up shortly after I did, and gave me excellent instruction on a specific warm-up on my trainer prior to the race. Thanks Bruce!

I think the warm-up really helped. My legs felt good during the race.

I tried to take everyone's advice and start out moderately, but when I looked down at my speedometer, I was at 20 mph. I took it back a bit, knowing that I couldn't keep that up for the whole distance.

I was at about mile 2 when I actually passed a woman who started two places in front of me. I couldn't believe it. I was ecstatic.

At about mile three I started to feel like I was going to throw up. I took the speed down a bit, still felt like I was going to throw up. Realized I was going to feel like throwing up the remainder of the race no matter what, so I may as well go as hard as I can without the HR going over 190.

The turnaround was not very graceful or fast, but oh well.

The way back seemed longer than the way out. I saw the bridge and knew the finish was just beyond it. It occurred to me that this is when I should really push it. But I already was maxed out. When I saw the finish, I imagined sprinting, but I didn't have anything left, except that even stronger feeling like I was going to puke.

I crossed the finish and couldn't remember when I last started my timer, so don't know my real time. Then I rolled around a little afterwards and forgot to look at my avg. pace. Hey, I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice that rational thinking goes out the window when you're in that state of exertion.

I had no expectations whatsoever, since I'd never even tried to see how fast I could go for that distance. I set a goal for myself of an average of 18 mph, and I think I made it.

I haven't checked official results yet, but I'm happy for just having done it :)

Hey Bellas, where you at?

2007-06-09T18:34:00.000-05:00

This team has a wealth of talent and experience and enthusiasm, which is why I am so happy to be a part of it. I joined because I was excited to ride with other strong women. However, I haven't seen many Bellas out on rides lately.

My question-- what will it take to get more of us out on regular training rides together?

If the NOW rides aren't a convenient time or location, I'm willing to get something organized for a different time/place in addition to these rides, just so we can get more Bellas out riding together.

C'mon, I know that not everybody is remodeling their condo or healing from a crash...

Kate

Gear West Duathlon RR by Rocker

2007-05-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

I love how Friday was 86 degrees, and Monday is going
to be 84…but Sunday? Well, heck! Let’s race in the 35
degree range with gale-force winds :p Gotta love MN.

IN answer to your question, Marjie, Gear was fine.
Cold. Frigid, frigid cold. And HELLO???? WTF IS UP
WITH THE WIND???? But fine. I ended up about 3 minutes
slower than last year.

I slogged thru both runs at about the same pace as
last year (and as a side note, whoever designed this
course should be shot. It has more twists and turns
and cambers than something that is…well… really twisty
and turny and full of cambers. :p And those three
hills right at the end I could do without, as well…).

Which means I lost most of my time on the bike. At
first I was annoyed—the bike is my strongest event
(well, okay, it’s my ONLY strong event, as I’m no
longer a strong runner, and I certainly am no
swimmer—not that swimming was necessary here, this
being a duathlon, and it NOT raining…and admitted
oddity for Gear.). I usually try for a split in the
top 1-5 people. You can out run me, but I WILL beat
you down on the bike. And I felt strong out there,
despite the nasty wind and muscle-cramping cold. The
bike course for Gear West it probably my favorite out
of all the races I’ve done. It’s just roller after
roller after roller, all thru beautiful countryside.

Yet, like I said, I was 3 minutes slower. Oops. Grr.

But after some consideration, I realized I haven’t
been riding. And despite the fact that the bike is my
strong suit…I can’t really expect to not actually ride
and still do well. :p

SO all in all, I was happy with the day. It was nasty
out, but still fun. It’s impossible to NOT have fun on
that bike course, I think. It’s just one of those
rides that reminds you why riding your bike is a joy.

