SBW Pro Women Cycling

San Diego Cyclo-Vet Omnium

2009-04-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's always so nice to have a race close to home, which is rare in San Diego.

Friday was the TT, which was about 8.2 miles out at Fiesta Island. The forecast was for very windy conditions in San Diego that day, so I hoped that we'd be able to get the race in before the wind kicked up. It seemed like a lot of the riders in the other categories with early start times escaped the wind, but the Women 1/2/3 field ended up having a pretty stiff wind. I came in 4th place with a time of 19:23, which I was pretty happy with at this point in the season. It gave me a good indication of what I need to do to get ready for the State TT in late May.

Sunday was the crit in Mira Mesa. I tried to get away early with a few moves on the back side of the course, but, naturally, for the Women 1/2/3 race only, the back side of the course featured a pretty nasty headwind. Seeing that the field wasn't going to let anybody escape, I settled in and decided to do some work for Catherine Goodkin-Robertson of Wells Fargo, who I rode with at Redlands. She needed a win in the crit and would claim the GC title. With 2 laps to go I went to the front and buried myself for 1 3/4 laps, leaving the rest of the leadout to Anna Gerber of Swami's and Jennie Phillips of Wells Fargo. Our leadouts worked, with Catherine taking the crit win and the GC win by one point.

Redlands Bicycle Classic

2009-03-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

I was invited to race Redlands on a composite team, Team Squadra Swami's, comprised of a bunch of San Diego girls (Anna Gerber and Jennifer Weinbrecht from Swami's; Catherine Robertson-Goodkin from Wells Fargo; Tammy Wildgoose, Nicole Brandt, and Shani Russell from CA Pools; and Lauren Liscinski from NOW-MS Society). Unfortunately, I took a tumble off the bike on Monday, with Redlands starting just a few days later. Luckily, the x-rays were negative for a collarbone, shoulder, or scapula break, but my shoulder area was very badly bruised, leaving me unable to lift my left arm or put any weight on it.

I decided to start the race anyway, with the thinking that if I could just get through the prologue I could race Stage 1 with the possibility of feeling better. The prologue was very difficult with steep climbs, and being unable to stand or put pressure on my left arm and shoulder relegated me to climbing while seated. I finished 137th, which was disappointing, but I was able to start Stage 1.

Stage 1 was to be a road race in Beaumont, with three laps of a nearly 25 mile course. My shoulder did not feel much better from the day before, but I wanted to at least start the race. With strong Santa Ana winds blowing, the race would be exponentially harder, and the race exploded from the start. I found myself struggling to hang on as we started with a strong cross-wind, then had a strong tail wind (doing close to 50 mph), then turned into the wind (struggling to hold 14 mph). At the end of the the first lap I was around 8 minutes or so behind the leaders, so I abandoned the race. Unfortunately, nobody from Squadra Swami's was able to continue the race, as we all either abandoned or missed the time cut.

It was a great experience to do the race and I definitely hope to race it again, this time without injuring myself just days before the race. All the girls I raced with were great and I had a wonderful time racing with them. Big thanks to Anna Gerber for inviting me to ride with them.

Ironman SAF

2009-02-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

So everybody keeps asking me if it's true...
Yes, I am doing another ironman...my first in almost 4 years. I head to South Africa 3/24 to slug out a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. I got the itch after I quit training and racing bikes last May and by October I was so out of shape that it seemed like a good idea to contemplate...how else could I ever get back in shape? By December I was hooked on the thought and had announced to Dicky that I would train 12 weeks and race Ironman Malaysia...well, race would not be the best to describe the potential day on only 12 weeks of training after not running nor swimming in 4 years...maybe participate would a better word. Anyway, a few issues popped up with Malaysia which became a "no go" and I had 5 weeks of training under me and I could not see that going to waste...so with some help from Hillary and a few others I consulted, Ironman South Africa seemed to fit the bill on 4/5. I have 5 weeks left to train and a whole lotta miles to go.

Flats, Crashes, and Fun at VOS

2009-02-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Kelli and I headed to VOS in Phoenix, AZ for Friday's 3 day stage race. In short the TT left KJ with a blow out, the RR left myself behind two crashes- the last crash on the final ascent to the finish, and the crit...well it summed up the 3 days...it just wasn't gonna come together for either of us- but we rode hard and never gave up despite our many unexpected setbacks. I love the first race of the season because everything that can go wrong does and you just deal with it, move forward, and keep pedaling. VOS had a great field this year- 80+ with the 3's added in and a lot of So Cal girls in the mix along with Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Az, and Texas. Both Dana and Holly were great hosts and we appreciated their hospitality and wish Holly a speedy recovery.

Red Trolley Crit

2009-02-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

While Neva successfully took on the rain and the field in Dominguez Hills at the CBR crit, I was at the Red Trolley Crit in San Diego. The Women's 1/2/3 crit started at 2:30 p.m. I decided to ride to the crit, allowing me to get a 20-mile warm-up in before racing. All morning it looked to be dry in San Diego, but on the way to the race it began to pour on me. After about 6 miles, I was out of the rain, and thankfully it was the last of the rain that day.

Red Trolley is a fast course with a good-sized power hill before the finish straight. It was my first time doing Red Trolley since I crashed two years ago and broke my collarbone and suffered a pretty good concussion. I went into the race just wanting to hang in and get used to racing in a crit again. About 10 minutes into the race, I decided to give my legs a test and went to the front for about 3 laps. On my third lap on the front, Sarah Hammer exploded by, along with riders from SDBC and Helen's. Amazingly, that break did not stick. Another break would get free later, with Helen's Michele Orem out on her own and a small chase group followed by the peloton. With one lap to go, Sarah Hammer once again went, closing down the 20 second gap held by Michele Orem and taking the win, while I rode in for a finish in the field.

Racing in the Snow

2009-02-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Boulevard Road Race is the traditional start to the racing season in Southern California. Starting around 4,000 feet at the beginning of February usually means cold temperatures. In my many times riding that course, whether just training or racing, it has always been pretty miserable - cold in the winter, hot in the spring or summer, and always windy.

However, the 2009 edition of Boulevard on February 7 redefined "misery." The forecast called for a high temperature of 46 and rain - miserable conditions, but not absolutely horrible. It was nice before we started, and when the officials gave us the choice of cutting the race down to two laps, I was one of the two who said we wanted to do the full three laps. I was approaching Boulevard as a training race and had no goal of doing well, but wanted to get the mileage in with race conditions.

We started off, and it was a bit chilly, but it wasn't too bad. As soon as we began climbing up La Posta, I was actually feeling hot and unzipped my jersey and took off my super warm gloves I had opted for. I made the turn onto Old Highway 80 and it got really cold all of a sudden.

After starting the second lap, the rain started to fall and quickly turned into a hard, driving rain, and soon became hard, driving sleet. At the turn onto Old Highway 80, I noticed that the rain had started to float. It was snowing!!! They had forecast that snow was possible at 4500 feet, but at 3500 feet?! At the finish area (around 4,100 feet), it was amazing how much snow was falling -- and sticking.

One more lap to go. That lap was horrible. I couldn't see anything on the descent, and it had gotten so cold. I (non-climber) couldn't wait to begin climbing so that I could warm up a tad. I caught Nicette from Helen's when we made the turn onto Old Highway 80 for the last time, and Simonne was just up the road. Nicette and I rode together for those last 5 or 6 miles. We hit the 1k to go sign and you could barely see it because it was covered in snow! I couldn't help it and just started to laugh. The 200 meter sign was all but invisible.

We finished the race! The misery was over -- wrong! The start area where we parked was another two miles away - downhill. I was cold at the finish, but I was comfortable. When I started that ride down to the car, though, I absolutely froze. When I finally got my wet clothes off, I went inside the restaurant and stood next to the fireplace with several other of the women for a bit.

Another Boulevard Road Race finished. I'm sure that when we're racing in Bakersfield in May or June and it's over 100 degrees, those of us that did Boulevard will be reminiscing about our day racing in the snow.

2009 Warm Up

2009-01-12T08:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a great start already to 2009 with lots going on. The girls are all busy and doing lots of riding on the side. Cynergy helped Kelli and I out by putting together our Specialized Tarmacs and I must say, it is an amazing climbing bike. I'll get a picture up soon.
On the track side Becky had sustained a pretty bad crash back in December when a top road rider but a novice to the track crashed in the warm up and Becky was unable to avoid her. Becky had a severe concussion and lost her site for an hour. With a pretty bad hip and some awful head aches, she went back to PA to recover while being with family over the holidays. Becky is back on the bike and feeling pretty good now which is a relief.
SBW has been having practices at ADT on Sunday and we have 40 racers show up. Roger Young does an excellent job in handling the large group and I got to do sprints with Tara, Gordon, Bobby, and Tom this week. Tara is a sprinter so she kept us all honest.
I was pretty fortunate to have a trip to Kona last week and got to ride the Queen K with Lance who extended his stay for another 10 days to do his camp for Tour of Oz there. Lance wasn't the only super star out on the Queen K- Yvonne Van Vlerken has been there for 6 weeks training for her Ironman season- Yvonne holds the bike course record for Kona while placing 2nd at World Champs and winning the European Champs and breaking the course record. I had a chance to test my legs out against her a few days back-and after the fact, she let me know that it is a rare day when anybody- male or female passes and drops her- so my form seems to be coming on strong which is confidence I needed with a huge race only 6 weeks out.
I head back to Kona with Dicky on the 19th and we then head over to Maui where I will attempt some part of the Oceanfront Maui Marathon. Then I'll spend another 8 brutal days racking up the miles and hopefully will head to Malaysia around the 17th for a 10 day taper.
Becky heads to Copenhagen the 8th and I haven't decided if I will join her- Copenhagen and Malaysia are on opposite ends of the world so I don't see that being beneficial to racing in Malaysia but it is still open for debate.
Since racing starts at the end of the month we'll start blogging more. Aloha. Neva

Melbourne World Cup Race Day 2 Points Race Final

2008-11-21T14:02:00.001-08:00

Wow, what a race. Becky placed 4th but that hardly tells the story.

After the qualifying heat where Becky was in a major crash, we started formulating a plan to just get her and her equipment prepped for the finals. We had a lot on our plate with two broken wheels, two broken pedals, and Becky's bumps and bruises. So the plan of attack was dealing with one issue at a time.

Pedals- she rides special pedals and only one other team uses them- we needed to find a set for the finals to buy or borrow. Bob and John B. helped situate that plan into action.
Wheels- we thought she taco'd her font wheel only but then we saw a fracture in her disc. She could ride her training wheels but we needed pit wheels. Start the search and ask for some big favors- favors were given by some old coaching friends, thank goodness!
Gearing- with Becky's leg really roughed up- she had sustained a small hema-tomato as I call them and a massive bruise to the glute/hamstring we would need to under gear her- we figured it out.
Bruises and bumps- minimize the swelling and impact over the 7 hours between racing- a massive ice/rub regiment took place- Becky was the perfect patient and did everything she needed to do.
Skinsuits- she mangled her skinsuit so we thought we were short 1 and did a massive search in her gear bag to figure it out- we found one that she would use.
Food- she needed to eat and hydrate which was a priority- with all of the caos we needed to make sure that was a priority.
Mental aspect- a lot of things going on, a sore and hurt body, and a final to prepare for. Some friends from CA, family, and myself all said the same thing- hurt now, hurt later- what's the difference- just go ride and give it 100% and never give up...a "die trying" attitude.

With all of that we headed back to the velodrome to warm her up and get the equipment situated. Everything came together in an orderly plan- everybody did what they said they would just when we needed it. Becky was ready to go. My last advice was from her nephew Benny- "have fun Aunt B!"

Race starts and Becky gets into the pts in first round with 2nd. Becky stays back for 2nd set of pts and adjusts for 3rd set of pts- 2nd again- now Becky is tied in 2nd. The field is rolling, things are moving but nobody is letting off so to limit the attacks. Becky has had to roll into a few breaks from the pts but is doing well. 4th pts Becky misses the pts by a hair and it was a tough sprint- recovery is key and Becky has a pretty awful look on her face. I know I have to say something to keep her focused- I look up at the leader board and she is still in 2nd! I yell that to her and she livens a bit and situates for pts but has to wait until the 6th set and gets a pt. She is now in 3rd. 2 sets of pts left and the field is still rolling. 7th pts are fast and furious. Becky still in 3rd with 7 other riders who could take the bronze and I yell again to her- "everything Quinn, everything"- she is in the back and the field finally for the first time slows up and she jamms to the front just as the pace quickens and with 2 to go becky is 2nd position and the Ozzie starts jamming like no tomorrow- the final two laps was heart stopping- Olds gets on Quinny's wheel and sweeps and the Ozzie Goss is jamming like no tomorrow in the front and Quinn almost gets around her- game over- Goss gets 5 pts, Quinny 3...Goss wins the bronze by 1 pt. What a race.

Becky gave 200%, stayed in the race 200%, and raced a near perfect tactical, physical, and mental race. Knowing how many obstacles she had to overcome with her crash a few hours before it was a testament of what a world class athlete this woman is. She had a job to get done and no excuses. So coming up empty handed with a podium on this one was mixed emotion- it was a great race. the podium winners had massive team help- the Russian was protected by her counterpart, the Spaniard the same, and the Ozzie had 4 other Australian's in the race. So smarts, heart, and soul were Quinny's team and it was well noted by the coach's who knew her situation. It was a pts race where 6 women all won pts in 4 of the 8 sprints. The top 6 had been in the first qualifying heat of which Quinny and Clif-Ryan contested. It was a tactical and sprinter race. It was a race and Quinny executed an inspiring race.

