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