I ended up at 22:54 for the 6k; 51:04/20.0 mph for the
17 mile bike; and (ouch) 21:36 for the 4k. Total of
1:37:35; 20th place OA. Not my best finish, but like I
said, I’m not quibbling. :-) Onward and upward, y’all!

how i lost my mtb racing virginity-- by manda

2007-05-20T18:47:00.000-05:00

the course: Salem Hills (Harmon Park) in Inner Grove Heights.

the race: one of a series of 10 in Erik's spring cup

the verdict: following the metaphor in the title.. it was like being in high school, and hooking up with a fellow high school student-- with bad planning and not a lot of skill. but in the end, no matter how EH it was.. you know you'll probably do it again.

bad planning: I did get a new bottom bracket for my mtb... but didn't manage to install it. Based on Rocker's TT report, I need a pre-installation idiot check, AND during the install idiot check.

Oh well. Maria and Baba had already assured me the course was do-able on my cross bike.. and I can definitely swap my tires on and off! So.. sweet! i had a ride for the race. My ex, who has done/maybe raced this course before, thought me + cross bike + course == dead panda. I figured 2 outa 3 wasn't, so I off I went to the race... to ride the Sport class (citizen is sorta like cat4, I'm thinking... but they don't really enforce it)... under the premise... "same amount of money. more time on the course. it starts at 11 instead of 9:30".

Ran into Hollywood when I got there... got style points for having the cross bike. w00t! I will DFL in style.. and that I did... with some haggling with the officials. They had me down as 2nd in my age group.. as I thought it was like a cross race, and you're done when the lead group gets down. Apparently this was not the case. I shoulda did my 3rd lap. DOH! When I mentioned this, they wanted to DNF me, but... I asked for DFL, because... it seems slightly better.

The race didn't start out too bad. It all sorta fell apart, when I tried to stop my front wheel from rubbing (the tire was ripping at the bead...and the tube was bulgey). The guys in the front will pass you really calmly and really well, but the deeper you end up in the middle of the pack, the scarier it is. I can get passed by all sorts on the road, and it is good.. 'cause you got one side of the road. this.. you got single track. UGH. MTB being not only a skills thing, but HUGE mental thing... this was bad bad bad.

oh. and skills. in cross.. at I think Lake Rebecca, the officials say "oh hey. there's this one really really sharp turn at... blah blah blah.. but that's the only really sharp turn..." Some of the turns on this course, made that infamous turn look straight... eep. must get better at this turning thing.

Oakdale Duathlon by Nikki

2007-05-15T18:31:00.000-05:00

OK - only because Marjie has been trying to get me to post more on the boards and because I felt compelled after Rocker's report (although, please note that I do not intend to be as creative, thorough, or as insightful as Rocker, so read with caution)

I did the Oakdale Duathlon on Saturday. The best thing I can say is - gorgeous day! Okay, so I've been out of practice lately and it's easiest for me to blame it on my family and work (mostly work), so I will...

Anyway, my attitude about it was that I was happy to have my registration for the event force me out to run and ride and my goal was to simply finish the race. (I know eventually in my humble and modest career, I'll have a DNF on record, but I'm trying to lessen my chances). I also didn't want to hurt anything....

All that is easier said than done. I have realized since I started racing two years ago (I lost my virginity at the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in '05) that I have a mean competative streak - not mean to the other riders - mean to myself. And I think Marjie helped me realize that in a recent email to me asking, "How did "taking it easy" while racing go? Is that hard, or what?" The answer is - yes...I found it's difficult to see the person ahead of you and not think, "I can take em"...but I digress...let me start from the beginning.

The surroundings were beautiful at the Lake Elmo Park. Packet pickup was a snap and access to the t-area was a breeze... Was super comfortable with my placement on the rack and set up fine.

So, I just finished my latte, chatted with my friend about the vaca we want to take (www.templetotemple.com) and counted the minutes to start.

Soon we meandered over to the start line, but where was it?? Herds of people were walking to and fro....half thought it was here and half thought it was there. So, with my wave supposing to start at 9:06am, I didn't press start on my hr monitor until around 9:19.