Thanks to Bob the Ozzie mechanic, Gary W., John B, Tone, the Quinn's, John L., Dave, Becky and the Oz race crew, Old with a great wheel sweep at the end, theresa and Gary, and everybody else who kept Becky in the game with support, help, and encouragement.

Melbourne World Cup Day 2 Pts Race Qualifier

2008-11-20T19:42:00.001-08:00

The women were first to go today and the air was a bit electric with the women ready to fight for the 24 positions. 36 total were in qualifying again. Becky and Theresa were in the qualifier of "sprinters" and Shelly lucked out with mostly pursuiters- which can be dangerous however.

The 1st heat started out fast and Becky positioned for the first sprint and won 3 pts. Taking the 2nd sprint as a recovery, Quinny sat back and after the 2nd sprint the field kept pace when out of the blue 3 riders flew in the air in turn 2 (3 for those who count the 4 corners). My heart sank when I saw Quinny flip over. Bob the Ozzie grabbed the wheels and we ran full tilt. Bob changed out the smashed 808 and I got Quinny in with 15 to go and she immediately got in the field and settled in. Armisted who also went down was spewing blood from some cut but also got back in and Theresa Clif-Ryan was on the apron and got a throw in as well but she did not go down luckily. The final sprint ended with a break of 4 getting pts and Armisted trying to be 1st across the line for a position finish but it wasn't good enough, nor was her health- she was a bloody mess- really a bloody mess. Quinny made it through in 5th or 6th place and is one big bruise. her disc was also cracked in two and her pedals bent. So now we have to find a 2nd pair of wheels and pedals. Malaysia/John Beasley, Ozzie Gary West, and Bob the Ozzie mechanic have been fantastic and offered help which is really beyond belief- I can't tell you how appreciative we are.

Oh and I forgot to mention yesterday 4 minutes before Becky's heat her race front wheel got a hole and we were saved by Malaysia with a back up wheel for the pit while Bob the Ozzie helped get a new tire glued on.

Finals in 5 hours. Quinny and Olds were the 2 who made it through BTW for the US.

Melbourne World Cup Day 1 Scratch Race

2008-11-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

Day one was quite an excitin' one down her in Oz. Becky and some fellow USA riders Theresa Clif-Ryan and Shelley Olds all toed the line in the qualifiers. 36 riders, 24 go through. Becky rode a perfect heat- text book so she was through. Both Theresa and Shelly made it through- Theresa with an impressive fight to the line.

In the finals things were kicked off with the Korean attacking from the get-go. Theresa at one point was in the counter move and was off the front for a while but the field stayed motivated- laps would be hard to take with that attitude. About mid-way through after a constant pace of attacks a group of 7 splintered off and had about 40 meters and growing so Becky dove and bridged and passed several riders who did not have the energy to hang on but the field had already organized and had slowly been reeling the break in. Theresa ended out in front again with another rider but the field was rolling so both Shelley and Becky pulled through.

With 4 laps to go things were a tidy mess with speed, legs, bikes, and bodies just rev'd up. Becky was in good position but was being tailed by Armisted (sp? sorry) and Cuccinata from GB and Italy (two of the best scratch riders)- somewhere between 3 and 1 to go Armisted with an Ozzie in tow bumped Quinny from below just as some other riders pinched her from above- it was going down to the wire- bumping and shoving landed Quinny in 6th and Armisted in 1st. Quinny came off the track with a big grin despite her lack of podium- it was her style race and she loved it.
USA: Quinny 6th, Olds 11th, Clif-Ryan 19th.

SBW UCI Track Team Heads Down Under

2008-11-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

SBW will be heading to Melbourne, Australia for the 2nd World Cup taking place 11/20-22. Updates on the race will be posted on this blog site daily! Good luck SBW!

Manchester World Cup

2008-11-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

Manchester World Cup Racing Day 2 Finals

2008-11-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

Well- I must say it was the best scratch race I have seen Becky ride. The field started a furious bunch of attacks that left the field strung out for the first 17 laps. The Brits had 4 riders and were just sending attack after attack. The Netherlands and 2 other riders countered just as the field let up and they moved into a 1/2 lap lead without any contention from the field. Quinny made a decisive move and in an amazing move shot out of the field, caught them completely by surprise and bridged up to the break within 3 laps. Unfortunately Shelly Olds with a late move trying to match Quinny motivated the field with two Americans now out in front and they followed Olds in tow- it was too bad because the move Quinny made was brilliant. Now with 16 laps to go things heated up again and Quinny needing a position move made another monster move over the top of the field and got into perfect position with 6 to go. Machacova from CZE came over the top with 4 to go and Quinny was clearly in the cat bird's seat if Machacova could hold the speed but she died and the field caught up and Quinny was now swarmed and blocked in- just when there wasn't any hope Whitten from Canada broke away with 2 1/2 laps and gave Quinny and out who was in 3rd position on the Spaniard- but both Whitten and the Spaniard were dying and a GB girl came down on Quinny and boxed her in- Quinny can get out of almost anything but unfortunately not this box and the sprint was contested by 5 riders of which Quinny finished in 5th in her boxed in position. Shelly finished 6th, her best World Cup finish.

Manchester Racing Day 2

2008-11-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

Becky just rode a perfect qualifying race for scratch. Shelly slid into the final round too after a crash at bell lap- whew, US is OK- Swiss and Italy banged up. Both Americans in final!

Manchester World Cup Racing Day 1

2008-11-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Great racing!

Becky won 3 of the 4 sprints in qualifying and handily made it through as did other American Shelley Olds who won pts in a sprint.

Finals- Shelly Olds scored pts in 2nd round and Becky in 3rd and 4th. Becky was in 3rd and then Shelly scored in 5th while Quinny blocked and then Becky scored in 6th round and they were placed 2nd and third with 18 to go. Sheer pandemonium happened and the field splintered apart and 7 folks somehow made it off the front as individuals which sent the Brits into a dither and the 4 Brits somehow managed to organize into a 2nd break of 3...3 of the splintered caught with 10 to go and 3 of the Brits...so now 6 had a lap up. Becky not knowing if they caught scored pts in the sprint but they were given to the break who had not officially caught. Shelley ended with 8 and Quinn with 10th. A good race but not good enough for the US to podium.

Manchester World Cup Training Day 2

2008-10-30T04:53:00.000-07:00

We just finished training session #2 and all is going well. Quinny starts racing tomorrow at about 10:30 AM California time and I'll update sometime after that. Points Race is Friday. Ta-ta for now.

Manchester World Cup Training Day 1

2008-10-29T02:04:00.000-07:00

We made it to Manchester without too many problems. Flights were tight but that just meant that we hopped from one to the next...but bikes were not as lucky. Bikes followed however and Becky was on hers by the evening. With a confusion in time changes which may have happened last night...a mid-week shift?? We showed up an hour early to the training session- better to be on time wondering why we were the only folks here. We'll take some pics and update tomorrow morning at the track session but all is good and racing starts Friday afternoon. Weather is as cold and rainy as expected...hey it's England.
Becky and Neva

Elite Track Nationals - Points Race

2008-10-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

Finals (25 km/100 laps) - October 5

Becky (2007 National Champion), Christen, JennX, and I took to the boards in the points race on October 5 to close out the 2008 Elite Track Nationals. SBW had a great presence with four riders out of 22 in the field. All four of us were very active from the beginning, attacking and trying to establish breaks. Becky looked to have gotten into a promising break, but it wasn't long until the field decided that was a dangerous move and reeled them back in. Christen got into a great break and managed to lap the field to earn 20 points.

Unfortunately, I was sent crashing to the boards on lap 50. However, once the doctors and paramedics checked me out, and Shimano got my front wheel changed out, I was able to get back into the race when they restarted. It was a bit difficult getting moving after going down hard and having several minutes of inactivity, and I ended up losing a lap on the field.

With about 27 laps to go I went off the front of the field and was joined by Kacey Manderfield, Megan Guarnier, and Julia Manley. (PictureWe worked together really well, and with about 5 laps to go, Kacey, Megan, and Julia jumped to lap the field, but I just didn't have any sprint in me to go with them. Once they had rejoined the field, I ended up alone to take the final sprint.

Christen's efforts in lapping the field earlier in the race earned her a 4th place finish, and once again SBW was present on the podium.

With that, the season came to a close for most of us. Becky will be out there on the World Cup circuit, hopefully laden with medals on her return flights!

Elite Track Nationals - Scratch Race

2008-10-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Heats (7.5 km/30 laps) - October 2
There were 27 women registered for the scratch race, necessitating heats to qualify for the finals. SBW had three women in the scratch race: Christen, the 2007 scratch race national champion; Becky, the 2007 points race national champion, and me. I am not a great scratch racer, but wanted to try to help Christen and Becky out.

Thinking that they would just eliminate enough racers to reduce the field to 24 for the finals, I was prepared to just need to beat out a few other racers to make the finals. When I got to the track on Thursday afternoon, I found out that I was in Heat 1 with Christen. Our heat had 13 racers, and Heat 2 consisted of 14 racers, including Becky. The communique said that they would be taking the top 10 from each heat, so I now had to beat 3 others. Then, the officials reduced it so that only the top 8 would advance to the finals.

I wanted to make sure that Christen advanced, but I also had to adjust my race plan so that I could hopefully qualify for the finals. I attacked early and went off on my own, hoping that I could maybe get away and lap the field. No such luck. I was out there alone for about 5 laps, then the field brought me back in. I attacked a few other times and covered attacks made by Anna Lang (Aaron's) and a few other riders. Anna Lang put in one final attack, but I didn't try to chase her down, thinking someone else would finally do some work. Instead, nobody reacted, and Anna would not be brought back. When the field finally reacted, I wasn't able to match the acceleration and had to chase. Julia Cross and Christen's mom were up in the center of Turns 3 & 4, and I could hear them yelling to me that I needed to catch a few more riders. Unfortunately, I came up one rider short and finished ninth. Christen rolled to the finish in 4th, easily advancing.

Becky had a relatively easy time in Heat 2. Kat Lundby (Helen's) went off the front early as I had done in the previous heat, and the field was content to allow her to stay out alone for about 6 or 7 laps before they reeled her in. Becky always kept herself in great position, matching every acceleration and avoiding putting too much effort in to save herself for the finals. She easily advanced to the finals, coming in 4th.

Finals (15 km/60 laps) - October 3

Photo of Becky, Christen, and Shelley Olds (Proman) talking in the ready area before finals. CyclingNews.com/Rob Evans
Becky and Christen took to the boards to represent SBW in the finals. Alison Powers (Colavita) was very active throughout the race, but the field always seemed to let an attack go for a few laps before bringing it back. Becky and Christen once again kept themselves in good positions, and both worked the front to bring back breaks before they got too dangerous. With about 4 laps to go, Shelley Olds (Proman) and Kacey Manderfield (Verducci) got away together and the field was unable to bring them back before the finish. Becky was able to hold off a charging Anna Lang to take 3rd, and Christen took 9th. They were not the results that Becky and Christen were hoping for, but SBW once again had a rider on the steps of the podium with Becky's bronze medal.

Becky on the podium(CyclingNews.com/Rob Evans)

Left: Becky in the Finals (CyclingNews.com/Rob Evans)

Right: Christen in the finals (CyclingNews.com/Rob Evans)

Elite Track Nationals - Individual Pursuit

2008-10-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

Morgan, JennX, and Kelli each competed in the Women's Individual Pursuit (3 km) on Day 3 of Elite Track Nationals. Morgan finished in 9th with a 4:07.3, JennX in 10th with a 4:09.2, and Kelli in 11th with a 4:10.8.

Elite Track Nationals - Team Pursuit

2008-10-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

The Women's Team Pursuit was held on Thursday, October 2, 2008, Day 2 of the USA Cycling Elite National Track Championships at the ADT Event Center in Carson, CA. The women's team pursuit is a 3 km time trial and the time is taken on the third rider across the line (unlike the men's team pursuits where they start with four riders but only have to finish with three). Four SBW riders stood on the podium after the event.

Christen teamed with Proman's Shelley Olds and Megan Guarnier and took the silver medal with a time of 3:45.370.

Morgan, JennX, and Kelli teamed up to form an all-SBW pursuit team and took the bronze with a time of 3:51.976. We were so excited about the time we set. In a month's time, we dropped 10 seconds. We had done a 4:01 in late August, and a 3:56 about five days before we hit the track at Nationals. We were 6 seconds off the silver and 8 seconds off the gold. Next year we could be right up there!

Many thanks go to Dotsie Bausch for all her help and advice and to Julia Cross for always being there to lend a helping hand.

Nationals

2008-08-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

The amazing team support from Julia and our families and friends this week was incredible and absolutely made for a more successful run at Nationals.

Our race was 4 laps of a 17 mile circuit. The first half had a climb up Jamboree and the second half and a section of head wind and a gradual climb. Right from the first lap Kelli was up front and JennX and I stayed protected up in the front. In the second lap Kelli was up front coming down the big hill and just rolled off the front of the field! The peleton didn't respond and Kelli's 8 second lead soon became over a minute! The field stayed on her but Kelli's power into the headwind and the field's conservative effort gave her one of the two breaks from the field.

