The Thrill of Victory (at least a small one)

Brookside Cyclocross Cup, Indianapolis, IN
by Lindsay

Sunday I finally got my first win on a bike. Okay, so the field was comprised of me and a lady I raced against all MTB season and never beat. It was a little bit of a homecoming for me as this was pretty much the same field as my very first MTB race about 6 months ago when she put five minutes on me.

Sunday was different, though. The start was a little confusing because I thought the B women and juniors were starting together one minute after the C men. So when the juniors took off, so did I. It turned out that I wasn't supposed to go, but the whole thing was so awkward they just let us go ahead and race. I had slowed by down in the confusion and the other lady got ahead of me, but that was okay, because she would always go out hard at the beginning of MTB races and then I would make up time on her later on. I figured just sit on her wheel for a little while and see what happened, but just seconds after hitting the grass I already felt we were going a little slow. We were just coming into a technical section so I couldn't comfortably pass, but I got around her at the first barrier. That last about 30 seconds until a washed out on a sharp turn slightly thereafter. Me and my bike were fine, just a little dirty, so I jumped back up and got back on her wheel. My husband was nearby and I got a little worried because she yelled something at him and I thought, "Oh my gosh, she can still talk," when there was no way I could have at the time. Then we hit a steep downhill, stair run-up and then a section of pavement where she started hammering and I lost contact because a junior rider and his dad got between us and I had a hard time getting through. I caught up and passed her at the next barrier, which was followed by a long downhill, and a paved uphill that began the second lap. When I came through the lap and started my steady climb, I expected her to hammer by again, but it never happened. I just kept riding steady and never looked back for the next 3/4 of a lap until I came to the top of a hill and saw she was just starting down the one before (about 60-90 seconds back). At that point I was pretty confident in my lead and proceeded to hold my pace for another two laps to take home my first win.

So I only beat one person, at least it was someone I'd never beaten before and got some cool swag for it (Hind windbreaker, Fox hat, and some other assorted goodies). The best part is the huge boost in confidence the motivation to get my butt on the trainer after work so that I can maintain my "undefeated" streak.

Hopping along...

By Dee Dee "Grasshopper" Winfield

Bridgeton, NJ

I finally had my new Kona ready to ride, Easton tubular wheels included. After a week of gluing and drying we only hoped that they would hold, not rolling off the rim.

We are lined up at the start, waiting, waiting, all the while the nerves are “kicking.” The gun goes off, SRAM shifter in my right hand pulled tight to the handlebar and rapidly moving up through the gears, one at a time, feeling very comfortable in my sprint position. I hit the woods first with Mel right on my wheel and Anna close behind. The course was fast with the turns sandy and a little slick but the tires held steady.

We were much protected from the 40 mph gusts of wind that were predicted b/c we were in the woods, thankfully! Around the turns, over the barriers, down the hill, up over the asphalt and to the volleyball pit. Crossing this area was a toss up; many people rode through but I decided to get as far as I could, carry momentum, and then dismount and run through the rest of the sand.

It was sometime around this area that I hear the announcer say that Mel had caught Mandy and was holding a gap, and that Anna was within striking distance of Mandy. I was psyched! The bellas were riding awesome! I rode much of the course in my big ring easily transitioning from one to the other. The bike felt fantastic from top to bottom. I think with a little more dancing we’ll form a great partnership.

Great job out there ladies and thanks to all those who were out supporting and cheering, it certainly makes racing more thrilling!

Grasshopper

Tumbling Creek MTB Race Report

By Stephanie Rosiak

Yesterday was the 10th Annual Tumbling Creek MTB race put on by SORBA. I can count on both hands how many times I've gone mountain biking so I signed up for the Beginner Division Age 30-39. My first mountain bike race ever and hopefully not the last!

The race was out at Gainesville College. From what I had heard, the course was fast, flat, and fun! Up until my actual race, I had not seen or ridden the course due to a Cross Country Meet that used the course last weekend, and the rain on Friday kept us off of it on Saturday.

Leading up to my race start I was of course a bundle of nerves. I'm still so new at this moutain biking thing, I just wanted to get my two laps over with, with hopefully no crashes. In my age group, it was just me and another girl. She has been mountain biking for years but has never raced before, so she went into the Beginner division. She was really nice so I didn't mind her kicking my ass.

At the start we stayed together, with her in front. About a quarter of the way in, I hit a root at a bad angle on a climb and had to get out of my pedals so I wouldn't fall over. I couldn't get started again, so I jumped off and finished running up the hill. By the time I got up there, my competition was gone! Dammit!

There were a couple of tricky tight turns, some bridges, a couple of fairly big dips which I chose to get off of my bike and run up so I wouldn't make an ass out of myself flipping over on. ;-) But for the most part, everyone was right, the course wasn't too technical, it was fast and it was FUN!

On my second lap, after I finally caught my breath, I was starting to feel better and was a little more confident now that I had ridden it and not wrecked. I actually caught one of the beginner men who started off a couple of minutes ahead of us, and lapped 4 First Timers that had started a couple of minutes behind us. I was stoked!

Although I've placed in a couple of Sprint Tri's in the past, they never had a podium that you stood up on. This was my first time on an actual podium. I got 2nd place out of 2. Although it was only two of us up there, it still felt awesome! I had a blast!

L'Steph

Another Day at the Beach

By Melanie "Wrong Way" Swartz




Photo by: FJ Hughes/www.FhughesPhoto.com

Velo Bella-Kona once again in the spotlight and center stage, this time in Bridgeton NJ for the latest round of the Mid-Atlantic Cyclocross (MAC) Series circuit. The two Mid-Atlantic gals (Dee Dee and Melanie) had a pleasant surprise as the New Englander, Anna, made the trip down to the beach to play in the sand with her teammates. After all the dust had settled, Velo Bella-Kona claimed top 3 of 4 spots and with Dee Dee's win, she is now leading the MAC series.

At the start, the three Bellas were the center of attention; lined up in the middle on the front row with the beautiful blue Konas and matching kits.

The course, which traversed a variety of sandy conditions and twisty turns, required precision shifting, which SRAM Force delivered, to set up for and accelerate out of the turns and perfectly balanced maneuvering, which was achieved with the ideal combination of the Kona Queen Anne and Easton-Griffo tubie blend, to navigate the loose-sand corners.

Dee Dee had an outstanding start and took the whole shot with Mel in tow. We toured the first lap together and then I couldn't match her acceleration when she decided it was time to go. With a Cheerwine rider now on my wheel, I let the rider come around so that I wouldn't be doing any work to get her any closer to Dee. Anna was close behind and catching up to us and it looked like it could be a Bella three-up for the podium...Once the coast was clear, I came around Cheerwine in a corner and went on my own from there.
Thanks to the announcer, who kept calling out "Velo Bella-Kona" this and that...it was easy to keep tabs of where the other riders were on the course and who-was-who and to know that Dee was safe and clear.