Started the first 3 mile run out strong (mainly to get out of the way of the faster people), but soon slowed down and bid my friend goodbye (she's been much more dedicated than I have - but she's also signed up for Grandma's half marathon). The rest of the first three miles were okay - bearable, but I was super excited to see my beautiful bike in the transition area again!!

I love to ride! Can sit on my ass and pass the same people that had just kicked my ass on the run. But, I'm still not as fast as I used to be and averaged around 17 mph. Course was fine - more hills than I guess I expected, but maybe I was just hopeful for a flat path due to my rustiness. The last highway road needed some repairs though. As I was riding into the park once again, dreading the last three mile run, starting to weep my goodbyes to my blue Trek, I had the priviledge of being greeted by some bald eagles above. Pretty park...

The last three mile strategy was to "jog" the flats and the downhills and to walk the uphills....sound strategy! I find that I'm not nearly as competative on my feet as on wheels!

Anyway, that's enough to give you a rough idea of the morning. Otherthan the starting line issue, it was a fine race. I'd do it again.

I had another celebratory Caribou Coffee (did I mention my addiction)and a quick stop at Old Navy (stink and all) before treking home to Lino Lakes for the rest of the day.

Okay - maybe I was more creative and thorough than I thought I'd
be,but Rocker was still more insightful and inspiring!

I guess my proudest moment though, wouldn't be on race day, but a
day
prior when my 4 year old son explained to me the difference between
a
duathlon and a triathlon....*tear*...*sniff*....I'm so proud!!!
Can't
wait for his training wheels to come off and his swimming lessons
paying off - cause he already did his first 1/4 mile!! :) (I'm so
going to be a stage mom - aren't I?!? Yikes!)

Elk River, collegiate racing, and life-- by Maria

2007-05-14T18:24:00.000-05:00

I've been off the radar lately because of travel for school/work and some school/work transitions. I'm still at the U and I'm still a student, but the end is near, so I'm frantically planning my future.

Any how... Last, last Saturday (5/5) I raced at Elk River's Hillside Park in the BLAST mountain bike season opener. The 3.5 lap expert race sounded like a lot of fun until it started thunderstorming less than 1/2 a lap into the race! Yes, the picture is actually me!
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~stew0257/graphics/ElkRiver2007.jpg Its really sandy at Hillside, so the wet weather took a pretty serious toll on my bike parts. My singlespeed lost all braking capability with 1.5 laps to go (even after several adjustments- the pads were just gone). Instead of dropping out, I decided to make it a real challenge and flipped my wheel over so I could ride fixie (I race a white industry's ENO flip-flop hub). I ended up catching the two women who passed me while I was switching my bike over and
won the women's expert class. This was my first experience riding a
mountain bike fixxed eventhough I commute fixie all the time. Honestly, I'll probably do it again!

This past weekend I was with my fellow U of M teammates at the NCCA
Collegiate Road National Championships in Lawrence, KS. I didn't complete enough conference races during the collegiate season to race in the road race or crit, but I raced the Team Time Trial with Stephanie Thompson (Penn Cycle) and Kari Edvenson (Moorhead, MN). We ended up 11th, which was a little disappointing, but we gave it all we had.

This July-August I'll be in Finland for 4 weeks and other various locations in Europe for another 3. I'll be sure to update everyone if I do any racing in Europe or if I can track down Lieselot!

Happy Riding!

What a ride by Brook

2007-05-14T18:19:00.000-05:00

Well, while Rocker was having heart attacks about gear, and then riding like the wind, Marjie and Jen were volunteering and Barb, how'd your race go? - Kate and I set out to view the whole shooting match only we never made it.

The two of us met up at NOW Sports thinking there'd still maybe be a Saturday ride but alas, just the two of us. So we decided that we would ride a new route, maybe catch part of the time trial, and get back home in good time.

Well, with me "gosh I think I remember how to get there" in charge off we went. We thought it would be an easier, longer distance if we took the bike trail out there. Little did we know that the MS 30/60 would be using it, too. So on we rode with plenty of company until we hit Manning Avenue and then turned what I thought was the right way. Only when we got to 96 I thought "oh, oh," I missed a turn. So then we decided just to keep on going to see if we could still figure it out, or just start heading back in the right direction to home.