The OTHER break from the field was JennX's attack into the climb on the last lap. It was a decisive move that X made from the corner as she sprinted into the right had turn and never looked back. Once again, SBW was off the front and the Shimano car sped past the field to support Jenn. Meanwhile Christen moved to the front of the field and stayed in perfect postion. Coming into the flat section the teams seemed to get more anxious about X's lead. Finally, the field was forced to chase. Once X was reached by the field the attacks for the finish started. One after another into the climb where the field was strung out. I stayed with the front group to the turn around. We still had about 6 miles to the finish but the field stayed strung out. The finish was 1K with a climb from the final right had turn. When we made the right turn I rode in with the front group as the last attacks were launched but the hill was too much for an attack to stick. Cresting the hill I realized I was still in a good position and just stayed on it into the finish.

I'm so proud of Kelli, Christen and JennX who made such an impression on this race. Great day guys!

Happy but...

2008-08-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

what is THAT picture?!?!?! Ok, now on to Nationals...

SBW In Oregon

2008-08-11T00:19:00.000-07:00

Morgan- 11th and Happy

2008-08-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

The Girls

2008-08-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

SBW Women At Cascade Cycling Classic

2008-07-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

From July 9th to July 13th, JennX, Morgan, and I competed in the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, Oregon. We were joined by guest rider Laurel Green of the Dolce Vita Cycling team in Northern California. The Cascade Cycling Classic is a 5-day, 6-stage NRC stage race, and we covered nearly 350 miles in those five days. The temperatures in Bend were HOT (high 90s), but thankfully the air was clear of the smoke from the wildfires in Northern California.

The field of 88 riders consisted of U.S. Olympians Kristin Armstrong and Christine Thorburn, and Canadian Olympians Gina Grain and Alex Wrubleski, and full squads from Webcor, Tibco, Aaron's, and Value Act. It was an amazing race, and I am so pleased with my experience in my first NRC stage race.

I have to thank Neva, my great friend, Jen Johnson, and Morgan's brother, Jay, for all their help during the race feeding us and helping us with whatever we needed. They were absolutely wonderful, and there is no way that we could have done the race without their help! Thank you so much!!

Wednesday, July 9th
Stage 1: Prineville Road Race – 83.2 miles
Redmond (Deschutes County Fairgrounds) to Bend (Pilot Butte State Park)

We started out on Wednesday from the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond and headed north before turning east toward Prineville. When we entered Prineville, it seemed like the entire town was out cheering for us. What a feeling! About 46 miles into the race we began the 3-mile climb up to the Prineville Reservoir. We were stopped at the top of the climb for 30 minutes or so due to a crash in the men’s field. They then released us in order and time of coming across QOM line. There was a 7-rider break we all chased but could not catch. (Cycling News had this great photo of JennX on the front of the field, working hard to chase down the break.) There was a crash with about 20k to go to the finish and JennX and Laurel went down. I waited to make sure they were okay and to pace them get back into the field. The race finished with a climb up to the top of Pilot Butte State Park, which was much steeper than I expected. Superstar Morgan finished 16th, I was 53rd, JennX was 71st, and Laurel was 77th.

Thursday, July 10th
Stage 2: Three Creeks Road Race – 78.5 miles
Bend (Summit High School) to Three Peaks Snow Park (near North Sister Peak)

We started out Thursday morning from Summit High School in Bend with a very fast first 20 miles. Tibco was constantly sending riders off the front trying to establish a break. A 6-rider break finally stuck. With Morgan sitting 16th, I went up to the front to try to bring down the time gap to the break. The race ended with a long 10-mile climb up the mountain. Morgan finished 26th, Laurel was 73rd, I was 74th, and JennX was 80th.

Friday, July 11th
Stage 3: Skyliner's Time Trial – 14 miles

The time trial was a 14-mile out-and-back course into the forest, with the out leg 7 miles uphill gaining over 900 feet and the back leg 7 miles back down the hill. We started around noon. Morgan finished in 31st, JennX in 32nd, I was 38th, and Laurel was 83rd. Kristin Armstrong set a blistering time. Since they had just announce on Tuesday at the Team Managers Meeting that there would be a time-cut, it looked like we would lose Laurel.

Friday, July 11th
Stage 4: Downtown Bend Criterium – 60 minutes

We arrived in downtown Bend for the evening crit and went to check results and sign in. Laurel and several other riders had missed the time cut. We began warming up and Laurel changed into street clothes. About 10 minutes later Neva came running yelling for Laurel to get dressed because the officials had just rescinded the time cut! Laurel quickly got back into her kit and got her bike ready to go. Wow, the crit was fast! We averaged over 27 mph. Laurel and Morgan went down in a crash, with Morgan falling very hard. They both got back in. Laurel was pulled from the race about 30 minutes or so in, but Morgan was able to hang in with the field. I finished in 33rd, Jenn X in 34th, Morgan in 44th, and Laurel in 49th.

Saturday, July 12th
Stage 5: Cascade Lakes Road Race – 70 miles
Wanoga Snow Park to Mount Bachelor Ski Park

The race started with a 3.5 mile climb before going downhill. Laurel and I got dropped up the climb. I was able to catch back on at the top, but Laurel didn't make it and abandoned the race. JennX was looking like she felt really good and was at the front of the peloton. I got dropped up the climb to the first feed zone and just couldn't get back onto the peloton, leaving me to chase alone for over 45 miles. When I got to the second feed zone I learned that JennX was off the front! She was off the front for about 20 miles or so, but unfortunately, she had another flat and ended up completely losing the gap she had on the field. Morgan finished in 45th, JennX in 65th, and I was 72nd. The race was spectacularly beautiful with the entire route through the forest, past lakes (one of which was emerald green), and then up the mountain. There was still snow on the side of the road, too!

Sunday, July 13th
Stage 6: Awbrey Butte Circuit Race – 67 miles (4 laps)
Start and Finish at Summit High School in Bend

Sunday's race was a circuit race of four 18-mile laps through northwest Bend, with the QOM up a steep 14% climb. The course was completely up and down with hardly any flat stretches. Unfortunately, I was dropped going up the climb to the feed zone and was once again doomed to chase behind, although this time I had other riders with me. JennX and Morgan once again did an amazing job in the field. Morgan finished in 29th, JennX in 32nd, and I was 58th.

Morgan finished the stage race in a GC position of 22nd, JennX had mounted a major comeback from earlier in the week when she was plagued by the heat and finished in 45th, and I was in 58th.

3 Days of Fiorenzuola

2008-07-22T05:11:00.000-07:00

While the SBW women were kicking butt at Cascades in Oregon, the National Team sent me to Italy to participate in the 3 Days of Rose. I went there with the assumption that the women were going to have Madison races, but when we arrived the race organization did not include it on our schedule. The women's omnium consisted of 2 missing outs, 2 scratch races and 2 points races with two races each day. The track was a 400m outdoor concrete track which as you know is far different from our home track. It was enough difference to throw off my timing for the sprints. The racing was tough and the field was filled with World Cup medalists, World Cup white jersey wearers and Olympians preparing for the big show next month. We raced hard and held our own. My best finish was a 4th place finish in one of the Points races. The Ukranian pursuit team double teamed me twice in the break away. Unfortunately, being out smarted is part of the learning process. I also found that you really have to be on your toes because you can't understand the announcer yet lap cards change in the middle of the race, the total number of laps change, the rules of the missing out change as you're racing and probably don't count it being in your favor. I'm sure this is all part of the leaning curve and I look forward to many more races like it in the future. The riding in Italy is amazing. It's filled with beatiful views and cute villas everywhere you ride.

The picture above is taken at the top of the mountain on our way to the beach. It was about a 45 minute ride from the team house in Lucca to the beach. The next picture is of course the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Nature Valley Grand Prix

2008-06-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

Nature Valley Grand Prix turned out to be extremely intense riding in all 6 stages. Morgan and I had a big job holding our own against the best pro teams in the country. Morgan did a great job maintaining her position in the peleton and always finishing with the top girls. Neva was awesome support for us. We cannot express how important her help was to us during the 5 day stage race. It was also really fun having JennX as the announcer. It is always cool hearing your name over the loud speaker. Thanx X!

State Crit Champs: Morgan Kapp Takes Third

2008-06-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Morgan Kapp, who took third place at Sunday's San Pedro Grand Prix, this year's SCNCA Elite Criterium Championships.

The course was challenging and served as a great warm-up to this weekend's Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, as the two courses have some of the same features. From the start/finish, it was wide and flat to very tight right-hand 180 degree turn. From there the course went uphill, then a long downhill run-in to a speedy turn that went 180 degree turn (two 90 degree turns pretty close to each other) to put you on the finishing straight, which was a long, gradual uphill. Already a challenging course, the 96 degree temperatures made it that much more difficult.

Holly Mulvaney joined Morgan and me at the race, and Holly put in a great attack early (I think it was the beginning of the second lap), taking a prime before being tracked down by the field. I was able to go on a short-lived attack with another rider about five laps into the race. Then, about mid-way through the race, with Morgan well-positioned at the front (as she had been from the beginning of the race), I struck out on a solo attack. Nearing the top of the hill on the backstretch, the field was back on. I started slowing it down, and then Morgan jumped, with SDBC's Bonnie Bourque, Helen's Kat Lundby, and Bicycle John's Skye-Lee Armstrong going with her. Since I was on the front, I was able to do a little blocking, and soon the four had a pretty sizeable gap on the field.

I was able to cover a few of the jumps from the field, but SDBC, Helen's, and Bicycle John's had good numbers and were able to keep pretty good control on the field, making it easier on me. With two laps to go, the break was back in sight, and Anna Lang (Aaron's Pro Cycling) started up the chase once again. I was suffering going into the final lap, but saw Neva on the sidelines telling me to get back up to the front. Seeing Neva gave me a little renewed energy, and I was able to get back up to the front going into the tight 180 degree turn to slow the race back down for a few seconds. Once we hit the final hill on the backstretch, the race heated up again, but the break would not be brought back. I used whatever I had left to try to sprint up the long finish straight to finish among the field.

I then saw Morgan and she said she had finished in third. Although I know she wished she would have finished first, it was still a great result for Morgan and SBW. Third place behind Kat Lundby and Bonnie Bourque is terrific.

Thank you, Holly, for joining us in the race, and a big thanks to Neva for cheering us on and helping out on the sidelines. Most of all, though: Congratulations to Morgan!

Back on Track

2008-06-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday was my first night at the San Diego Velodrome this year. Not only was it my first time on the track bike since Nationals last October, but it was my first time racing at the track in San Diego since I crashed in a race there last August and broke my ribs. I was a little nervous getting out there and racing again at the site of my crash, but I was soon very comfortable and did much better than I expected.

The night started with the customary motor-paced warmup of 30 laps. The first race was a 7-lap then win-&-out, and my final race of the night was a 20-lap scratch race. I was not aiming for any results in the races, but instead was using the racing to get some extra speed training in. However, being able to hang with the field of very fast men (who are highly motivated by the beer primes) and finish the races in the field made me very happy about where I am right now with a full three months to go before Nationals at the beginning of of October. Racing at the track each Tuesday night will now once again be added to my training.

From the first Tuesday in April through the last Tuesday in September, the San Diego Velodrome is the site of Tuesday Night Racing every week. The San Diego Velodrome is no ADT Event Center Velodrome, though. I am so thankful to be only 100 miles from the ADT Velodrome, one of the best tracks in the world -- an indoor, 250 meter track with a wood surface and 45 degree bankings -- and feel very spoiled every time I've ridden there and then come back home to the San Diego track. The San Diego Velodrome is an outdoor, 333 1/3 meter track in Balboa Park's Morley Field with a concrete-ish surface and probably only about 20 degrees of banking in the turns. However, although it's not in the class of ADT, I am priviledged to have a velodrome only a quick two mile drive away that I can race and train on.

Tuesday Night Racing draws a great crowd every week, with the bleachers always full of a great mix of people taking advantage of the opportunity to watch track racing for free. Some bring picnics, others bring beer and margaritas, and others just come and watch, but all the spectators do a lot of cheering for all of the racers. In the past, they've even had a wine tasting night and a live band on another night. Gary, the announcer for Tuesday Night Racing, is hilarious and entertains the crowd with his race commentary and his ability to poke fun at anyone whenever the opportunity presents itself. Joly and Ray, two USCF officials that everyone who races crits and road races is very familiar with, are there each Tuesday to handle registration and officiate. Their efforts every week are greatly appreciated.

Our International Soigne and Friend Monsieur Foss

2008-06-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

A happy reunion with Larry after Stage 3 Time Trial. A Minneapolis resident, Larry came down to watch his peeps. Larry will be married in September- Congratulations!! (No- Larry is not marrying SBW's Christen King as pictured-he's marrying Sophie who is not pictured because she is working hard with the Canadian National Team!)

Kapp Positions in GC Day 2 but Really Day 1

2008-06-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

NVGP had a wild start Day 1 with the rain soaked crit ending in complete mayhem. Who was in, who was out but still in, and why did the 3rd place break sprint 2 times? Who knows and who cares...because the officials threw the race out! Don't ask. So Morgan's 21st position was literally a wash. Good for Christen, bad for Morgan...but both were in high spirits because that's racing and now Day 2 would officially start the NVGP for official stage results.

Day 2 was a road race and was sure to be a hammerfest since there was no GC and it was any one's GC to take. The botched start started the 2nd day of mayhem when the motorcade took the wrong road over a narrow bridge and realized they were off course so they literally turned the peleton around and the back became the front and the front the back and now all the work riders had done to position was in vain and mayhem ensued. I heard zone 5 was the result with heart pumping speeds for the first 30 minutes and rumor had it a group of 30 was shelled off the back. At mile 25 100 riders remained in the main peleton (145 were to start) and both SBW riders were intact but Christen looked like she was being gapped off due to a positioning error on a steep downhill into a sharp right turn...hang on CK!