Have a great week everybody!

Mel

Biscuit Invades Fairfax!

By Erin "Biscuit" Kassoy

The Bay Area hosted a new cross race up in Marin County last Saturday at an elementary school in the town of Fairfax. Marin is frequently shrouded in fog but Saturday is was totally clear and cold when I got there at 9am. Of course, cold is relative - it was in the 40s.

I found Ann Fitzsimmons parked in front of me when I arrived, which brought a huge smile to my face - she's back! We both had our new Kona Queen Anns ready to roll. Also there for the women were many of the local players minus Sarah, who was doing the Bella clinic.

I rode a lap of the course with one of the masters men who had just finished his race. It seemed long with a lot of transitions - it went around the ball fields (we even skidded across home plate backwards from first base) and then wound its way up and down the dusty hills around the school, including a lap around the school's solar panel array. The only strange thing was a finish line on a sidewalk right after a 90 degree turn - there would be no sprint finishes.

The race itself started slow for me but I eventually worked my way up to a group of three that was in third place. Unfortunately, my slow start meant that 1st and 2nd (Rachel and Shelly) had gotten away already. I hopped on the group of three and then attacked through some switchbacks right before all the technical dirt sections. I immediately got a gap and held it for what seemed like forever.

The course kept turning back on itself so I could see where people where behind me and I was still gaining time so was able to actually smile the last lap for a third place podium finish. My SRAM shifting worked flawlessly the whole race and I'm really liking my 165 cranks. After the race, Ann told me that she was happy to be racing again. She'll continue to ramp up her efforts in local races and will be back on the national scene for the Seattle/Portland weekend.

Sunday's surf city was a non-event for me in the racing sense. Perhaps I left everything on the course on Sat., or I spent too much time preparing my costume instead of my racing mentality Sunday morning. Whatever the reason, I pulled the plug after a lap of the Halloween course and spent the rest of the race cheering on all the Bellas. I'll let Sarah tell her story of ghouls stealing her chain in the forest of headless horsemen.

Erin

Crazy Momma and SRAM Dominate the Inland Northwest Series

By Shannon "Crazy Momma" Holden

So I got my new Kona Queen Ann built up Thursday, received my tubular tires in the mail Friday, spent Friday night with sticky fingers stretching the tubulars onto my wheels and had her race ready Saturday morning. Saturday's race was here in Spokane on part of a course we use for early mountain bike races, so it is my kind of course: technical.

I had never used the SRAM components before heading out to do my warm up and had no problem shifting into harder gears. Unfortunately, I didn’t think about downshifting beforehand. I came up on a climb and couldn't down shift. I had no idea how these worked and decided maybe it was some new thing to make you fast and which was why Dee Dee, Sarah, and the rest of the girls are so darn fast in all their races. Well after I hit a bump hard and accidentally pushed the shifter too far to the left, I figured it all out. The new SRAM stuff is SO smooth and easy to use. Within just a few minutes I had it all down… Now that I had figured the shifting part out, I headed to the start line.

I took off from the start and lead the girls going into the second lap happy to see fellow Velo Bella Erika pulling second. After the 3rd lap I was by myself and couldn't see any girls. My bike was riding smooth, but the bumps got to my shifters and caused them to slip down the handlebar. I lost my shifting, I thought about switching out bikes at the pit, but I was having way too much fun on my new Kona and all the cool Bellas single speed so I found a gear that worked and went to town.

It was a great race; I won and Erika took second. So a one-two for VBK Saturday in the Inland Northwest! Went home Saturday got my handy mechanic, my husband, to fix the shifter and my bike was race ready Sunday morning.

Sunday's race was in Idaho and it was cold! I think 35 degrees with rain and wind. The crazy thing is we had the largest turn out of women yet; I think 9 women. I guess us women of the north like it cold. He He He. So I was a little nervous about this race because it was a roadie course. Luckily for me they broke up 2 of the fast straights with barriers. They also left the short steep run up and the famous run along the beach so I kept my head and just got on with it.

I set out fast off the start hoping Erika would grab my wheel and draft for a little, but I lost her on the first run up due to a stumble she had. So I had a good lead the first lap with Jenny a little behind. Pushing hard through the first few laps, I managed to drop her. My Kona was handling perfectly and my body felt strong for the most part, so I started racing some of the men and had a really good race. I managed to pull out a 2 minute lead on this roadie course, not quite a good as yesterdays 4 minutes, but I was stoked.

So a great weekend of racing for me. My new Queen Ann is awesome and the SRAM shifting is SUPER easy to learn and as smooth as ice cream. Wow, that sounds good, I think I am going to go dish up a bowl. Thanks to all the sponsors for the awesome stuff and for all who listen.

Shannon

The word from Granouge and Whisskawhatchamacallit

by Sarah Kerlin

Here's the word. If you trust Loca to get the details right.....

Saturday was a very fun and demanding course, hilly, steep run ups, off camber turns, and a little squishy mud like stuff - definitely a grade 2 on the index.

Katie Compton took off from the very first turn and stomped on everyone. Poor Lyne and Georgia never had a chance to fight for the win. I had a decent start, but about 5 minutes into the race, my body tried to shut me down. All systems revolted against the effort and it took a lot of focus to keep pushing. It was my first time travelling to the east coast just the day before a race, and the delayed flight, late dinner, etc all caught up to me.

I kept my head in the race, riding around with Melissa Thomas and then Tara Ross until they both faded. I felt better by the final lap and finished in 6th. Dee Dee had a great ride, outsprinting a very elbowy Mo Bruno for 4th. With junior phenom Stephanie and Anna both having good rides, we put four Bellas in the top 20, though Melanie had some mechanicals and did not finish.

Sunday was a much different course, mostly flat and grass, with some more fun off camber stuff and a long sandy stretch. The ground was soft and again a 2 on the mud scale. I was really happy that I had my new Easton aluminum tubular wheels, and I brought my tires down below 30 psi and ripped around all the crazy ins and outs and tough turns.

In the first few laps Georgia, Lyne, and Katie gotaway, while I trailed just behind in a group of Mo Bruno and Mackenzie Dickie. I probably spent too much time playing cat behind them, and in retrospect I ought to have tried to stick with Georgia after she got popped off the steam engine up front.

I did eventually ride away from those east coasters, and soloed the second half of the very windy course for 4th place. Dee Dee got stuck behind an early crash, but worked her way up to 6th. Melanie had a better day today, and I think again we all managed top 20.

It was great having so much support - I would not have even considered making a last minute cross country trip without the help of everyone. Sheryl picked me up at the airport, with special goodie bags of flair and snack food for each Bella! I wore the cool pink hair ties all weekend, and I'm going to chow on my cheez-its on the plane tomorrow. Dave had plenty of space for Anna and I to sleep, and we really apprieciated the comforts of home - especially drip coffee.Mmmm... coffee.