Of course, by then I was out of water and my cliff shot and Kate was running low too. But the wind was now kinda behind us and when we hit highway 36 it was totally behind us. The frontage road was nice and smooth and we both were zooming along quite nicely. We checked our speed going up one hill and decided it was the fastest we'd ever climbed. Now we know what some of you guys feel like when you go up hill, ZOOM ZOOM. As the frontage road ran out we saw the trail below us and crossed back down onto it.

By the time we got back to St. Paul, Kate was crashing from lack of food and I was too delirious to know that I already bonked. A quick needs break at Como Pavilion and then back on the road to complete our journey. Our round trip back to square one took us about 50 miles. I think we both felt like Gilligan and the crew with our 2 hour tour that turned into almost 4.

Kate went off to explain to her friend why a 2 hour ride took so long (I told her to blame me and my lack of direction) and I headed out to finish my errands. I was pretty worthless from lack of nutrition and when my husband came home that p.m. I still was unable to put two sentences together back to back. (Now now, those of you who think what else is new.) Anyway, so my advise to the much wiser is a) take a map, b) have a plan, and c) FOOD AND WATER.

Bike Club TT Challenge-- Rocker's version

2007-05-14T18:11:00.000-05:00

So the withrow time trial REALLY wasn't a race, but Marjie wanted a
RR. Here is her novella.

This is a time trial, with a "20k" and a "40k" option. I put them in
quotes b/c, for whatever reason, the 40k is ACTUALLY 26+ miles, as
opposed to 24.83. It always has been...yet they insist on calling it
40k. Whatever.

I've always done the 40k in the past, but this year I just haven't
been riding. I think my longest ride was like 19 miles, and that was
just an easy putz. The bulk of my rides have been 45 minute sessions
on the trainer while watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And...well,
er, the tri bike hasn't actually been out of the house since last
year when I sort of stopped racing midway thru the season. So I
figured I'd just do the 20k.

A host of mechanical issues made leading up to race time a logistical nightmare. Let me just tell you all...before you let a loving spouse replace your crank set, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE CORRECT BOTTOM BRACKET. Isis drive 10-spline BB + Shimano Ultegra Octalink 8-spline crank = Oops, you've f**ked the BB and crank.

But, okay, thanks to a VERY nice good Samaritan (Joe Johnson, from
Mankato, MN, you are my HERO!!!), I was able to ride. And, like a
fool, I signed up for the 40k option.

Actually, not like a fool. The weather was nice. I had already paid
$30, and I NEEDED someone to get me out and get me doing longer rides at an effort. In short, I REALLY needed the workout. Although after I signed up, I had like 5 people go..."Er, you're doing the *40*???" The RD was like, "Rocker, you could clean house in the 20k, and win a nice wheel set or aerobars. Why do the 40?" And this is true--all things considered, I would have done fine in the 20k.

But, I heard my dad's voice in my head when I was contemplating
it "Get out and get your a$$ kicked. It's good for you. Being a big
fish in a small pond and not working it isn't going to make you
better. Being a little fish trying to swim with (and not get eaten
by) the big ones will. So suck it up and get out there." And 40k it
was.

For once in my life (or in the history of this TT, anyway), I was on
time for my start, well warmed up, and didn't flat, have a brake
rubbing, or have my hubs pinched. Yeah, there was the whole
crankset/bb/stay in your big ring only issue, but that was in the
past.

Course is constantly rolling; no BIG hills, but steady ups and downs. Some nasty road surfaces in places (please, MnDOT, repave these roads), and a decent wind of maybe 15-20 mph. But sunny, and good temp. In a jersey, arm warmers, shorts, and tights, I was perfect. Not too hot; not too cold.

Came thru the 20k marker thinking, "Wow, I feel not too crappy. I'm
glad I didn't do 20k--I'm just getting warm."