Feed was at mile 30 and I anxiously awaited her riders. All hands were grabbing at my bottles and riders pleading me for water (it was awful because I could hear their desperation) but I held tight only giving one away to a No Cal rider while I anxiously looked for Mojo and King. Then everyone was gone and I was still with bottles- gulp...I yelled to the big team cars that had radios and asked if there had been a crash and the response was no so I waited and about 4 minutes behind the peleton came 2 riders and one was Christen. She looked pretty fierce with a determined look on her face ad plenty of sweat so I kept silent and prayed she would be able to grab the bottle- she did. I knew it was going to be a long 20 miles because the rider with her was done so Christen would be TT'ing solo trying to make the time cut. Over 10 minutes back came a group of about 12...too far back to help her...she was in that awful place called no-man's land. Bummer.

Morgan must have stayed in the main peleton so I headed to the finish circuit hoping she was fine with water. As the peleton arrived into the 5 lap circuit and made its way into the start of the laps, I saw Morgan looking pretty good- and she was in about 40th position of about 80 riders who made it into the circuit to complete the 5 laps. For the first 3 laps Morgan moved up just a person or 2 and then with 2 to go she had moved up near mid pack and in a terrific finish she ended up 28th! What was even more amazing is she placed 3rd out of 50 in the amateur Cat 2 division just a few places behind the leader. I then got word that Christen made the time cut so prep started for an early morning TT start in St. Paul.

Oh My Gwash is that a Wheanies Jersey?

2008-06-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

JanX in Action.......

rain, rain, go away...

2008-06-11T20:55:00.001-07:00

come back some other day preferably after this stage race business... Wow. It rained most of the morning but then cleared up around 3 so there was some hope for the evening but as we were driving to the race it started to rain again and then harder and harder. The great news is though it that it's not too cold.

Once we surrendered to the weather and headed down to the start/finish area we found a great guy, Carl who is showing his line KINETIC of trainers. He had a tent set up right at the start and let us warm up and was so supportive.

The race got off to a fast start. It was hard to see the front of the race and the corners were tight and tricky because of the speed, manhole covers and the rain. It was really hard to move through the field, but patiently I could just move up a rider or two. Then, the crashes started. I could hear them mostly and just kept going forward. Then after about 10 laps a rider rode across a manhole cover and slid out sideways. I saw it so clearly and tired to clear her but I hit her bike and then slid across the pavement [slip 'n slide]. Our bikes were tangled together so once we pulled them apart and made our way to the pit, we were back in.

The field was completely strung out chasing down Kristin Armstrong who was off the front and was trying to take the corners quickly and safely. The rain was a huge factor today. There were so many crashes. K Armstrong took the win today. Neva said her ride was impressive. I finished 21st and Christen is in a main field with the majority of riders.

Slip 'N Slide at NVGP Day 1

2008-06-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Pro Women Win State TTT

2008-06-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

We did it! The 4 of us, Morgan, Jenn, Christen and Kelly won the Women's open California State Championship Team Time Trial. With little team training but excellent fitness we managed a winning rythem from the gun. We clocked in at about a 52:18 according to my watch, although "official" time is plus or minus 30 seconds. The 2nd place team put in a time in the 55 minute range.

We weren't the only Southbay riders to put in a TTT today. I think I saw 4 teams of 4. As I walked around the event I saw a lot of SBW riders, SBW member officiating, SBW support and SBW spectators. The club is really involved in the local scene. Kudos to Julia Cross and her team of time trialers, as we past them around mile 12 we yelled good luck. Her entire team replyed back with hoots and hollars. It really was a fun day. The team win puts us on a high note as we head in to the next month of hard racing.

Keeping you in the loop-

Morgan and Christen are off to Minnesota to race the Nature Valley Grand Prix and JennX goes to commentate.

Neva is still recovering from Tulsa Tough.

Kelly is focusing her training for Cascades in July.

All the women will be at the San Pedro Grand Prix while JennX is on assignment in Majorrca.

See you on the road

JennX

Tulsa was Tough

2008-06-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a rather short-lived Tulsa Tough. Tulsa Tough is a 3 day crit omnium on the NRC calendar. Overall it is a great race to attend with plenty of prize $, great riders, and good fun all around. The races all sit within a mile from each other so once you get to Tulsa you can ride your bike everywhere. Tulsa also has some interesting sights including some fantastic architecture and some museums that are amazing like the Philbrook and the Gilcrest. Although I had a crash on day 1 of racing that took me out of the competition, I still enjoyed the weekend in Tulsa.

Day 1 race started at 7:30 at night with 60 riders for the women's 1-2 race. The pace started medium and it was hard to rev it up because it was an 8 corner .8 mile course so a lot of momentum stopped in the turns. I was riding Shelley Olds' wheel and following her course as she moved up through the field in the first 8 laps.

I had found a great spot in the top 1/3rd and was getting ready to settle in and find a wheel when a rider in a Vitamin Cottage jersey was cornering extremely erratically. I assessed very quickly that she was unnecessarily braking in the turns which was causing her to spin-out and wobble into the field. I knew to get far away from her and in turn 3 I was going to pass on the inside up the small incline. As I had that thought, she fishtailed out of turn 3 and completely lost control. I had moved to her inside and actually thought it was enough to miss her crash when either her bike or a rider behind her spun out and nicked my wheel just enough to send me into a perfect right sided slide interrupted by a rider plowing into me from behind and sending me into a full left sided tumble. I knew there were about 40 riders following so I tucked into a ball and tried to protect myself.

The pile-up had at least 16 riders in it and bodies were everywhere. I immediately knew I had hurt my ribs on the left side but was able to get back on the bike and found my way to the pit. the USA Cycling medic assessed me and through me back in a few laps later. I found I could not get out of the saddle due to my ribs and could not breathe so I sat on the back and just spun for the remainder of the crit trying to finish since it was an omnium. Later that night my injuries settled in and I knew I was a lot more hurt than I had anticipated. After a long night and an emergency ride to the hospital, it was obvious that my Tulsa Tough was over.

The races were all very exciting and Kelly Benjamin and Shelley Olds dominated. X-teammate Jennifer Wilson did great as well and placed 7th in the omnium. A shout out to Flavia, Jennifer, and Betsy who all kept an eye on me. So Tulsa was a bit tough on me but I recommend this race to anyone. Now for a long 5 weeks of rib healing.

A Great First Month With SBW!

2008-05-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

What an exciting month! I jumped back into racing with one of the best teams in the country and with the greatest teammates in the world.

My first race with SBW was the Barrio Logan Grand Prix. Lucky for me, Barrio Logan is one of the very few races held in the San Diego area. While normally I have to drive at least two hours to get to the races up in the LA/OC area, I was able to leave my condo in downtown San Diego and drive about 3 miles on the freeway to get to the race. I met up with my new teammates at the course, donned my new team kit, got a warm-up in, and then hit the race course. It was a fast race (dominated by SBW) with Morgan off the front with Pam Schuster for several laps and Quinny right up there in the front with her. When the break was brought back, it became a field sprint with Quinny taking second behind a very strong Pam.

The next day was a road race near Fallbrook. I was able to contribute on the flats the first lap by being up in the front with Neva, taking some long pulls, and covering a few attacks, hoping to save X and Mojo's legs for the end, where they finished 5th and 6th.

The next week we were up in hot and windy Bakersfield for the State RR Championships on a course with the most exciting view of the oil fields. There was excitement early on as the peloton ran into a rattlesnake out on the course who thought he would try to take a bite out of Christen. I'm just glad I didn't see it since I have a severe phobia of snakes. Mojo was able to take 9th in the field sprint, with Christen not far behind.

Then last weekend we hit the State TT Championships in Lake Los Angeles (where there is no lake to my knowledge). Wow, it was a cold morning after the rain storm that hit the day before, leaving a lot of snow not that much higher than the elevation we were at. X had her motor going strong and flew around the course, taking 3rd, with Mojo 7th, Neva 8th, and myself 10th. I didn't do the kind of time I wanted to do, but it gave me a good measurement of where I am and the training I need to get in to peak for Nationals in August.

I can't wait to see what June holds for us!

Road Race State Championships

2008-05-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

This year the SBW women took on the new 2008 road course with 3 riders. One of the riders is Kelli Jones, a new rider to the women's elite team. We are very happy to have her riding with us. She is a very strong rider, especially in time trials.

The women's race started last, so it was a pretty hot race. The only preview of the race couse I had was the video posted on You Tube. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxxl2CyU3yE. This really made the road conditions look a little sketchy at the least. On top of poor road conditions, everyone was warning me about flats. Needless to say the first lap was raced pretty conservative by everyone. After riding the course, the roads were not that bad and I didn't get a flat.

My climbing legs seem to be coming back since I was able to stay with the lead group as the climbers attacked over and over again. Morgan I made it up the climb together on the last lap and started setting up for the finish. Morgan made an awesome move on the right side of the peleton at the right time. I waited too long and was blocked in by the team who had sent a rider up the road for the win. Morgan finished with another top 10 finish!

I can see that our team is getting stronger and beginning to get to know each other now that we are racing together once again. I can't wait for our next race together, so we can set our team up for the win!

Women on a MISSON, CA State Championships ITT

2008-05-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Miss Reither, this is your mission if you choose to accept it. Awake at 4:00 a.m., start hot water for tea, dress, get in car and drive to Lake Los Angeles CA. While you are driving, shove 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich in your mouth and wash down with hot tea. When you arrive to Lake Los Angeles you will have approximently 17 minutes to pick up your registration packet, use the faclities, pin your number on your jersey before heading out to your warm up. After your warm up you will arrive to the start line of the the State Championship Time Trail. Be warned the bike holder at the start is a double agent and may try to sabatoage your start by dropping you off the steep ramp. You have been warned! And one more thing, it is not quite 40K the distance is only 37K or 23 miles. So all you preperation you have done for the past 3 months will need to be adjusted on the spot. This message will self destruct in 5 seconds.

As challenging as the State TT is with its early morning start the cold weather and lack of expierence of the bike holder made it even tougher. The team arrive ready to ride. Neva and Kelly got off to a good start, but the bike holder dumped Morgan off the ramp. As she got herself together, putting on her chain and composing her temper, she was off. I was the last SBW rider to go for the championships and opted to take the risk of the ramp. Sure enough when I started I headed over the side instead of down the ramp. With a quick yell of PUSH, I was righted and on my way. There is not too much to tell you about a 37K time trial, other than the toughts that go through my head which are: Breathe, spin, catch the carrot, breathe, I wonder if Nordy's is having a sale?, breathe, its cold, breathe, spin, push, look at the snow on the moutains, spin, breathe, sprint. That about sums it up.

The times were a bit slower than last year and I managed a bronze for the event, results are as follows: Gold Ruth Clemence (Cycles Veloce) 54.19 Silver Lana Atchley (Team Rock) 55:23 Bronze Jennifer Reither (SBW) 55:45. Other noteable times and placings: 7th Mogan Kapp 57:55 (but we take of 30 seconds for the fall off the ramp and chain drop) 8th Neva Day 58:03 and 10th Kelly Jones 59.18. With a stong showing at the ITT, the women hope for a team win at the State Championship Team Time Trail 6/7/08

Neva TT's at SBW's Baxter Series

2008-05-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

There are many benefits of being affiliated with a 200+ active member cycling club and one of those benefits are club races. This is my 3rd year with SBW and 3rd year cycling and I never have attended a club race-and I can't really say why. But as fate had it, due to a flat tire scenario, I missed a key workout Saturday and was in need of a high-test workout. I remembered an email had gone to the club from our president Cary Alpert regarding the Baxter TT series being held on Sunday- this might fit the bill for what I needed.

I threw a kit on, had my TT bike in the car, and drove down to the Carson course 7:00 Sunday morning. I am the last to arrive and I see what is a real pre-race scenario taking place with close to 20 riders. Riders were warming up on trainers, everybody in full race gear with discs, TT helmets, booties, etc. Me...well I had my Hawaii water cages still on with a pump attached to them, a bento bag of extra tubes, training wheels that had near 60 pounds of air, my Rudy regular helmet, and no thought of a warm-up.

I quickly begged the race crew to let me start last so I could pull myself together and I asked if I could be behind Lynette Rock by a few places so chasing her would keep me honest. Lynette is a State and National TT champ and is an animal when it comes to the TT. I would be lucky to see her today with a minute head start but I knew keeping her ahead of me would keep me focused on task at hand- riding a strong 10 mile TT.

The course is a .9 mile rectangle and as I was riding it, I felt like I was on a really big outdoor velodrome. I had a solid well paced race finishing with around a 23:30 and most importantly was able to see some mistakes I need to correct before next week's State TT. I also had a blast. The competition was great, the support of Ted and the SBW riders continuous, and realizing what a great benefit the Baxter TT series is to my fitness and racing was invaluable. You have to be a member of SBW to do the race series and the cost for the event is $5 which covers everything and they even gave me splits by lap!!

Thanks SBW for putting these races on, you'll see me again very soon at the next Baxter TT.