Our top notch support crew of Morgan and Hillary Styler came out both days. I don't know what I would have done without their help - seeing how I had to go to bed at 11:30 on Friday night after fighting with my tangled chain and derailleur for 40 minutes. I just couldn't get the chain out of the loops and x's after the flight, but of course Morgan got it sorted out on Saturday before I even got my flair on.

It was a weekend well spent, I picked up 15 UCI points, a rare commodity for us California racers. And I had a great time dressing the east coast crew in flair. I had to teach them a little about posing for team photos though - they can be sooo proper sometimes. Can't wait to see the photos!

Iron Cross Lite and Iron Cross IV

By Dee Dee Winfield

WOW! What a weekend! Where to begin? First we'd like to thank Morgan, Hillary, Alisha, and Nathan for letting us crash at their place. I say crash b/c we certainly didn't sleep. Our little girl was pretty wound up and all excited about the keetie, keetie, keetie (i.e. their cats) that she kept us up most of the night. Around 1a.m. Buck was holding Cadence trying to settle her in to a nice slumber and she just starts saying "keetie, keetie" over and over again. Well, we were pretty exhausted and I'll admit a bit frustrated but neither of us could hold back the laughter which
proceeded to gear her back up again. Needless to say she is easily stimulated.

Mel gave a nice race report for Saturday so I will stick to the Sunday details. The Iron Cross is the longest cross race in America and come to find out there was actually a competitor that came all the way from England just for this race.

The race begins with one lap of the Iron Cross Lite cross course and then out to the brutality of the 60 mile course. About 8 miles into it I went to pass someone on some rocky rutted out fire road and wham, all of a sudden I find myself face down in the dirt. I am really not sure what happened but I landed hard on my right knee. It had been a while since I had crashed and I think I had forgotten what that felt like.

So the fun had just begun and it was a tell tale sign that today was going
to be trying to say the least. Shortly after the first check point I realized my rear tire was rubbing. This was nothing new to me, it has happened at this race every year b/c the technical parts knock my wheel out of place due to a long standing problem in my rear drop outs. It not being new though, did not make it any less frustrating. I adjusted the wheel only to have it start rubbing again shortly thereafter.

I rode like this for a while feeling the energy being zapped from my legs and my mind. At Ckpt. 2, I looked back and saw Mandy right on me. I was a bit discouraged after having to stop a few times and readjust the wheel. We rode together for a while and had some crazy downhill adventures which we laughed about afterwards. Then there was the chain. I have a forbidden gear b/c my chain had to be shortened (can we say rigged?) and I chose that gear. UH OH! I thought for sure the race was over at that point but one of my fellow racers by the name of Mike stopped to help me and we were able to fix the problem.

I was able to make up some time on some of the steeper, technical parts for I had many gears and eeked out the win by only: 50 seconds on a 60 mile course. It was a tough day both mentally and physically but the BBQ afterwards was oh so worth it. Many thanks to all the supporters and volunteers out there along with the positive attitudes of all the racers!!!

New Gloucester race report

by Stephanie White

This weekend was the first race of the Verge New England series in New Gloucester, Maine. The courses for both Saturday and Sunday were fast and (mostly) dry, with just one muddy section on either day. Saturday's course was slightly more interesting, with quite a bit of climbing, an off-camber section, and a longer mud bog. Sunday the course was faster with more road, still a lot of climbing, and a fast, twisty descent in the woods.

On Saturday I got a good start and was in 7th around the first few corners. Anna passed me at this point and I managed to grab her wheel. We sort of worked together for the next few laps, aka I was barely hanging on while she pulled me. I tried in the beginning to help pull, but it was all I could do to hang. At the end of the third lap we caught Mackenzie Dickey and I fell of of Anna and Mackenzie's wheels. Another woman, Chris Rothfuss, passed me on the last lap and I finished 9th. I was happy with this (UCI points!) but I wish I could hang on for the last 10 minutes of every race.

Sunday was more eventful, but not in a good way. My sister, Libby, did the B women's race at 11. She was leading when she lost control on a descent, crashed, and hit her head. It was terrifying. She had a concussion and couldn't remember where she was or what she was doing. She was taken to a hospital with my Mom in an ambulance. My Dad and I stayed behind and I raced, but my heart wasn't really in it. I knew there was nothing we could do for Libby and sitting in an emergency room waiting would be hell
(especially for my Dad). Libby was fine and we took her home that night, but it was unsettling to say the least.

My race was strained and the start was delayed for the ambulance. The race was cut short, thankfully. I just wanted to get out of there to go check on Libby. I finished 10th (still in points) and when we got to the hospital the timing was perfect (Libby had just been released). Everyone at the race was very supportive. Thanks especially to Cally and Anna, you guys were great. It was a hectic weekend, but everything worked out in the end. Libby won't race for a few weeks, but her headaches were mild enough that she went to school today.

Bogus Bonsai Downhill Race, Boise, ID

Bogus Bonsai Downhill Race, Boise, ID

By Rebecca Gross

Sunday dawned cold, and with no cross race today, I decided to tackle the Bogus Bonsai downhill race started 16 miles above Boise down to the center of town. Only because I’m slightly nuts, I elected to do the single speed race that included six more miles of not downhill.

A few years back, in the good old college days, I built a single speed bike at the urging or my three guy roommates. What a new world this opened up! Single speeding is one of the purest forms of riding, the bike is light, no gears to complicate things and that little bit of extra pre-thought to keeping momentum for the climbs does wonders for your mountain biking with gears. If you haven’t done so, give it a shot!

So I built an old frame up to ride back east but once I moved to Oklahoma the flat was too much and I couldn’t pedal at all. So I used another frame from a previous year of racing and built up another bike with a more difficult gear. This bike is the one I have now and apparently I forgot it was for flat land riding when I opted to climb up four ski slopes in this supposed downhill race.

Listening to the banter of all the guys at the start line “yeah I’m on this gear, or I though these 29er wheels would be better, or check out this new superlight frame I got!” I started to listen in on the gear part of the conversation beginning to remember what mine was (I don’t pay much attention to technical stuff like numbers!). I began to realize all their bikes had easier gears on them than mine did and began to get that nag of worry.

A break in the chatter opened up and I threw in my two cents “hey I’m on a 32-18.” Silence… They all looked at me like I was nuts and then realized what I was saying (yes women can speak the lingo too!) and their gazes turned into measured awe. “That’s a two to one ratio!” one threw in. “That’s more then any of us have!” said another. I didn’t know what to say, “well it is gonna hurt anyway so I thought I could at least make it look good.” They nodded in agreement and shortly after we were off.

