San Diego Cyclo-Vet Omnium

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Manchester World Cup Racing Day 2 Finals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.