Tour De Big Island- Neva's Report

2008-05-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Day 1:
Stage 1: 6.2 mile TT with last mile being a 7% hill climb. Winds favorable for most of the TT course, heat rising to 90, humidity very high. No race equipment including cycling computer. A TT bike, heart rate monitor and an old SBW kit did the job. Finishing place 1st with a 15:25 time.
Stage 2: 14 lap crit course. Course .7 miles with leg 1 being crosswind from the east, leg 2 a 7% descent with a tailwind 1/3 mile, leg 3 a crosswind from the east, leg 4 a 7% climb dead into wind 1/3 mile. Wind: 30 MPH gusts blowing a steady 20+ MPH. Equipment: road bike with 404's- oh crap. Mixed field with some men's fields. Women's field came down to a sprint between myself and Roberta and I took her by 100 meters and it was a fight all race. Finishing place: 1st
Day 2:
Stage 3: 40 mile RR with first 50% descent, second 50% ascent average of 7% ascent. Weather very unfavorable. Winds steady at 11 MPH, fog heavy, rain pouring. Course descent on open highway with traffic. Equipment: road bike with 404's- oh crap again. Field mixed with all men except the M1-2's. A few tears nearly shed on the first descent and the field split, I was with favorable split. We hit the ascent and the men hammered. I was dropped eventually and at feed almost pulled out- it was pretty miserable...but I don't quit and I decided to try to catch the field anyway, now a good mile ahead. I caught them about 4-5 miles when a guy named Doug was TT'ing trying to get back in. Then we got dropped the 2nd mile in on the climb and Doug kept me honest and we finished 1/4 mile back. Finish: 2nd
GC Final: 1st
Summary: An excellent weekend of racing and we got a delish meal at Tako Tako, a cool Tour De Big Island shirt, and prizes and shwag galore! With the smaller fields, which is hard to get large fields in Hawaii as the mainland, it would be more like a formal training race for those used to larger fields but the race was 100% professionally done and the racing hard! I was so impressed with the Race Director and his team and the team of volunteers- it was their first stage race and it went like clock-work- if all races could be organized this well- nice going Hawaii Cycling Club! My fellow racers were awesome- both women and men, and Roberta gave me 'ell all weekend- watch out for her at Master's Nats- she's an animal! I hope this race starts a new tradition on the Big Island and with prior notice of the event I will make every effort to return. Thank you Big Island for a great weekend- you really made it worth my while on many levels, mahalo.

Vog Training on the Big Island

2008-05-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

I am in Kona for some good 'ole vog training. (See any newspaper from Monday to know what vog is- an AP wire article talks about it extensively).
Weather is 85, humidity out of control, winds pretty crazy, and scattered rain and sun.
Day before I got here I was looking for a triathlon to enter and instead found the Big Island Stage Race. Looks like I'll get some fun riding in this weekend.
With much aloha, Neva

Reunited

2008-05-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

SBW Pro Women are finally reunited and will be heading into June as a full team. Becky, Christen, and Neva came off of track season in March and took some down time to R&R and build their road legs. That placed all of the racing pressures on Jennifer Reither, Morgan Kapp, and Jennifer Wilson over February, March, and April. The three winter road riders raced strong and placed well and their success attributed to Jennifer Wilson being asked to ride for the NRC Vanderkitten team after a strong showing at Redlands. Just as the rumor of the loss was heard, another rider Kelli Jones decided to come back into racing and was immediately rostered to fill the Jennifer Wilson position. The track riders and Kelli all agreed that the end of May would be the "be back strong and fit" date to go into a challenging June, July, and August schedule.

Working hard to meet that deadline, Christen King used Chuck Pontius as a prep race with Morgan Kapp. Christen working the peleton hard finally secured a break with two other riders and with a lap to go decided to try a solo break and was successful as she crossed the line solo for the win. Morgan's help working the field also allowed the win.

Following up with that podium was a 2nd place finish at Barrio Logan. The team minus JennX was in a field of 48 and Morgan worked the front the entire race with some strong attempts of launching some attacks but to no avail. Neva attempted a break with Helen's but missing her top end put her back into the field. With about 20 minutes to go Quinny repositioned herself to the front with Morgan and just started working it and even secured a prime. Helen's launched with 1 to go and Quinny was in chase and a perfect move by Morgan gave Quiny a leadout on the backside for the sprint and 2nd place finish.

The Cinco De Mayo weekend ended with the San Luis Rey Road Race with a 5th and 6th place by Morgan and JennX. The team minus Quinny raced the 5 lap 58 mile 4000' course. With 15 minutes to race start Neva's derailleur had a snaf-u with a wheel change and in 6 minutes she changed pedals, frames, wheels, cassettes, and bottles just to make the start with a completely different set-up then she had prepared- good work! The race started slow and Kelli and Christen decided they would work the front and give JennX and Morgan a reprieve since they would be needed at the end. Neva joined them at the end of the first lap and she and Christen took over the 2nd lap. The field was very content with SBW doing all of the work. Christen attacked on the back side and Morgan countered and then JennX. SBW working and attacking went on for the five laps and eventually it went down to a field sprint where due to positioning Morgan and X had to really scrap out the spring and placed an excellent 5th and 6th. Also a shout out to Julia Cross and her family, Terry King, Dicky, and Morgan's family for feed at SLR!

Having the team come back together is great and in two weeks of being re-united we have a 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th and June is still 4 weeks away when we said we would be in full force. Next up is State Road Race Championships in Bakersfield Christen, JennX, Kelli, and Morgan are prepping for the weekend.

Along came on Otter.....

2008-04-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

photo: Jen Wilson and JennX at the top of Priest's Valley

Wilson, Kapp and I (JennX) headed out to Sea Otter (Monterey, CA) this past weekend to wrap the month up with the last NRC of the Spring. Altough Sea Otter was a month later, the weather was still the usual....UNPREDICATBLE. Wilson and I headed out on Friday night to guarantee a good nights sleep in the care of our wonderful host family. Morgan would join us later.

We woke up Saturday morning to mid 30 degree temps and high winds. Vowing to myself, that I would no longer race NRC's with arm warmers and knee warmers I bundled up in my best spring digs and headed for the start line. From the gun the peloton raced up the "wall" starting of the 22 laps of hell early. Just when we thought the pace couldn't get harder, the first QOM came up and destroyed the pack, all SBW girls stayed with the main peloton. Colovita initiated a break that launched from the windward side of the peloton, trapping, all the SBW girls on the wayward side. A break of 10 escaped from us consiting of Colovita, Cheerwine, Tibco and Proman, every big team there. I launched a few attacks up the "wall" trying to get a small group off the front to form and possbily get another break off the front and gain time on the main break, but the big teams reeled me back. Finally the three of us had to give up our aggressive race plans. Without the numbers, we couldn't do anything. With all most of the sprinters will the main peloton, I set a hard tempo the final lap of the climb hoping to drop a few of the big guns, but when Cheerwine saw their teammate with a group of four at the top of the "wall" (4 had fallen off the initial break of 10, making the break now at 6 riders) Cheerwine launched an attack so hard, all the SBW girls could do was hang on for dear life as what was left of the peloton stung out for a 1/2 mile.

Top finisher was JennX in 27th, Morgan 28th, Jenn Wilson 32nd. The three of us raced strong and put in a good show.

On side note, This was our last race with Jenn Wilson, our sprinter extrodinare. As she has moved on the the big pond and will continue her racing career with Vanderkitten Racing.

Ladies wearing CROCS!

2008-04-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

2008-04-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

I've had a few weeks to regroup and start training for the 2008 road season. I raced in Ojai to support my teammates, but was really under trained for the extreme heat and pace of the race. My teammates raced well as usual. Wheels placed 5th with an amazing sprint out of the final corner (Left: Wheels with her Seigler). JennX did a lot of work at the front and still placed 14th in a very strong field.

Morgan raced really aggressive and managed to get into a break off the front for a good portion of the race (Right: Morgan getting interviewed by VeloNews).

Morgan and I also raced at the Torrance criterium this past weekend. Morgan showed a lot of dominance at the front of the pack as usual. She was in a break away early in the race which stayed off the front for a good portion of the race. I attempted some hard attacks to get off the front and see how the legs are feeling. I'm hoping that in the next few weeks of training, I will get my fitness back in time for the TTT and NVGP.

Daily Peleton RE: GLMGP

2008-04-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

In the Women's race Colavita/Sutter Home/Cooking Light's Tiffany Cromwell and Iona Parks Winter managed to double on the front of the field sprint taking the podium top spots with Rachel Tzinberg taking the final step. Anna Lang of Aaron's Corporate Furnishings finished for 4th with Jennifer Wilson of the strong South Bay Wheelmen elite contingent in for fifth.

Kapp Dominates Garrett Lemire and Wilson Takes 5th!!

2008-04-13T21:22:00.001-07:00

From Velo News Article:
Women
In the women’s race, with a field of about 50, Team Tibco and South Bay Wheelmen started firing attacks by the third lap. By lap six, though, Colavita-Sutter Home took over, and Cromwell and Jamaican national road champion Wynter Parks broke away with Morgan Kapp (South Bay Wheelmen).
In the field, Tibco and ValueAct Capital pushed the pace, but the break gained as much as a 90-second gap.
Having two riders in a break was obviously a good situation for Colavita-Sutter Home, but team director Jack Seehafer said that the presence of Kapp in the break added an important unknown.
“I didn’t know her, so that was a little stressful. As always, with an unknown racer, you just never know, so you’ve gotta give her credit,” he said. “I had to be wary of it, and tried to use her the best we could.”
Cromwell said she and Wynter Parks worked well with Kapp. “We were happy to have her there because we both felt strong, and we were happy we had two in the break. We just tried to work together and get time on the bunch behind us.”
Wynter Parks concurred. “I didn’t know exactly how strong she is, but I have heard her name in a few of the races because we’ve been in California for a while now … she was pedaling well, so she was just being smart,” she said.
“I just worked with them,” said Kapp, who is a second-grade teacher and a category-2 racer. “They’re really strong riders … it was tough. They were great to work with, and then they did what they had to do at the end.”
By lap 17, it became apparent that Cromwell was still fresh and strong enough to ride a faster pace than the three could ride together. “I sort of rode away on a hill, and Jack said to keep going, so I did … I just decided to keep on going as hard as I could,” she said.
When Cromwell rode away from Wynter Parks and Kapp, the two continued to work together, but then Wynter Parks knew she had to make a break.
“It’s just that Tiffany was very strong on the hills,” she explained. “It just got to the point where she was just that much stronger, and she was causing a gap because Morgan was the one that was on her, and I was just sitting on Morgan when we were on the backside of the course, so I just let her roll. Morgan couldn’t react [when Cromwell attacked] and then I sat with her.”
With just a few laps to go, Wynter Parks got word over her radio that the pack was bearing down, and so she attacked and left Kapp behind to be absorbed by the field.
“It wasn’t so much that I wanted to attack Morgan, because I was quite happy to go with her and sprint her, but I just knew in the radio that the pack was coming. So I had to go. As it was, I had to work hard to stay ahead of the pack … [Morgan] did well, and she raced fair … she obviously is strong, so kudos to her.”
With Kapp back in the field, there was a bunch sprint for third, and Rachel Tzinberg, racing alone for Bicycle John’s, made the most of the situation.
“I just had to sit in and wait and see,” she said of the majority of the race. With the three women out front, she said, “I knew I didn’t have the leg power to bridge … [but] I was feeling pretty good on the climbs, so I waited to see what I could come up with in the finish … I knew I wanted to jump before the final corner … and it paid off.”

JennX racing weekend report

2008-04-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

While, Neva is off recovering, Morgan and Kristen training, Jen Wilson in Redlands and Becky on here way home from her success at track worlds, I opted to enjoy race training for the weekend.

Saturday morning I got up early and headed out to Piru for Uncle Tren's 40K TT. The turn out was great and I got to test out my bike, legs and position in my first 40K of the season. I managed a 1:03:45 or so. Official results are still not posted, but I am happy with my time. After a 10 minute warm down, I race home, showered, changed, went out for a mani & pedi then returned home for a quick nap, before heading out to Encino for a bit of track racing. It was a great turn out at the velodeome and many of you were there. I was happy to see all the South Bay support considering this was my first track race in a year. The women's field was about 10 big and included Julia Cross, whom I was honored to race with. I was savvy enough to place 2nd in the scratch race, 1st in the miss-n-out and 2nd in the unknown distance for 2nd in the omnium overall. Thanks for all of you who came out and supported the Encino Velodrome. It's home court for my track training and they take as good of care of me as all of you do in Carson. Next up OJAI!!!!!

Kelli Jones Joins SBW Pro Women

2008-04-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Kelli Jones (center) is hard to miss with her 5'10"

Kelli Jones is a good friend to many in the So Cal peleton and will be joining the SBW Pro women for the 2008 season. Kelli's strength on the bike, goals of riding at the national level, and her team dynamics made a perfect fit with the pro women's team.

Kelli is an accomplished person all around. Kelli swam in college, started riding in 2006 as a Cat 4, and won a National Championship jersey for the 30-34 time trial in 2007. Kelli rides full time while being a full-time Paralegal in the District Attorney's Office in San Diego. Kelli is currently a Cat 2 on the road and track and in 2007 won (3) SCNCA Championship titles in 2007 including the state crit title, (2) CBR State titles, and the U.S National Master TT Championship (30-34).