Pretty soon I was not so happily pushing the bike up hills I could only wonder why the rocks were not rolling down; wishing I maybe could at least see the girls in front of me all of which were my age when I was BORN. Six miles of walking later I was cruising with the tail end of the racers with gears going down the hill, forgetting the thorough beating I was receiving by encouraging the other women and trying to offer pointers on handling and cornering.

For the good show I put on running up the hills, most of those people with gears wizzed by later on the down as I hit the other end of the single speed spectrum, not enough gear to pedal and spinning out. I coasted the rest of the way, pedaled when I could and went to give my props to the three women who smoked me down, first and second place women being 50 and 49. The speed that comes with age! Something to look forward to!

So my last minute decision to race the single speed race proved fun, earned me A LOT of respect with the local guys, and reemphasized the ever present lesson that pre-riding is so important in deciding factor how to race a race or what equipment to use. Most importantly though it got me further involved into the local cycling community when I am still feeling out, letting me meet more people and letting no one forget who I am: the Velo Bella chick in the pink and purple who rode a gear harder than all the boys!

Rebecca

Cross Racing in Idaho. I love Goat Heads...

A Weekend of Wild Cross Racing in Boise!

By Rebecca Gross

There are plenty of things present on this earth which might serve some beneficial purpose, but really would benefit us more if they were not around. Take mosquitoes for example: sure bats and spiders need to eat, and West Nile and malaria need some way to get around, but truly the world would be a better place without them. Goat Head thorns are another one. I had my first experience with the goat head when I moved to Oklahoma and rode a century race down in Texas giving me more flats then I care to remember. I have no one to blame but myself since in my mountain biking mind the grass is as fair game for riding on as is the road surface.

Cross bikes, as we well know do it all. You can go out fast on the road and dive onto a trail; you can run them over obstacles or jump into a passing group ride. They are the jack of all trades and you can’t go wrong. UNLESS you live in Idaho (just relocated, again) where the goat heads are as big as I am. I’ve tried it all, rim strips, slime stuff, extra tubes inside my tires, liners, searching for thorns till I can’t feel my hands, you name it I’ve done it.

My first cross race in Idaho began well. I liked the course and was feeling good. The weather was perfect and the leaves were piled up on the grass like an east coast fall. There were a lot fewer barricades then my previous cross races and a lot more terrain variety; fun stuff! Not having a spare set of wheels, I piled my spare tubes and tire levers next to my car and hoped for the best.

The three girls racing in the women’s division went off with the boys; all the more fun because no matter where I am in the girl’s race I can chase down those poor unsuspecting guys. We went out and I was comfortably in second, Stacy, in front of me is a really strong cross country racer and I wanted to see what damage I could do. The grassy corners were on some pretty nice little hills and I was hanging pretty well till I slipped out and took way too much time trying to untangle myself from the bike.

Finally dislodged and where I could get back on my bike, Stacy had already gained quite a bit on me. I was determined to get back in the game though and I was enjoying the challenge of trying to go fast. So much of the race was cornering, balancing, and avoiding the things I didn’t want to hit or sink into, but the places I actually could open up felt great! I was feeling it, really truly having fun. Even on the hop up out of the sandy beach I kept nailing so hard my rear wheel would come up instead of jumping over like I was trying to do, I had to a laugh.

I came through the start finish, just three laps to go and there it was: flat number one. I rode it through till I came up to my car and jumped off to speed change it through the layer of mud. The rest of the boys and girl I had worked so hard to pursue flew by. But all the more fun right? Then I get to chase them down again!

So two laps to go and second place was seconds in front of me. I was well on my way to administer a thorough butt whipping on the last lap when she disappeared. I wondered if I had misheard and was riding an extra lap. Well, as Alex would say it would be good training regardless so I gunned it out, it was good to put on the show anyway.

I blew through the finish, a bit confused but feeling good about my race, and sure enough, they had told her to stop since she had been lapped. It would have been fun to have to work to catch her and see if I could have accomplished it but regardless, I had a ton of fun. I loaded up the car and upon arriving home, grabbed the bike to bring into the house… There they were: two more flats! I’m averaging a ten pack of tubes a week. Thank god for mail order discounts.

Sunday’s racing was even more fun, but that is another story…

Rebecca

Dee Dee's Wild and Wooly Iron Cross Win!

Iron Cross Lite and Iron Cross IV

WOW! What a weekend! Where to begin? First we’d like to thank Morgan, Hillary, Alisha, and Nathan for letting us crash at their place. I say crash b/c we certainly didn’t sleep. Our little girl was pretty wound up and all excited about the keetie, keetie, keetie (i.e. their cats) that she kept us up most of the night. Around 1a.m. Buck was holding Cadence trying to settle her in to a nice slumber and she just starts saying “keetie, keetie” over and over again. Well, we were pretty exhausted and I’ll admit a bit frustrated but neither of us could hold back the laughter which proceeded to gear her back up again. Needless to say she is easily stimulated.

Mel gave a nice race report for Saturday so I will stick to the Sunday details. The Iron Cross is the longest cross race in America and come to find out there was actually a competitor that came all the way from England just for this race.

The race begins with one lap of the Iron Cross Lite cross course and then out to the brutality of the 60 mile course. About 8 miles into it I went to pass someone on some rocky rutted out fire road and wham, all of a sudden I find myself face down in the dirt. I am really not sure what happened but I landed hard on my right knee. It had been a while since I had crashed and I think I had forgotten what that felt like.

So the fun had just begun and it was a tell tale sign that today was going to be trying to say the least. Shortly after the first check point I realized my rear tire was rubbing. This was nothing new to me, it has happened at this race every year b/c the technical parts knock my wheel out of place due to a long standing problem in my rear drop outs. It not being new though, did not make it any less frustrating. I adjusted the wheel only to have it start rubbing again shortly thereafter.

I rode like this for a while feeling the energy being zapped from my legs and my mind. At Ckpt. 2, I looked back and saw Mandy right on me. I was a bit discouraged after having to stop a few times and readjust the wheel. We rode together for a while and had some crazy downhill adventures which we laughed about afterwards. Then there was the chain. I have a forbidden gear b/c my chain had to be shortened (can we say rigged?) and I chose that gear. UH OH! I thought for sure the race was over at that point but one of my fellow racers by the name of Mike stopped to help me and we were able to fix the problem.

I was able to make up some time on some of the steeper, technical parts for I had many gears and eeked out the win by only: 50 seconds on a 60 mile course. It was a tough day both mentally and physically but the BBQ afterwards was oh so worth it. Many thanks to all the supporters and volunteers out there along with the positive attitudes of all the racers!!!