Then I hit about 19 miles, and my legs decided they had better things to do with the rest of their day. Like napping. or gardening. Or possibly a long soak in the hot tub. My lungs felt great--I can tell I've been running. But the legs just tightened up and were done. The last 6-7 miles were MORE than enough to convince me I may need to actually get out and ride once in a while

But at any rate... finished in 1:15:53 for 26.somethingish miles.
About a minute slower than my PR on that course (1:14:4x), so not too bad. And I was even a minute faster than the last time I raced it (1:16:56), so even better. I was 7th OA, out of the money by two
places, but I'm not really complaining.

Unlike Bruce (and most of you roadie people, I'm guessing), I LOVE
the 40k Time Trial. It's just flat out hammerfest fun. And holy
catfish, there were some sexy hot ladyeez working Corner Number Five
at this race ;-)

All in all, I got a good workout (which I needed), it was a nice day
(which I enjoyed), and muscle memory is a wonderful thing (thank god
for that).

Saturday Ride

2007-05-12T17:53:00.000-05:00

I got up early to do the NOW ride, but apparently the Bike Club folks were all at the TT? In any case, Brook showed up, too, so we decided to go on our own. I had the idea to ride out to Withrow to see the TT, and to visit with Marjie and Jenn G. who were volunteering. So we took off toward the Gateway trail to head out that way, and ran into lots and lots of MS Tram riders, who were starting their ride on the Gateway trail. At one point we even got our pictures taken, so if I can find it, I'll post it on here.

Anyway, to make a long ride story short, we went further than we needed to (Manning Ave.), and by then we were so tired we just headed back to St. Paul.

So, sorry that we didn't make it out there, but it was a noble effort! Thanks Brook, for keeping me company for 4 hours and 50-some miles.

Hope the TT went well for Barb and Megan. Post about it.

I gotta go, I'm kinda tired now...

The Black Dog TT – by Sara Dowling

2007-05-07T18:16:00.000-05:00

Wind Speed 19mph
Max Wind Speed 43 mph
Max Gust Speed 58 mph

That means that even when the wind "died down" it was still blowing
at a constant 19 mph.

As I rode down the hill to the race registration, I saw branches,
sand clouds and discarded McDonald's wrappers whipping across the
road. "I hope none of that hits me in the face/arms/legs" I wished.
I could tell this was going to be the roughest 7 miles ever.

There were about 90 riders registered, and I represented the Bellas,
although the results showed me as Unattached – (That's sooo not
true!) I was lucky number 51.

I took a test ride down the course, through the river valley, which
is often populated by fishermen, casting off the side of the
road. "So what?" you say.Well I usually don't care about fish or how
they're caught, except on this day. With crazy 40 mph gusts, that
means that sometimes when anglers cast, their line (and hooks!) go
whipping into the road. And possibly into oncoming riders cheeks!!
Ok- that didn't happen. But it could have...

There's not much I can say about a 7 mile time trial with tropical
storm type winds, other than I think pretty much everyone there
resorted to doing the race for bragging rights, and just wanted to
keep their wheels on the ground (especially those fancy aero
wheels!) I didn't go home with a trophy, but I did get a nice spray
of sand blasted against my legs, which is kind of like getting a
tan. A pink, stinging tan.

2007-05-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the Iron(wo)man! The guy in the bombproof helmet and orange vest is our new recruit :)

2007-05-01T22:46:00.000-05:00

Check out Skinnyski.com for pics of the Bellas at the Ironman. I'll try to post pics on here later, unless someone else wants to beat me to it...

Durand Race Report

2007-04-24T00:06:00.000-05:00

Here's the Velo Bella results:
8. Barb Harick
28. Manda Lo
30. Debra Berg. (from IL)

For more results: http://www.cvccbike.com/node/76

Oh... but that's the boring stuff... we're gonna build up to the good stuff..