Neva Day recounted her most memorable Kelli Jones moment: "Kelli and I started together as Cat 4's in 2006. She rode for Paramount and I was SBW. I had a slow leak in my rear tire and bad legs at San Marcos and was OTB. It looked pretty dismal until I heard a voice behind me say "get on" and literally a freight train of Kelli Jones was motoring up behind me. She dragged me around that course for at least 3 laps so I could finish and said it was payback for the work I had done all season. I knew from that race that Kelli was not only a powerhouse but a person that you could count on. " Day added, "Her win at National's last year was really incredible, she just keeps getting faster and faster in her TT."

Arizona Camp

2008-03-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a long weekend in Arizona. I am still considered to be in my "off" season which will last through most of May. Dicky and I made a deal that this is "his" time with me and he gets to pick how we spend it together. Last week he picked Arizona. He picked Arizona because Amanda's (his daughter and Cal's head women's tennis coach) Cal team was playing both Arizona State and University of Arizona for Pac 10 rankings. He also knew I had plenty of training friends in the AZ area to keep me on the bike. The last objective was to find the "rig" we have been looking for. So Wednesday we set out for AZ.

I am exactly (1) month into my road training; having to start from near scratch on my base. Last week started "lite" hills. The bike objective of the trip was keeping me in the hills. My friends in AZ all are training for Ironman AZ in a few weeks so training with them was not an option- they were doing 115 miles of flat TT'ing. A friend told me there was a stage race in Tucson and maybe I could use that as training. I laughed because I am nowhere near ready for a stage race but I checked into it. The TT was 3 miles, the road race was 60 miles, and the circuit race 40 miles- all doable and as a bonus the stages were at 6:45 AM which meant that I could race and see Cal beat the AZ teams. Most importantly the climbing was ditto to my training goals. Registration had closed so I decided I would ask the race director if I could still enter. The RD called me as we were on the road and said I would be #520. "Oh Crap" I will be in a stage race this weekend.

Racing a stage race without racing is interesting. It is not that I would not give 200%, but what was very important was knowing what my limits were and making sure I had clear goals that I could meet. So the goals were simple: 1) finish each stage 2) try to get top 10 in each stage. (Only 20 riders were in the Tucson Bicycle Classic field so top 10 was doable).

Stage 1 3 mile TT: Short TT with (2) 150' climbs in the last 1.5 miles- I knew my limits and knew I had to take the first climb aggressively conservative and then empty the tank the final climb. I rode it perfectly to my fitness and placed 6th- 3 seconds out of 3rd place.

Stage 2 60 mile RR: 20 loop road race 950' climbing per loop and awesome headwinds. My pink power Seigler derailleur broke so I was on the ARKO- first time since SuperWeek- great hill training bike but not stiff like the Pink Power and twitchy - cornering and descents very rough- oh well. Goal was to finish and try for top 10. Sprint bonus was in the first 4 miles of the first loop on the ascent into the headwind- Cari Higgins lead out the sprint and I was in tow but placed 4th I think. I survived the first stairstep ascents and we rounded into lap 2 almost with all 20. (A few had fallen off). Then as I was being careful in a turn an attack went off and I was literally at the end of the peleton- I scrambled to just get on a wheel. 4 riders off- (2) Dairyland who then broke a rider off again. We were left with a group of 8ish. The chase was pathetic because out of 6 non-Dairyland riders only 3 of us were willing to work. I worked it hard and we caught a Colavita rider. At this point the fighting started between the workers and the non-workers and I knew I needed to just stick to my training plan. I did some great tempo work and placed 9th overall. Both goals met and I was alive and also holding 6th in the GC.

Stage 3 40 Mile Circuit: 5.5 mile loop times 7 laps 300' climbing per lap, massive head winds again. 6:41 AM start and I felt like crap. My legs were yearning for a nice 2 hour spin- not a brutal 2 hour sufferfest. Time bonus was 3rd lap so I knew I was in for a doozy. Dairyland set the tempo and were doing a lead-out for the bonus- all obvious...what I had not counted on was we passed a men's field just before the turn and the men did not move over- I decided to be safe and as I was being cautious Dairyland started the attack- I was stuck behind the men with another rider- by the time I got out of the mess the field was splintered and I was in a massive headwind solo. I passed a few dropped riders and found Dairyland's "spent" leadout Katherine Ross who I met at SuperWeek last year- I told her to "get on" and we started a VERY gruelling chase. 3 miles into it we caught the field!! The problem was the field was chasing the break and the field had the 2nd place rider in it who attacked just as Katherine caught the tail of the field- we were cooked, the field went full out on the 300' climb and Katherine and I were spit out the back- you gotta be kidding me. We were cooked. I again said "come on" and we pulled it together and chased down a group of 5. Ironically most of the women in the 5 were the "workers" the day before and they were cooked. I was cooked. Although a group of 3 were in view nobody had legs to chase so my wish came true and we had a lovely 3 lap chat. I did give everything I had for the sprint which was not a lot and got nipped at the line finishing 11th and 10th GC.

I finished. I placed 10th. I was properly cooked. Cal beat both Arizona teams. We did not find a rig. A great week was had by all. TBC is also a terrific race and really well run- thanx Alicia for letting me ride!

San Dimas Stage 3 - Old Town Classic Crit

2008-03-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Pre race warm up. X crackin' up and me breathing hard.

The final day of the stage race! Oh, before I forget, yes I did get 8^th yesterday. There was a mix up with riders and this morning before the crit I asked the referees to check the video and I just got pipped at the line. There as a lot going on with me being right next to the barrier and a photographer leaning out right at the finish. Oh well, still top 10 which is good.

I love crits! It had rained in the morning and rained while we were driving to San Dimas but luckily for our race it was just cold and real windy. After the call ups of the top 10 in GC the whistle blew and off we went. The pace was fast from the start with Highroad hitting it hard. I stayed near the front ready to go with what I could and the one time I was not in great position 2, not 1, 2 Highroad riders went off the front, Kim Anderson and Alex Rhodes. Their gap was not that big and again ValueAct tried to bring it back but the cards were not in their favor again. All I can say is Lara Kroepsch (ValueAct) is a stud. Yesterday she spent all of her time on the front trying to bring the break back and again today. Once the pack realized that they were not going to be reeled back in it became a game of who could bridge. My teammates X and Morgan were all up in the front and for 3 riders we covered every move we could. It was exhausting but we love hard racing. Both Morgan and X got primes which was cool. Lara K. kept attacking and I went with her in hopes that the string between us and the pack would break but not today as the other Highroad riders were very attentive. At one point Morgan got away with a ValueAct rider very casually off the front and X and I were at the front to block but then the pack clued in and they were caught. Too bad! There were a couple of crashes in the race but no SBW riders were involved. It seemed that some cones on turn 5 had a magnet on them as both times riders seemed to dive right for them.

X drilling it on the front trying to catch the break

Ever since Superweek I am used to riding 1 ½ hour crits so when they announced 4 laps to go I was shocked. Now I had to start thinking about the finish. I went to the front of the pack and spent the rest of the 4 laps constantly getting on any wheel that was going faster than the one I was on. Both Morgan and X did a great job of helping me by going to the front and keeping the pace high. When the pace is too slow and the pack bunches up I do not like it. Fast and strung out is the way to be. I was actually in great position (better than I ever have been) sitting 4^th wheel entering the last turn. Out of the turn I sprinted as fast as I could but with the wind and everything we finished exactly how we came out of the corner and I got 4^th in the field sprint and 6^th for the stage because of the two Highroad riders off of the front. Still not the result I was looking for but still top 10. Morgan did an awesome job and finished 8^th!!!!!! X held on after pulling hard from 2 laps to go for a solid 20^th? position. She is a stud. Have to check results to get the final on that. All and all I thought us SBW women did a fantastic job and I am very proud of us!!!!!!

Me throwing the bike to protect my placing.

Morgan putting it down with a nice 8th place finish!

Afterwards we hung out to check the official results and watch the podium. Mara Abbott (Team Highroad) gave SBW kudos stating that we rode very well and were strong, especially since we only had 3 riders. It is always great to here things like that when you spend so much time suffering! Almost forgot to mention our overall placings in the GC - X held onto her 12th place, Morgan moved up to 16th and I moved up to 23rd.

The glamour of racing. Post race vaseline removal and changing room.

Intently checking "Jill" to find the nearest In n Out Burger.

Check back for more updates from the SBW women!

SBW Women stand out at San Dimas Stage Race

2008-03-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

As SBW Women make and impression across the pond, the elite road team is making it's mark here in the home land. Although not a NRC, the San Dimas Stage Race attracts all the major teams as a prelude the the Redlands Bicycle Classic, which starts next week. The women have already completed stage one and two with great top placings. Jenn Reither puts in a 17:33 up the 3.8 mile hill of Glendora Mountain Road for 12th place. Morgan Kapp was not too far behind, being the last ride to break the eighteen minute barrior with a 17:54 for 16th place. Jennifer Wilson, had a personal best, posting an 18:20, 29th place, Kristen King brought out her climbing legs after a successful track season for a 19:20, 50th placing.

BONUS: SBW WOMEN MAKE VELONEWS! http://www.velonews.com/photo/73857

The Incycle Cannondale Road Race around Pudding Stone park is less of a road race and more of a road crit. Team High Road, Value Act and Touchstone were content to go hard from the gun and with the rolling terrain of the seven mile loop, girls we dropped quickly. Every lap had a QOM or sprint, making the pace constantly hard up the hill and at the finish. Team High Road managed to get two girls off the front, as much as SBW wanted to chase, we didn't have the woman power to assist in a chase, besides, Value Act and Touchstone had the numbers and top GC riders making those teams responsible to bring back the break. It wasn't just a sit along tempo ride in the pack, while the teams were chasing, SBW had to bridge gaps and stay in the game. By lap seven Mara Abbott (High Road) had attacked and got in a solo break, so a podium finish was out of the picture, Morgan and I have to maintain our top 20 G.C.'s and finish in the main pack.

The finish of the road race was exciting. JennX found a hole and drove to the front with Jen Wilson in tow. Morgan was in her own fight on the other side of the pack. Jen Wilson put in a good effort finishing 5th in the field sprint.

Road Race Results: Wilson 8th, Kapp 18th, Reither 19th

Wish us luck in the crit today!

World's Day 2 Hammer 2

2008-03-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

Quinny gave a great update today:
Sarah Hammer ended up in the Gold medal round against GB's Rebecca's Romero. Rebecca rode her 2nd ever pursuit last year at World's against Sarah and lost to her by a second and change in the final- a stunning performance from a rower turned cyclist in just a few short months. TY Rebecca stayed cool and calm in qualifying and then rode a 3:31 to Sarah's 3:37 in the final and Hammer took the silver. Both qualified with a 3:30 and Sarah gave it her all to do that- which to ride a 2nd pursuit near that a few hours later is a tough road and today was Rebecca's day. Congratulations Sarah on the silver- another spectacular performance!! Mactier from Australia took the bronze.
The sprint boys had a go and Blatchford advanced into the next round after a season's best of a 10.31!! Duvendeck and Massie both rode 10.4's and placed in the low 30's. Blatchford lost in his next round.
On another note the GB team broke the world record today with a 3:56 4K!!
Tomorrow is Colby in the Pts and Jennie Reed sprints.

World's Update

2008-03-26T19:08:00.001-07:00

Brief update from Quinny:
Friedman placed 18th in the scratch race. The US men's sprint team may have pulled off a huge success placing 10th in the team sprint and most likely qualifying a spot to the Olympics! Congrats boys- you prove you can do it when you need to!!!!!! And lastly, a huge ride by Taylor Phinney in the 4K with a 4:22 placing 8th also probably giving him an Olympic position! "the boyz were h-o-t today"! Congrats to all. Next up...Sarah Hammer....against Rebecca Romero in the final qualifying heat....whew...a doozie for sure!

World Track Championship Update

2008-03-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

I heard from Quinny over the past few days and she's keeping me updated.

The entire US Team was pulled out of bed by WADA for a blood test this AM at 6:45...always a great way to start your day especially if you are racing that day!

Racing starts today with Taylor Phinney about to ride his qualifying race for the pursuit. Roger Young said Taylor hit a PR three days ago in practice on a flying 3K of a 3:08 which is excellent but still leaves a question if it is fast enough because Bradley Wiggins was posting 14.8's....blistering times for Team Pursuit let along Individual Pursuit!

Later today Mike Friedman will race the men's scratch final. Mike earned the gold medal in an exciting breakaway in the last few laps in Beijing World Cup in December.

In a somewhat surprising move, the US also fielded a Men's Team Sprint team. Adam Duvendeck is rostered on the team who has had the best season of all sprinters. Micheal Blatchford who is a full time athlete out of the USOC had a season of ups and downs after qualifying his World Champ spot at the Pan Am Champs in May. Blatchford's coach Des Dickey said Blatchy was showing some good speed last week at ADT so we may see some excellent times being posted from him. Rounding out the men's sprint team is a very lucky Giddeon Massey. Lucky because Massey's racing in the 2007-08 season was somewhat flat but today may be his chance to bring it all home for the team- he trains hard and loves the sport and with his experience and his teammates, they just may do it.

Sarah Hammer competes tomorrow for a potential 3-peat. Sarah was going good at ADT 2 weeks ago and her form looked spot-on Hammer-style so tomorrow should be an incredible event for her. Becky competes Saturday and Sunday.

Good luck USA!!!