Milkowski Admires her new SRAM Force Shifters

New Gloucester Maine, New England Verge Series 1 and 2, October 14 and 15, 2005

By Anna "Trees" Milkowski

Stephanie, Callie, and I headed up to Maine for the season opener of the New England Verge Series. Racing on the off-cambers and swamps of the Pinelands cross-country ski venue has become an annual welcome-to-cross ritual, so imagine our surprise when we found a fast roadie course and brilliant blue sky! The race was off from the gun. Evidently my legs are having some issues with getting going fast. Lyne Bessette was off, followed by Katerina Hanusova of Luna Chicks, Mo Bruno, Melissa Thomas, Mackenzie Dickey, and Christine Vardaros. Maybe I was too involved with admiring my new SRAM shifters to notice that the race had gone up the road.

Stephanie and I worked together for a few laps, at which point we caught Mackenzie and Stephanie split off. One among many problems with charging from the back is that when you catch someone like Mackenzie she will have no interest in chasing down the rest of the field (since she has just been dropped by it), just in beating you, so you have to be careful. So I couldn't quite go flat out since now I needed to worry about making myself vulnerable to Mackenzie's sprint. After about two laps of riding together, I took a better line through a mud pit and put on the gas to drop her. I ended up 6^th, a decent ride but I need to challenge myself to be at the front when the race happens. Stephanie completed a great ride for 9^th place. Callie finished her first race in the UCI women's A field.

Sunday's course was even faster – a road climb and long fast mountain bikey descent that I gave a fair amount of practice during warm-up. The start was again fast (Lyne was warmed up from having raced the men's B race). I was feeling sluggish, once again finding my legs a bit too late, but on the second time down the hill was charging when I flatted the rear wheel. Those Easton tubulars can't come fast enough! I'd made the mistake of putting a spare bike in the wrong pit, so I was in bad shape. Rode the flat for a long time as person after person flew by until I was decisively in last. Nothing like a little incentive. I tried to offer as much draft as possible to my friends and teammates as I came by. Once I got going I was riding hard, finally starting to feel smooth on the bike for the first time this season, but the race was long gone and I felt the painful feeling of a missed opportunity. Lyne won, followed by Katerina, then Mackenzie, who had stuck with Mo and out-sprinted her at the line. Stephanie rode a strong race to finish 10^th. Callie had a great ride to finish mid-field. Richard Sachs rider Amy Wallace, who had an on-fire start to the season followed by a string of crashes and injuries, was back in action. For two races now she's been there on the sidelines cheering us on. That's class!

So there it was: gradual progress plus setback on my end, Stephanie and Callie riding strongly and getting faster by the day. Granogue is next weekend and I'm ready for a good ride. Velo-Bella Kona will be out in full force, rounding the water tower on the Dupont estate, so watch out!

"Wrong Way " Swartz checks in from Gettysburg

Iron CX Lite, Gettysburg, PA
14 Oct 2006
by Melanie

Dee Dee Winfield 1st, elite women
Melanie Swartz 3rd, elite women
Alisha Styer 1st, kids race

First official day of "feeling-like-fall-weather"...
Arrived at race venue and was delighted by the 30deg temps, blue skies, sunshine, and the first changes of color in the leaves. Wasn't too thrilled about the modern style outhouses with chilly air blowing through. Watched all the beginner racers get ready to roll while I sat in the car, bundled up with a blanket, my oatmeal, and the number game kakuro which I can't seem to figure out.

The "Grasshopper" Family (DD, husband Buck and future Bella Cadence) arrived with their host, The Styer Family (East Coast VB-K mechanic Morgan, podium boy, little bella Alisha, and the glue that holds them all together, Hilary).

A quick pre-ride of the course included a hard-pack-dirt starting-stretch, long gravelly hill, super fast downhill, 180deg turn into barrier run-up, followed by lots of grass. The grass section was broken up with more 180deg turns and an interesting "spiral-of-death" which I can't even describe without getting dizzy. I had a hard time figuring out gearing for this course since the hill was a small ringer, but the grass was big ring and kinda sapped your energy.
I think a single ring would've been ideal.

At the start line, which is the furthest point from the pits, I got a flat on a small rock hidden in the grass while riding around. After an episode of freaking out and then heading off carrying the bike to the pit I was happy to see my friend Judd and his bike. I took his front wheel and started to take off my layers before I noticed all the other girls were lining up. I hurried back to the start line in true Flo-Jo style with one leg warmer on and one off.

They did the call-ups and for the first time in ages I didn't have a front-row start at my local series. Lined up behind teammate Dee Dee who had the first call-up as current MABRA series leader. Out-of-towner Cheerwine Mandy Lozano, who came up to the race to sight see the Civil War sites, lined up behind me.

After a count of five we were off: Dee with the hole shot, me trying to get her wheel without knocking a local competitor out of the way with my elbow and Mandy right behind. I bobbled on the hill in the loose gravel while Mandy and Dee were able to stay on the hardline and press on. Dee managed to grow a decent gap with each trip around the course. I tried to close the gap to Mandy but wasn't quite able to do it. And so it went.

Dee Dee is on track to win the MABRA series for Velo Bella-Kona. With the series win you get bragging rights around the Wash DC area and a very much respected and sought after "white" jersey.

Little bella Alisha won the kids race and had quite an admirer of a little boy who kept asking me where my teammate was as he put his little arm out at his head level indicating he meant little bella Alisha and not big bella Dee Dee.

We were thrilled to have other Mid-Atlantic Bellas, Niki and Lyndsey, out cheering as they watched their first cx race. We're looking forward to having them join in the fun at the next race of the series in three weeks.

Dee Dee and family stayed in Gettysburg with the Styers to partake of Sunday's infamous Iron Cross race: 60 miles on steep climbs, trails, and full of adventure. She is attempting to reclaim the win since she did the inaugural race a few years ago. (ed: Dee Dee accomplished her goal!)

Melanie

Crazy Momma shakin' it Spokane Stylee

By Shannon "Crazy Momma" Holden

This was the first weekend for the INWCX races. Last year I did a few but really wasn't in shape due to having a baby and training for a marathon. So this year I was hoping would be different.

We get to the race site where I see fellow Bella Erika Krumplman and about 8 other women and a couple of Juniors. It is not at all cross weather. It was sunny about 68 degrees, just a beautiful day. I am a little nervous because I tore up my calf a month ago and dismounting and high speeds just tears it up and it is sore from cross practice.

I head out to run the course which turns out to be the same course as 3 years ago, only no high speed dismounts. It is mostly grass with 2 huge run ups and a fun sandy section through a horse coral. I get on my bike to start warming up and am feeling a little intimidated because the girls that whooped on my last year were here and have been racing in Seattle for 4 weeks now.

I decide that I am going to go out with Allison(she won most of the races last year) and either sit in or hang on for dear life through the first couple laps. In the Inland NW everyone is out on the course at 1 time. So they stage the start and we all get to race for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Allison takes off hard at the start and so I just hung on to her rear wheel. We get to the first run up and I ran right past her, not in my plan but it will work. I get on my bike and a few seconds later she is sprinting by me, so I tuck in again.