But... more of us showed up! Bellas Greib, and Jules.. where'd they go?... well... just read and see...

from Barb:
Big street cred to those who showed up for one heck of a windy and
hilly race: Manda, Jules, Jenn, and me AND Illinois Bella (oh dear, my
memory for names sucks)... Bummer Sheryl could not make it to keep her
boys healthy before her big trip to France.

I'll write more later after I eat something....and a much needed shower.

from Jules:
ok, I did my 1st road race. I was considerably nervous because I was worried about the unexpected. So I hung out toward the back. Once we stared, I found out quickly I really had nothing to worry about. I felt strong but started crappy, so I spent much of my time riding alone playing catchup. My plan was then to exert as much energy to catch up, ride some wheels, pass and catch up to the main pack. Well, I was just into my 2nd lap riding with a couple girls, ready to pass and go, when all of a sudden at 17 miles...flat! Shoot! So anyway I'm ready for more and can't wait until my next race. I've been flatting alot so I think my new sport is the dual-athalon (ride, get a flat and walk your bike back). haha

One of our own Bellas Jen, crashed. I felt really bad for her. The crosswind was wild!

I rode good today to make up for my short race yesterday.

from manda:
I'll ask one of the questions hotpinkevil asked super-rookie's audience.

When someone writes a long race report on their blog, do you actually read the whole thing? If so, what makes you read it? If not, do you just skip reading the post altogether, or pick out a few key things?

I didn't see much action. I was in the front at one point. I had conversation surfed my way to the first row at the start. made it through a couple of rolling hills, turned a corner. hit the headwinds and the steeper hills and got dropped. hung out with ex-bella P's sister and IL Bella Debra for the rest of the race. The headwinds, and short descents made it really hard to organize in the paceline... I've got to figure out what to do in that situation.... errr.. lots to learn.. The sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll version of the race is here.

And... here's the race report you ALL have been waiting for!

Slings and Tegaderm by Jenn Greiber

Durand Road Race…. nothing but beautiful Wisconsin countryside. Cows, fields, manure spreaders… everything that reminds me of home.

This was my second bike race of my life, and I must admit that I was quite excited (and nervous) to be there. It was a women’s open so all Cat 1-4 were lined up together. 39 women in the field, half of which I swear were Birchwood.

The women’s course was two laps and was a continuous land of rollers. After the second corner, I was dropped from the main pack (which included our Barb Harick) and continued on. Soon a small group formed with me, Paula (former Bella-turned-Flanders) and Tina (Big Ring Flyer, but I think I made her want to be a Bella…). We played together nicely, although it was clear to me how inexperienced at racing I am. Our goal was two ladies in front of us – Birchwood Jessie and GP Julia.

We were zipping along, but the gap never seems to close until we hit the stretch of open, flat, road. Tina could tear up the flats, so Paula and I let her lead with about three miles left in the race. BUT, here is where my disaster struck. I was to the right of Paula, and needed to be on the left for drafting purposes. When I went to come around behind her, I fell victim to the cardinal group riding sin: Overlapped wheels. However it happened, my front wheel caught her rear wheel and CRASH (Hm….. I wish I had a better noise description… “crash” isn’t quite the sound I’m thinking of)

Instantly I found myself flat on the ground, with Citrucel lying on top of me. Tina and Paula assured my consciousness, and then after some men riders, a milk truck, and a cluster of Birchwood ladies zipped by, I was loaded into a pick-up truck, owned and operated by a seemingly harmless man, named Dane. Who I believe had all of his teeth… ;)

At any rate, I was dropped off at the finish, surrounded by caring friends, ice, and whatever first aid supplies could be wrangled up. It was pretty clear I was going to have to see a doc, though.

So, all’s well. Paula, Manda and I take off. We gossip the ride home about the attractive men, the course, where I want to be ER-ed, Manda’s “forceful” vomiting, etc. My endorphins gave me a nearly pain free existence through the exam, diagnosis, etc, until about 8:00pm, when my body started to acknowledge the discomfort of a broken collarbone.