San Diego Crit

2008-03-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

When I first thought about heading down to Del Mar for a parking lot crit, I had limited expectations, but being that Chris Evertson is a passionate supporter of Women's professional cycling I ventured down to support the race. I was super suprised at the professional venue Chris Evertson and the Swami's cycling club put together. Directions were super easy, easy parking, real flush toliets, an on site food vendor, music and big crowds. As far as the course, AWESOME! Long straight aways with a schicane into the finish, wide corners and a challenging head winds down the back stretch made for exciting racing. The venue was a crowd pleaser as there was an "infield" for spectators with seating. After a 2.5 hour warm up and a delayed start, I worked the pack, attacking for primes, which I won 5, and got in a break with Ana Lang (Aaron's) which pleased the crowd. South Bay's name was announced several times throughout the race. Ana and I were caught with 3 laps to go, my final placing was 11th.

Ontario, March 23

2008-03-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ontario was warm and windy on Sunday morning. There were only 16 starters in the W1/2/3 field but strong girls nonetheless. I knew I did not want to wait for a field sprint and had an idea of where I might be able to get away if the field was unorganized. After turn one we had a tough cross wind but then hit a strong headwind after turn two. About 15 minutes into the race countered a preme and pushed hard into the wind. I wasn't sure about how much progress I was making away from the field but just kept pushing. After turn 3 an SCVelo rider pulled through and went hard into the next section of wind. Coming around to the finishing straightaway we realized we had a gap and a break of four riders. We took equal pulls through the course. There were many South Bay riders cheering for me and SBW which was great! I really appreciated the support. I had an intense week of training but I was feeling really strong still. Coming into the final straight away, Sandra (Bike John's) started her LONG sprint. I thought I might be able to stay on her, conserve and then pass her. Unfortunately...my final plan didn't work. I did not make it around Sandra and the other two riders finished ahead of me. I was happy to make the break and work hard throughout the race. The finish was a test of strength and the game that is cycling! I'm looking forward to the next one.

Track World Championships

2008-03-24T04:29:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well, here I am across the Big Pond in Manchester, England for the Elite Track World Championships. Competition begins on Wednesday and concludes on Sunday. I will be riding the highly contested point race on Saturday afternoon and the scratch race on Sunday. We arrived last Sunday to try and acclimate ourselves with the time change and not to mention the drastic temperature change I'm experiencing compared to sunny SoCal.

I can't complain for the most part because it doesn't do anyone any good. It's business as usual and now the anty has been raised so it's time let it all hang out and go for it. There's no need to hold back. The coveted rainbow jersey is up for grabs; as is an Olympic berth. So with enough said, I'm off to the track for my training session. More to come as the results filter in.

Transition from Track to Road

2008-03-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

This winter was very exciting with track races in England, Australia, China and Denmark. The racing was insanely fast with all the countries trying to earn spots for the Olympics. After the last World Cup I decided to take a much needed rest from racing and start my "off-season" training. Basically this consists of getting back into the gym and doing long rides again. During track season a 2hr ride was a long ride, so getting 4-5hr rides in is really nice. Also, I'm back in the hills again after 6 months on the flat ovals. I forgot how much hill repeats hurt. I plan on racing on the road again in a couple weeks. I definitely need to loose the track booty and get my endurance back. I hope to see everyone out there soon.

Visalia Downtown Crit

2008-03-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

The downtown course made for sweet and risky racing. The longest straightaway was maybe 250 meters?? So moving within the field intense. As soon as I moved up to the front there was a big crash in the field. JennW had to chase back on and JennX was caught up in the craziness. I was able to stay clear with a group of about 12. The majority of the field then rejoined and my eyes were peeled for JW and X. They were OK. JW did an awesome job of STAYING up front and attacking at one point into the final turn. I was there as support for sprinter JW and moved up with the action to keep her in the best position. X and I were able to work together on the backside at one point and move up through the field.

In the final laps of the race X had a technical and got a new bike. I had no idea she was in the pit and thought that she was rocking the new Seigler frame! But after the race I uh....READ the frame. I think the new Seiglers will be cooler anyways;) (race brain)

Five laps to go everyone was fighting for positions. Aaron's was drilling the front and TIBCO and Cheerwine were organizing. The pace was fast and steady. Three laps to go, drilling. Final lap JW was in great position up front and X and I were midfield but clear on the left. Final turn, bikes and bodies start building up. I was able to scoot and maneuver around around it, X was able to clear the side of me and JW kept her positioning in front. In the final sprint JW put it down and finished 11th amongst the chaos. X and I crossed together, 19th and 20th.

-Morgan

Race Report to Come but Brief Sequoia Update

2008-03-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

NRC Sequoia Classic 3/15-16
TT:
Reither: 30th
Kapp: 31st
Wilson: 48th

Crit:
Wilson: 11th
Reither: 19th
Kapp: 20th

Morgan Kapp also placed 3rd overall in the 99 Series. 99 Series includes Merced, Fresno, and Sequoia races
More info at: http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos.php?id=/photos/2008/mar08/sequoiaclassic08/sequoiaclassic084/MF0231

Sequoia TT by Wheels

2008-03-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Time trials, ugh, my favorite event (ha ha!). Jenn X and I drove up from the valley this morning leaving at 7:30am. We hit some snow going through the Grapevine at Gorman which was crazy. Then there was heavy rain and then it was over. The rest of the ride was uneventful with the typical pee stop along the way.

We made good time and had time to pre-drive the time trial course. The countryside was so beautiful. I took a lot of photos and below are just a few of them. By driving the course we knew it was going to be a hard day and the climbs were pretty intense.

The climb!

Back to the start finish line to get ready. I was the first pro women to go which is not the best place. However I find it kind of ironic since time trailing is not my event although I am trying to have a better outlook about them. I got nice and warm on the trainer and headed out to the start line deciding on no leg or arm warmers since the weather was in the 70s and we would be doing some climbing. I left my teammates Morgan and Jenn X back at the van still on their trainers as they started 16mins and 24mins after me. While waiting to start I wondered if the no leg and arm warmers choice was a good idea as I was getting cold. But soon enough I was getting my countdown and off I went.

Since we were going 40km (26miles) I started off moderately but fast enough to get the engine going again as the big climb started after about 1 ½ miles. Within the 1^st mile Sandra Kolb (Bicycle John’s Serious Cycling) passed me and being a local girl we cheered each other on. I knew that Sandra would pass me as she started 30 seconds after me and is quite an accomplished time trialist. I continued riding my pace which is just at my lactic threshold pushing as hard as I could but reminding myself that there was still a long way to go and that there would be a headwind on the return. On the way out about 3 other riders passed me. At times I was burning up climbing and at others I was a little cold which was not good for my legs and I even had warming gel on them.

On course!

There were several photographers on the course and they snapped pictures as I went by. As usual my nose was running badly and it seems that I always have snotty time trial pictures. I kept forging on as best I could but realized that today was not my day. As I hit the turn around I was excited to start heading back as there was a lot of down hill. As I was on the return I saw Kristen Armstrong flying going the other direction and knew that she was going to do a great time. The head wind was pretty strong and my shifting started to really act up (I had changed gearing for the TT just the day before and realized I should have ridden it hard to kind of break it in). I kept my pace up but didn’t completely blow myself because tomorrow is a criterium race which is much more my style.

Several more riders passed me on the way back and I just kept my pace pushing against the wind. I have to admit that it is very demoralizing to have so many people pass you. I missed my teammate Morgan but did see Jenn X on her way out. Back I went up the climb and I was just praying that it would be over. My legs were tired. The decent was a blast even on the TT bike and finally I saw the finish trailer and line and was glad to be back. I finished in a 1:18:31, a horrible time and second to last on the day. Jenn X rode a great TT and finished 30^th getting some money and Morgan finished 33^rd. Awesome job by my teammates!!!! They rock!!! Especially since the field was pretty packed today with a lot of great time trialists.

X in a typical "X" outfit. Making fashion!

I cannot wait for tomorrow. Right now we are heading out with our host family for dinner. They are just great!

Check back for updates on the crit!

Murrieta

2008-03-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

My neighbor buddy Karen (racing for SDBC) and I headed down to Murrieta on Sunday morning. It was a beautiful sunrise. I like traveling to all the outskirts that cycling takes us.

Since I was racing solo, I had a much different approach to the race. I knew that I wanted to test myself but also be strategic about the efforts.

Helen's, Bike John's , Rock, SDBC and all the other regulars made the peleton of around 50 riders. The 3.5 mile circuit course starts off with a curvy flat, into a headwind, a section of rollers and then some quick turns through a neighborhood. It's a good course for a breakaway but I knew that Helen's would be on all efforts. I was able to escape for over a lap around mid-race with some strong riders but the peleton reeled us back. A few other attempts went off the front but nothing stuck. Just as I was thinking that we were heading toward a fieldsprint finish a break of 6 got off the front at the end of the rollers section. When we hit the neighborhood, I knew it would be the best opportunity to bridge. Another rider and I were able to get away from the field and bridge to the break. The SDBC rider who was 2nd overall in the omninum was in the break so I knew she'd work it but there were other riders from the big teams who were riding conservatively. I wanted the break to stick so I worked with the 3 riders that would and we stayed away. Going through the neighborhood section I got into TT mode since I didn't want to back off for the sprinters. I was first into the last turn but was nipped (if you can call it a nip when it's 4 riders...) at the end by 4 riders. So, I got fifth. I'd play the finish differently if I could do it again but it was a fun race. Rode hard and played the game...

Looking forward to a weekend of racing with Jen and JennX!

-Morgan

Kona Base Camp

2008-03-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

A lot of people ask me how I transition from track cycling to road cycling. Doing two cycling sports year 'round at age 38 has become a bit tricky and we still have not figured out how to rest me while peaking almost monthly between October and March and then again May through August. We almost had it figured out when a few random mishaps/crashes and my pursuiter's hack put a wrench into the program. I finally decided to drop the pursuit for a while to ease up on the hack which was a solution to one of the problems. The 2nd problem was recovery of my back and hamstring that had been severely strained in a dumb spill the week of LA World Cup. I was given the edict that I needed to recover my back so Dicky and I decided I should go back to an old regiment I used when I trained for Ironman and had little niggles come up. This regiment mostly includes a prescription of patience. So with patience I am starting my road to recovery.

This time my regiment starts with Kona Base Camp. I am lucky because Kona is my 2nd home and I can work and train there when needed. Dicky sent me off solo to KBC last week. Without too much boring detail, Kona Base Camp highlights look something like this:

500 miles on the bike- most of it at snail slow speed
26 miles running up volcanos
5 miles of ocean swimming
20,000' of elevation- did you know Kona Ironman has over 5,000' of elevation?
Weight loss of 5 pounds- hopefully not water weight
1100 ounces of water- ok, definitely not water weight
32 packs of PowerGel
8 PowerBars
16 bananas- I hate bananas but Teedy the Ozzie says stick to bananas
30 apples- had to alleviate with ginger tea
10 pounds of seaweed salad- things have turned VERY green
5 pounds of raw ahi
2 chickens
20 oz almonds
1 pound of Kona Coffee
80 hours of sleep
2 full Tyra's next "top model" marathons
22 life changing revelations
1 condo re-painted
1 bike cleaned thoroughly for the first time in 2 years

Kona base camp is pretty mind and body blowing. The general training conditions are wind and steady heat. The rule is I do all my training solo. The scenery is lava and blue water. The road is the Queen K- straight out and back, same route everyday. Temperatures have been in the mid 80's and the winds steady but not intolerable. Everyday I ride into stiff headwinds, the tailwinds almost non-existent because the winds turn. When I get a tailwind it is a great motor pace session- the other day I averaged 32 MPH in a 53/12 for 18 miles. The worst is when the headwinds reduce me to a 7 mph push for miles but the winds have been nice to me this trip.

I am really proud of what I have accomplished in such a short time this trip. My endurance base was shot and a two hour ride hurt a lot a week ago. I came in at a very heavy personal weight. I rarely diet nor worry about my weight but this time my weight was affecting my back; thus impeding my performance on many levels. I have had to cut my calories significantly without compromising my training trying to get back to regular weight. My diet has been the trickiest but I have been spot on- definitely on the edge, but I know enough not to put myself in a hole.

Today I used Ironman pacing for 35 miles out and then struck a blistering pace home for 25 miles ending with an all out final 20k. I paced .5 MPH faster than my last Kona when I was in tip top endurance shape. My pacing and nutrition were brilliant (I can't believe how much I learned as an Ironman athlete and I still remember the stuff too!). My back held out well for the most part. I could feel my strength the entire ride. This ride tells me I am on target on every level. Only Kona can put me back into the right place mentally and physically in a week; it is a pretty amazing place.

I have two days left of base camp and will make the most of it. Today I treat myself to ocean swimming and Hyashi's sushi, maybe I'll see the turtles on my swim! Aloha, Neva

UCI World Rankings Track Cycling

2008-03-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

The 2008 World rankings are in for track cycling. The top 24 ranked athletes qualify a spot for their federation for the World Championships. (A rule that changes in 2009- then the athlete qualifies her spot and if she rides for her trade team, her trade team decides who can ride the WC spot. Right now the power is in the hands of the federation).

Becky Quinn is ranked 3rd in the world in the Pts Race and 4th in the Scratch race. Becky Quinn will be riding the World Championships in Manchester England in two weeks.

Neva qualified a spot for the individual pursuit ranking 20th in the world but is unable to ride it because she did not qualify her spot for the talent pool in 2008. In 2007 Neva was the only US rider who broke the world time standard qualifying her for the World's Championship team. In 2008 Christen King was the only US rider to break the world time standard but the US decided not to take a Team Pursuit Team or another Individual Pursuit rider. (In the writer's opinion it would take away an opportunity for another country and give the US an opportunity by riding the qualified spots but the writer understands financial constraints the federation has).