We do this back and forth thing for a few laps. I was feeling pretty good so when we lapped back around for the 3rd lap and head into the smaller run up I decided to hammer at the top and drop her. So that is what I did. From there I just kept up the pace and extended my lead. With three laps to go I still felt pretty good and fresh, I decided to not kill myself for tomorrows race and just finish so I won by about 45 seconds. I was so excited I won the first race and it felt good.

This is where Alex (Team Director) needs to cover his ears/eyes for 2 seconds. So Saturday night I met some friends and went down to the wall to get some climbing in. A little nervous on how it would affect my race the next day, I just couldn't help myself. Oddly enough I felt even better on Sunday. Maybe I need to climb before all my races... He He He

Sunday was a different story from Saturady as it had been raining all night and the high was only around 50...Cross weather. The course was much more technical with a very short run up and a longer run along a sandy beach, my kind of course. The short run up was after the start and just following it was a very technical section heading onto the beach. I decide the time had come to pull out the Simms Start( I personally named this after Wendy gave a "start clinic" at MTB training camp).

So I took off like a bat out of hell, got though the technical sections in front only to find one of the girls tailing me. I had raced with her in the past and she is notorious for drafting and never pulling. Feeling good I played with her for a few laps making her take the lead and pull, but somehow she kept getting behind me and drafting. So we get to the run on the beach knowing I can drop her I sprinted as hard as I could, hopped on my bike and started a short sprint to drop her. That was about 12 minutes into the race and I never saw her again.

With no idea where the other women were I started racing some of the men. Which was good because it kept me pushing. I was thrilled to ride to my second win in two days; this time with a 3 minute lead and feeling like there is more in my legs.

So that was my great weekend of racing. It is good to be getting back into cross shape!!

Shannon

Bella Loca's Whacky Wild Watsonville Adventures!

By Bella Loca

I was happy to be home for a weekend in between east coast trips, teaching a clinic and racing in Santa Cruz, just a mile from home at Soquel High School. Good ol' Santa Cruz is as weird as ever, and of course my weekend at home was "eventful."

It started on Friday evening, as MattyWabbit and I headed home from our short, easy training ride. Pedaling toward the Boardwalk trestle (yes, the one both Corey's of the 80's jumped off into the fog in Lost Boys) we spied a group of about 30 cyclists in costume in the empty Boardwalk parking lot. We tried to just keep pedaling, as any well behaved cyclist should when spotting a rogue group of costumed bikers in a parking lot at dusk, but they hailed us over with loud whistles and we couldn't resist.

As we approached, their ringleader held up an "applause" sign and the group busted out a well rehearsed round of TV cheers. They welcomed us to the "Friday Night Mystery Ride" and told us the theme this week was "Superhero Costumes." As the only two riders in full spandex team kits, Matt and I certainly fit that description. We were forced to come up with a name for our costume kits to complete the initiation. "The Rabbit!" blurted Matt. "I'm Bella Loca!" I announced. They cheered again.

They lined us up for the main event, a race to the far light post and back. The guys on fixed gears held proud track stands while we waited for the guy in a long black trench coat to unload 30 pounds of chains out of his baskets. The race was off, and The Rabbit took it! His closest competitor was a local fixed gear rider, who promptly collapsed onto his bike, clutching his chest and gasping for air. I was becoming concerned, but someone lit him a cigarette and he stood up and seemed to be doing a lot better. The Rabbit happily accepted his prize, a child's Flash Gordon costume. We thanked them and rode home, the flash costume flapping like a cape around Matt's neck.

Saturday I joined teammates Ann and Barb for Velo Bella's pre race clinic. We had a huge turnout, and I'm glad I got to see the course a day in advance. For all the talk of this being a fast course, it had a lot of running over rough terrain, and several tricky, loose off camber corners. The "fast sections" were often interrupted by very bumpy turf. I started to feel sorry for all those gophers, those course designers really didn't leave any of their territory untouched.

Sunday finally came, and I focused on my strategy for winning Vanderkitten's first lap prime. It was really only 2/3 of a lap, and all the technical parts of the course, between the start and the prime/ finish line. Unfortunately, I suffered a mechanical not 2 minutes into the race, and by the time I got it all sorted out I was at the back of the group. Rachel Lloyd was already clear of the group and on her way to winning the prime uncontested.

In a flash back to last weekend's races, I picked my way through the riders. I came up on Erin, who was having a great ride. I then put my sights on the next few racers, playing leapfrog between Lauren, Mel, Stella, then finally Josie who was in second place. Josie and I worked together, and brought Rachel to within 15 seconds. The crowd was cheering us on, we were closing the gap and still had 3 laps to go! Josie is riding like her old self again, and later after the race (with the help of a few of my special homemade Giant Strawberry Daiquiris) she told me her secret. It turns out she has taken to some secret "pain tolerance" training with Andy, something to do with nipple rings and pulling tractors in the strawberry fields in Watsonville... ouch. I'll stick to my hill repeats, thanks very much.

At some point, Josie and I become separated as we came upon a group of lapped riders negotiating a section that some rode, and others ran. From that time on, I chased Rachel solo, and never quite got up to her, finishing in 2nd. I was disappointed to have raced from the back again, but I'm looking forward to a rematch in two weeks at the Watsonville Fairgrounds when Velo Bella hosts the Surf City Halloween event. Between now and then, I'm off to Philly for a double header UCI weekend up against the nation's best racers.... and hopefully, this time I'll be racing at the front!

Bella Loca

Bella Loca Pegs-it in Gloucester!

By Bella Loca

The first weekend of the national cyclocross series, US Grand Prix, came early this year to Gloucester, Massachussetts. With my new race bike barely built last week, tubular glue still drying, and legs not sure if they were primed or trashed from months of hard preparation, I set off to the east coast for the opening of the season. I was nervous about the unknown that a new season brings, and at the same time very excited to try out my fitness and race on my beautiful new race bike. I especially love the new SRAM group, the carbon is so sexy and the parts are very light.

Travelling across the country to race can be taxing, but Velo Bella is very lucky to have support of people like the Kapsten's in Gloucester who took us in yet again this year. MattyWabbit and I arrived late on Thursday night to a warm home and a delicious hot dinner. Nancy is an outstanding chef, and Bruce was very helpful with his local knowledge and well stocked bicycle workspace in his garage. Their son Jesse was a presence all weekend as well, and did a great job with the color guard performances at the event.

The Gloucester course is a mix of wide open, fast and often windy sections right along the Atlantic Ocean, with a good sprinkling of technical turns. To add a little excitement this year the course designers snaked 5 turns through the sand pit. The course was tough, with even the downhill areas not providing rest. Add in several top athletes from around the country, and we were in for a battle.