However, I cannot end the story there. I must share with you a magical thing that Bruce and Barb spoiled me with on Sunday. The friendly, considerate Haricks stopped by my home with a package of tegaderm (aka 3M’s Nexcare Absolute Waterproof Premium Adhesive Pads). This stuff is the coolest ever. Barb plastered my bloody knees and gashed elbow, and I later covered the oozy oozy mess on my cheek bone. I can’t wait to pay it forward and “tag” the next crash victim.

So, I’ll be seeing you on the bike in about four weeks. With a new helmet. In the meanwhile, I’ll just sit in my window with my arm in a sling and scowl a jealous scowl as cyclists cruise by.

Saturday Action

2007-04-21T22:09:00.000-05:00

Some of us who did not race in Durand went on the NOW ride today. I had committed to it just prior to noticing the change in start time. 8:00 is a cruel time to start a ride on a weekend. But okay, I guess I'm just not a morning exerciser. In any case, I was glad once I got rolling. I left my house thinking "wow, it's warm out." and hit the road and thought "wow, it's sort of windy." But the ride commenced before the wind got really bad. There were eight people, I think (somehow my math ability goes out the window when I'm doing physical activity.) Marjie, Brooke, and me representin' the "Vellas" as Bob calls us. There was one other woman from Bike Club, whose name I forget, but she and Brooke had twin bikes. The rest of the riders were guys from Bike Club, who were all very talkative and friendly.

We rode up Summit toward the capitol and north to Little Canada and around some lakes that I don't remember or can't pronounce. It was a somewhat hilly ride (I know this because we passed a convenience store called "Hilltop Store" or something like that.) The highlight was that I didn't get dropped on the hills-- for the first time ever!

We came back through Roseville and took a detour through Central Park, which is a cute little park with a lake and mini waterfall, and headed back past Como Lake and then portaged over some railroad tracks before heading back on Fairview, which is neither fair, nor has a view.

On the way home I got chatted up by a Grand Perfomance rider who told me about his 55 mile ride where all the guys were attacking each other on the hills. Made me really appreciate the NOW Bike Club guys, who could probably have lapped me on today's ride, but were conscious of keeping a reasonable pace and just having a good time.

The good thing about starting a ride at 8 a.m.? I was back home at 10:30, just in time to have my second breakfast :)

Does that mean I'm happy that all the Saturday rides will start at 8 a.m.? As Manda would say, "HELLS NO!" But I guess I'll have to just suck it up if I want to get stronger.

Thanks for the fun ride, everyone!

Kate

P.S. Go read Manda's blog if you haven't already, for details on the exciting Durand race (and more exciting post race!)

Spring Fever... Durand this weekend

2007-04-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

Oh man. It's GORGEOUS out. I work at the U of MN, and I'm sorta hoping that my building has a bomb threat so I can get out of here. That's just wrong though. But... man, it's GORGEOUS. Last time I was out, there was a bit of a stiff headwind, which made riding not quite as fun, but the sheer sunshine-y warmness made up for that.

That's one of my goals this season... ride even if it's windy out. Overcome hatred of headwind-- pretty much suck it up and DEAL.

Another goal is to be a slightly more sociable person. Part of that is being better at pointing out crap in the roads. -- But there is a weird sort of etiquette and balance to that. Some groups point out -everything-... stuff that I sorta classify as minutiae-- horizontal seams in the road... a dusting of sand... the white line. My pointing to stuff is more minimalist.. Holes that will eat your wheel, big ass chunks of glass, steel cheese graters on the road... You know the big stuff. So, I promise I'll try to remember to point out manhole covers and medium sized holes.

Another goal is to master the wave. I have to admit, I'm a klutz who's not exactly in great shape. Thusly, I'm MUCH better at the head nod. Unfortunately, the head nod is a much more subtle greeting than the wave... so those who are counting waves, taking names, and making a list may miss the head nod. So... list makers.. keep an eye peeled.

In exchange, I will try to wave to other people I see, but I reserve the right to use the head nod as a greeting, if I'm at the intense point of my workout, trying to get home before I bonk, or climbing a big ass hill.