World Rankings

Individual Pursuit:

Neva Day 20th

Christen King 39th

Points Race

Becky Quinn 3rd

Christen King 96th

Neva Day 104th

Scratch Race

Becky Quinn 4th

Christen King 30th

Neva Day 95th

Rankings may be viewed at: http://www.uci.ch/ucinet/default.asp?page=RANKINGS&discipline=PIS&continent=MON&riderid=&ridercategory=WE&year=2008&l=ENG&npage=

Before the Picnic

2008-03-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, before the SBW annual picnic, Wheels (Jen Wilson) and I (JennX) headed out to Piru to get a quick TT in before hanging out with all you fine folk for the afternoon. Not a whole lot to report since both Jen and I were using this TT as training, her for Sequoia and I for Powertap/Threshold testing, hence the use of the road bike with aero bars and not the TT bike. We did place 3rd and 4th respectively, myself 3rd with a 35 flat and Wheels right behing me at a 35:17. Sandra Kolb (Bicycle Johns) is in good form this early season posting a winnning time of 34.02 and Kara Vidaca (SDBC) 2nd with a 34:52.
As usual it was chilly and windy. Both Jen and I received microdermabrasions from the sand that blasted into our face for the 6 mile return. The ride out freakin ROCKED. I got the the turn around in 12 minutes. Now I know how Fabian Cancellara (CSC) feels like to TT.
After the TT, I warmed down headed out across the 126, riding around looking at property and enjoying spinning out the legs. Jen W starts a ramping up her training to peak for Redlands, while I enjoy a light week before hitting the Santa Monicas this weekend.

Merced

2008-03-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Merced was a great weekend of racing. The races were well organized and had big fields. (For swagbags, you got to pick out fresh FRUIT! That was the first sign it'd be a good weekend.) The crit on Saturday had over 60 riders. There were mostly NorCal teams; Tibco, Proman, Vanderkitten and Rock from socal and then High Road. For the first half of the race, the field stayed together and brought back anything that took off but then the perfect mix go in a break. High Road and Proman had riders who got away. They were in sight but there weren't any successful bridges until Mara Abbott got away and up to them. The break stayed away so the field sprint was for 6th place. I knew I wanted to take the inside line after the last turn to avoid the headwind. I was able to stay inside, worked around some traffic down the straight away and finished 13th overall.

I stuck around and watched the pro men's field. Chris Horner and another rider lapped the field. Ha! That was cool.

Sunday morning was cold so I layered up but of course as we got going, I was warm. Vanderkitten, Tibco, Proman and High Road all seemed to have more riders! The first lap was pretty smooth and snappy up the little climbs. There was a crosswind that seemed to be a bit of a headwind in the first stretch so after we made the first left turn the pace picked up. Going into lap 2 the field was still together. Proman was riding the front and High Road was staying active. In the second lap High Road riders attacked and attacked. It was awesome and classic execution. Finally, Mara Abbott was able to stay away from the field. Proman worked the front and she was eventually brought back. The hills on the course kept it exciting. The final 1.5k was a windy climb into the finish. I was about mid-pack on the climb and decided not to wait it out so I went along the outside and had a clear path. Once I got going, I just kept it up to get through the finish. I finished 9th.

It was a super fun weekend but the girls on the team were missed by this lone ranger...

-Morgan

Santa Rosa GP - 2008

2008-03-01T22:30:00.001-08:00

Off to the race! We could not believe that they actually made real signs for the women’s parking!

While perusing the course we road past Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwin which was rockin’. I caught up with Scott a friend of mine and we got a photo op together with my teammate Morgan. Then it was back to the car to warm up.

There was an amazing crowd lining the streets for the women’s race which was really cool. It was great to see riders who I had not seen since the end of last year. After the nation anthem was sung, off we went! The pace was fast from the start and I had to hustle to get to the front in the first lap. Negotiating the bot dots continued to be an issue on the back side of the course. Since cycling does not help your bones I think the jarring of the bot dots definitely helped with that. For the first NRC race of the season I felt great. My legs were tired from my training the week before but they appeared to be opening up just fine. As the race went on I started to feel more confident and feel the rhythm of the race. It was also great to see Morgan up in the mix and riding really aggressive. At some point I saw a rider go wide on turn 2 and slam right into the hay bails. Horrible! The next time around X was coming out of the pits so she must have been involved but appeared to be okay which is always good news.

I thought I should test my legs out just a little so I attacked one time on the front straight. The crowd was going wild and was really into the race which really inspired me. However, no one was going to let anything go and we were caught on the backside. Legs were still good though.

Knowing that the payout was high and there were many primes I decided that if I was in the right place and the opportunity arouse I would go for one. Well, the opportunity came and I took it. There was an opening on the left side and I shot up it going long and had it. Then Dave Towle said prime on the next lap and I thought “ugh, what an idiot was it not a prime on the lap I just took?” I often get race brain and think that I am not hearing things straight. However, as I reconnected with the pack both Morgan and X said good job so I guess I must have gotten the prime.

The race continued to be fast and there were many attacks off the front but you could tell that the sprinter’s teams wanted a field sprint as they were very diligent on the front. I looked up at the finish line and noticed it was 7 laps to go. Where did the time go? I immediately started to think of positioning for the final lap. I continued to move up through the field and was in pretty good position for the final lap. We made it to the back side and I was holding my position when all of a sudden someone slammed into me from the right hand side. This caused me to go into the bot dots and my left foot unclip from my pedal. My left foot went into the bike of the rider next to me and all I could think was that I was not going to crash again. With all my might I pulled my left leg back and got straight on my bike again as I had everything going in all directions. It seemed like everyone and their uncle had past me. It took a couple of pedal strokes to get clipped in again and I sprinted with all my might on the left side of the peloton to try and regain position. By turn 3 I must have been sitting in 25^th place and was already fighting off oxygen deficit. After the turn I hustled some more to place myself higher and was looking for openings and good wheels. Then we were sprinting and my head was throbbing. The finish line seemed so far away but I just kept telling my legs to keep turning over with all the strength I had left. Finally we hit the line and I was glad it was over. What a great race! The crowd was on fire. Everyone road a really good race, what a blast!

I was not sure of my placing right after the race but knew I was in the top ten!!!! Upon hearing the results I found that I had finished 6^th place! I was very excited. Also, for the prime I had won a gift certificate to the Russian River Brew Pub, how fun! After we watched the men finish which was so exciting, Morgan, her mom and I headed to the brew pub for some well deserved beer and a pizza. Overall, what a great day.

Our trip home was uneventful and fun but tiring. We kept trying to take time off of Jill’s estimated time of arrival but are stops to refuel not only the car but ourselves as well as get coffee to stay awake kept Jill in the lead. I finally pulled into the driveway of my home at around 2:15am and made it to bed by 3am. Tuesday was a rough day at my Pilates studio but by today Saturday I have finally recovered from lack of sleep. Yes, I am so sorry to be posting this so late after the race but the week was super busy. I hope this post finds you all well and stay posted for future updates as the race season unfolds.

Wheels
www.jennwilson.net

2008-02-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

DENMARK WORLD CUP
The final Track World Cup was in Ballerup, Denmark starting on February 15, 2008. Becky rode for the US team for this World Cup and left with the team on the Friday leading into the event. Neva and Christen followed leaving on Sunday and Monday respectively. Once in Copenhagen, Christen and Neva’s bikes and wheels didn’t make the flight.
Becky and Christen stayed at the ZLeep hotel in Ballerup which is very minimalist. No telephones, no minifridge, no microwave and equipped with bunk beds and a flat screen. The breakfast at the hotel was interesting. There was fresh bread every morning and the coffee was great. Our choice for breakfast included turkey, salami or ham cold cuts with veggie or chicken paté. The other option was corn flakes or raw oatmeal. Since the only food in walking distance of the hotel was Mc Donalds or a very over priced Italian restaurant, many of us opted to make turkey sandwiches for lunch and dinner. Neva stayed downtown Copenhagen which is about 20 minutes from the track, but close to many restaurants.
On Wednesday Becky and Neva jumped in behind the pace lines while Christen rode Becky’s bike on rollers because her bikes still did not arrive. The track itself is beautiful with the addition of its new roof (see picture below). We decided to take the train into town after our training to get a bite to eat. It was really nice to eat at a little café and have a nice meal. When we arrived back at the hotel, Christen’s bikes finally arrived.

Thursday was business as usual one day before competition. Get up in the morning, eat breakfast and hop on the rollers for 30 minutes. We had our track time in the afternoon which we used as one final check on our equipment and our legs.
Day one of racing was fast and furious. Becky and Christen were in the first heat together. Neva was in the second heat. Becky was nearly in the crash, but held on to advance to the finals with Christen. In the Scratch Final Becky finished in sixth place.
Day two of racing started off very aggressive. Neva was in the first heat and Becky and Christen were in the second. Becky was the only one to advance to the finals. The heats were very competitive with many of the top riders not making it to the finals. Becky placed 10th in a very exciting Points Race final. Becky’s combined performances in all four World Cups in the Points Race placed her second in the overall UCI standings.

Since we didn’t race on Sunday, Neva and Christen ate at a steakhouse downtown. Becky decided to stay and watch racing. For the most part Copenhagen is a cute city with numerous cafes and great interior design. We had a great weekend of racing and look forward to the World Championships.

Quinny Going to Worlds!

2008-02-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

Becky Quinn just received the golden ticket to the Track World Championships in Manchester England at the end of this month! Quinny will be riding both the Scratch and Points Race for the USA! There is only (1) rider per country allowed to ride each race and the top 24 UCI ranked qualify. The World Champion will automatically qualify her spot to the Olympics in the Points Race. Becky rode the 2007 World Championships in the Scratch race and placed 3rd but was relegated with an extremely controversial call.

Road Season is Here!

2008-02-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

The road season is definitely here. It felt like we were picking up just where we left off with our summer traveling and racing. Boulevard was a great opener. It was much colder this year. I met Jen Wilson (JW) at her RV site and we trekked up to the start. It was a decent size field for the early season. There was an early attack where a rider stayed away for about a lap. After a few smaller surges the final climb finally broke up the remaining field. Morgan- 6th, JW- 9th.
JW stayed in San Diego and braved the rain at Red Trolley and tore up the race with a second place finish.
We've been doing the local racing as well. JW finished 4th at Brea and I, 9th. The following weekend I did CBR before the drive up to Santa Rosa. Finished 6th.
Santa Rosa was a very well organized race. The streets were lined with spectators, bells and music. The field was well attended by most major teams. Throughout the race a few small attacks attempted to stay away but the long straightaways, head/tail winds and organized efforts brought everything back. There were primes almost every other lap throughout the race. Jen Wilson went for one and got it about halfway through. She kept her effort up with a small group to see if they could stay away, but were brought back by the field. Jennifer Reither (JennX) and I stayed active in the front and moving with potential breaks to keep JW in a good spot for the finish. In the final laps, larger teams set up their lead outs and JW was right there. She sprinted to a top finish of 6th place.
I'll be heading to Merced for the crit and road race this weekend. -Morgan

Awaiting World Championship Roster, Road, Club Picnic

2008-02-26T06:56:00.001-08:00

The UCI Track season is wrapping up and the big announcement on the World Championship team should be finalized this week. Here's some insight:

Becky Quinn is ranked in the top 5 in the world in both the Points and Scratch races. She should be selected for the (1) World Championship spot for the USA in both the Points and Scratch. Becky is in a fierce fight for the (1) Olympic spot for the Points race and a World Championship jersey would secure her that position. Sarah Hammer wants to ride the Points Race in the Olympics and when she qualifies her Pursuit spot she is eligible for that position. It ultimately will come down to USA Cycling to decide who is the best candidate for the Olympic Points position...or who can politic better.

Neva's ranking should move her into the top 24 world ranking in the Individual Pursuit (IP)when the final UCI points get input, however, Neva did not meet the US Talent Pool time standards in 2008 so her spot, if qualified, will go to a US Talent Pool rider- yea, kinda sux but for now that's the rules (this changes in 2009). Neva's on a work vacation in Hawaii during World's, so she said Hawaii vs. Manchester is an OK exchange.

Christen King could be the lucky winner of Neva's IP spot and then would ride the Team Pursuit. Christen earned a bronze medal in the LA World Cup in the Team Pursuit. This year the US gets up to (3) IP spots because Sarah Hammer is the World Champion and that automatically keeps the potential (2) available spots open for qualification. Sarah has qualified a 2nd spot with her UCI rankings. Neva's would be the 3rd qualifying spot. This leaves Christen in contention for that spot. Other rider's vying for those positions would be Kristen Armstrong who placed 4th, only .10 seconds behind World Champion Hammer in the IP at LA and 2007 National IP champion Dotsie Bausch. Lauren Franges who received a free pass from USA Cycling on the track this year being a coach's selection without having to try to meet the mass start or pursuit time standards is also a candidate for the TP position. Lauren rounded out the LA Bronze medal team pursuit team taking 1/2 lap pulls vs Kristen Armstrong and Christen King's full lap pulls. Lauren started her career on the track so she too is a viable candidate.

In other news, the road girls started the season at Tour of California. Some will be road tripping up to Merced although the race is not NRC this year, it should still be a good field. More to come on the road updates by one of the riders.

SBW Club picnic is 3/2 and FRS, PowerBar, Cynergy Cycles, and Patagonia will all be represented along with Ole food!