Cross is very popular on the east coast, and the women's field had about 70 starters. Unfortunately for me, at least half of them had more UCI points than I did (based on last season's tally) so I was stuck with a poor start position on both days. Gloucester is a course that does not really lend itself to moving up through the pack, and I was disappointed to hit the dirt in about 39th place on both days. My strategy was to make passes whenever possible, and then hold my position once I could make up no more ground. That gave me two 9th places for the weekend and a few more UCI points, but for the effort I put out I would have loved to have started near the front and put it to some of the other top 10 girls from the get go.

The next weekend of the USGP is an entire month away, a mile high in Colorado. Before then, stay tuned for a possible unexpected UCI appearance, and for those of you in Northern California, I'll be seeing you at Velo Bella's own Surf City event thisweekend. I'll be teaching a clinic on how to play croquet with a flamingo, and if you bring me a bribe I may even share my secrets to a fast barrier section.

Bella Loca

Crank Brothers Gran Prix Race #2

Crank Brothers Gran Prix Race #2

By Dee Dee Winfield

The race was my first with the Velo Bellas on such a national setting, and so I was a little skeptical of the outcome of Sunday’s race b/c usually partying and bike racing don’t mix so well.

My husband and I arrived in Boston on Thursday to be a part of a good friend’s wedding party. Thursday evening began with a visit to Pedro’s headquarters where we got to test out the new SRAM shifters (SO EASY and INTUITIVE!), talk about gearing ratios and bolt patterns, drink out of cool pint glasses and leave with a departing gift of an authentic Pedro’s hat. I also had the chance to actually meet my team manager Alex Burgess and teammate Erin Kassoy.

The wedding was Saturday and we had a fantastic time: dancing and socializing with friends we hadn’t seen in years, keeping at bay the pre race jitters and wishing my friend a lifetime of joy and happiness. Sunday arrived, I woke-up early and the weather was incredible. I got to meet the rest of my teammates one by one, and rode the course with them receiving input and opinions on certain sections, whether to ride or run, what gear to be in, how the course on Sat. compared, etc. All of this information was extremely helpful and being able to have the hour before the race to pre ride the course was essential. Always pre-ride the course with those who have been there before you...

I was VERY nervous about this race. I had never done a cross race with more than 16 women and now there were 60+ to contend with. I was extremely concerned about starting towards the back and wondering if I could make it towards the front quickly enough. Sarah was my inspiration as she had to start way back on Saturday and completely plowed through the field to have an awesome finish.

In a cloud of pre-race thoughts; how to get past this person and that one, when to sprint and when to spin, I hear “Deidre Winfield!” Sweet, the official called my name. I got to move up one row. I was psyched. Needless to say, I was far from the hole shot but the course was wide and although I kept positioning myself poorly through the turns I soon found some solid ground to start turning the pedals.

It seemed like a sea of people ahead of me and the leaders, well, I never saw them. Honestly, I didn’t see much of anything other than the wheel in front of me. That was my focus, one wheel at a time and there were moments in which I would pass someone’s back wheel and not get by their front one and think one more push.

For me, the race sort of “settled in” with about 2 laps to go. Melissa Thomas and Rhonda Mazza were seemingly within an arm’s length (forever) and at one point I pushed by Rhonda only to immediately get counter attacked. I had a bad “barrier day” and felt like I was mounting a horse with each lap, needless to say I was getting “dropped” on the barriers. I could see Sarah making ground hoping she was going to bridge so we could work together to take these women.

One final push by Melissa Thomas and she was away for good. I wanted to assure enough distance b/t myself and Rhonda thinking she would be able to come around me at the end in the sprint up the hill, so I gave it my all on the downhill before the paved finish and took 7th place with Sarah fast on my tail.

It was great to be there with the Team and it felt wonderful having teammates there to warm up, race, cool down, and share tidbits of their experience with. So often we ride in training groups where we’re the token woman riding alongside 30 or 40 men and joining the Velo Bellas has given me an opportunity to race with women who are as focused and gifted as I am. Mad props to Bella Stephanie White who finished the course after twisting her ankle in a tough crash (and she’s only 17!!!) and I very much look forward to riding with each and every one of my new friends/teammates in the near future.

I felt wonderful about my race but I have to admit that as soon as it was over I was totally looking forward to the smile I would get when I arrived at the airport in Richmond to be greeted by my little girl and my parents. Not only did we get the smile but we got an open armed salute, nothing beats that!

Grasshopper

A lovely day to ride around the Lilies!

A lovely day to ride around the Lilies!

By Dee Dee

First of all, the weather and scenery were fantastic. The course was winding in and around these small ponds that were developed in 1917. This is a nursery of sorts and I assume you can buy all kinds of somewhat rare but sought after plants. Truly amazing! There were over 250 participants which for a race that was on a competing day with NY seems like a great turnout and not to mention that it was to benefit Ed Sander, a fellow cyclist killed a few years ago.

The course was a bit muddy, for the day prior had seen some rain and clouds, but the sun was out making for another spectacular day of cross. I pre rode the course a few times and the first time through I felt like my legs were blocks of concrete, next time through like there was a piano on my back. My husband was sick and I was wondering if I was becoming ill with whatever virus he had. I hopped on the trainer for about 20 minutes trying to ride that piano right off. Sometimes if I sweat enough it seems to slide off like a piece of melting ice. The B Men finish their race and I jaunt back over to the course for another try. Whew, little better, the piano is gone and there are definitely circles being spun by my legs, woohoo!

We line up at the start, whistle is blown. I get to the grass first and hammer my hardest. The beginning of the course was pretty windy and I didn't want my competitors getting a free ride. Over the barriers, I have a gap, put my head down and go. I look back a few times but try to increase my lead every pedal stroke. The fans were cheering up every hill and around the turns. They were so supportive out there! It seemed like every time I would try and take a breather someone was there cheering only to keep pushing the pace. After the 2nd lap, I felt I had really found a groove through all of the puddles and mud patches, up the run up and down the other side. Buck yelled this lap was 10 seconds faster, sweet. I actually felt like I had exerted much less effort that lap but it was b/c I found the right gears and the best line and you actually do roll more quickly.

Today was a day for compliments. The fans, supporters, and even the other riders were very gracious today. I want them to know how much it means to hear those things. Thank you guys very much and for your encouragement regarding this week's upcoming race in Gloucester. Take home note for the day: No matter how trivial it may seem, never deny someone a compliment.

Thanks!

Dee Dee “Grasshopper Winfield

Bellas Groovin' on Long Island

Cross season is here!

This Saturday I took the ferry across Long Island Sound to outer Long Island with my brother in what's becoming an annual family pilgrimage, only this time he's visiting from his new home in far-off Alaska. Good to get him some some light prior to the onset of winter with its dark and -50 F temperatures, even if it means contending with my asking for favors right and left!

Friday somehow included the seemingly-inevitable scramble of getting the bikes dialed in before the first race - everything is set and then all of a sudden this pedal's bearings are shot, and this bike's derailleur cage turns out to be bent. All I can say is I'm glad to have had a dress rehearsal prior to Gloucester. Soon the race bag will be ready to go - gloves in their Ziploc, arm/knee/leg warmers in theirs, rain gear in its, and travel will be the efficient norm. Oats, bars, drink mix, raisins and I can survive for weeks, if a little vegetable-deprived.

I entered the races right up against a big training block, the second day on the cross bike. The goal heading in was to race for "training and practice," to be smooth in the technical sections and hammer on the riding sections. It would also be my first time racing as a Velo Bella with my new teammates Erin Kassoy and Melanie Swartz.

September 30 - Whitmore's Landscaping Super Cross Cup C1

I've grown spoiled in recent years accruing tons of UCI points, and found myself at a bit of a loss with a second-row start. Boxed in and with the legs to come around, I didn't have the room and had a lot of catching up to do off the start. Lyne Bessette was off the front, then Mo Bruno, Mackenzie Dickey, and Christine Vardaros followed by Tara Ross and Mandy Lazano of Cheerwine, then Amy Wallace of Richard Sachs. I thought I would have no trouble charging up to the second group, but mental mistake number one: a small gap in a cross race is a big gap.

The course was dry and sandy featuring a steep ride/run-up and a tricky off-camber descent. Probably 39psi was not the right tire pressure of choice but I didn't want to flat over the "rock garden" section of the course. I was a bit overzealous when I caught and attacked the Cheerwine group, since then they caught me back, as well as teammate Melanie, and dumped me. Patience! It took me a while to recover, a chain wedged in the spokes didn't help, and in the end I was battling to capture 8th. So it goes! I'd been able to do the steep ride-up, which was pleasing, even though it seemed highly debatable whether riding up a hill at 40rpm was really that good in the long run.

Lynne won, followed by Vardaros, looking clean in a white kit, then Mo, showing her prowess at technical hilly courses (among others). Erin didn't feel overjoyed with her legs, but rode a great technical race, which sounds pretty good to me.

October 1 - Whitmore's Landscaping Super Cross Cup C2

Rain arrived to make for some slick spots. The course was basically the same minus a long horsepower section on a flat grass field. The goal was a good start, and this time I had the room to move up, but not the legs. We went almost directly into the bottleneck run/ride-up off the start. I found myself running past about five people to try to claw my way back toward the front of the race prior to the single-track.

I felt more comfortable on the cross bike Sunday, though still rusty. Battled with Mackenzie Dickey and lost. She outfoxed me and out techniqued me - forcing me to go slow on the single track as she lead so she could recover, then after I attacked her, attacking me back through the downhill off-camber, then I attacked again, then she attacked again on a descent and u-turn. She is a competitor. I will just need to count on the sense of balance and confidence in the tricky sections returning with practice.

Melanie was right behind me on the course, and I tried to give her a draft on the drag strip part of the course (which wasn't very long, unfortunately for me), but coordination didn't seem the word of the day. Regrettably, I didn't see the front of the race at all, in what sounded like a characteristically boring women's cross race where no one attacks people just ride away from one another and then everyone rides their own race, alone. And so: Lyne, Georgia Gould, Mo, Christine, Tara, Mandy, Mackenzie, me, Melanie, Pauline Franscone, and shortly after, Erin.

Many thanks to Southampton Velo race promoter Myles Romanov, for putting on these awesome races, for believing in equal prize money for men and women, for hosting a delicious dinner at his restaurant Wild Thyme, and for housing us! This was a truly Herculean effort! Thanks also to my dear brother Stefan, who was a pro soigneur all weekend, and to Melanie's friend Bill and his big Kona tent.

Good job teammates! It's great to be racing. I'm looking forward to being a bit more rested for Gloucester, to putting myself in the mix at the start, and to be racing with Velo Bella in full force. Now off to training and school and recovery!

Until next weekend, happy pedaling,

Anna

CCCX #2: Bella Loca Does it Again!

For the second edition of the CCCX series, MattyWabbit and I headed out to Fort Ord under heavy clouds and threat of rain. Knowing there are many possibilities for terrain at the East Garrison area, Matt and I speculated on what sort of course we would find. Steep hills? Sand pits? Tricky corners? Long flat sections? We arrived early and rode an easy lap, and found all of the above, including a very long pavement section running the length of the course with the finish line atop a steep little hill 2/3 of the way through the ashpalt.

Stella parked across from us, and announced that she was sick. I was busy pulling a cooler out of my van and taping a sign "Free Beer" onto it, but chose to let that be her only pre-race clue that I myself was feeling a little out of it, having enjoyed my birthday party the day before with a number of fresh strawberry daquiris. I was keen to win another box of strawberries, so I kept my liquor induced blahs to myself. Missing from the start list were the Giant Strawberry ladies, Mel and Josie, who probably would have really enjoyed the course. I spotted Shelley riding around not long before the race start, and figured she must have been a little out of it too, since she didn't have time to braid her hair. That made three out of three of us most likely to ride at the front showing up a little less than perfectly prepared.

The fun started with a fast pavement section quickly diverted into a gravel double barrier section, then a nice set of rollers on the pavement before we dove into a long sandy descent. I was watching the Lobster pair, Stella and Shelly, at the front as we approched the drop, when suddenly Ann Fitzy came blazing up the side and I took her wheel and dove in right behind her. Great teamwork and perfect timing from Ann off the start to give Velo Bella the advantage heading into the tricky section of the course.

Stella and I traded places a few times on the opening lap, and Shelley caught up as soon as we hit the pavement. It was the three of us, as I expected, and I knew they would have an advantage with the two of them each having great strengths on this course, Stella flying around the technical parts and Shelley having great speed on the straightaways. I tried a few surges to test the group, but came to the conclusion that the pavement section was long enough for the Lobster team to regroup and catch me if I made an escape. So I saved my efforts and let the girls in green set the tone of the race, and eventually Shelley attacked hard enough to shed her teammate and it was just the two of us.

With three laps to go, I started working my brain a little harder than my legs, keeping Shelley moving to build a gap on Stella and devising my final lap strategy. I had saved my powerful efforts for when I knew they would count the most, and put it down on the final half of the bell lap to build a few bike lengths lead over Shelley heading into the paved finish. I didn't have much room, but it was enough to hold my lead over the line. While the race wasn't as fast nor as aggressive as the first round of the USGP series will be next weekend, it was a great test of my mental game and strategy leading into the national level events.

It was great to see so many Bellas on the course, especially our Original Bellas Sabine and Laura, and our National Champ Betty Jordan - that gal needs to rock her stars and stripes! I'll be busy this week, building up a new race bike, finding something to do with my fresh box of Giant Strawberries, and flying out to Boston to meet up with the elite Bella squad.

Sarah Bella Loca