Takin' it for the Team

Seattle Cross Series, Race 8

By Kari Studley
Bothell, Washington


I seriously feel like the Bad News Bella...

I really am an upbeat and optimistic person. But I've been put to the test, especially my perserverance, this cross season. It just keeps helping me become a better racer, which will hopefully come in handy someday....

After last week's heartbreaking chain snap at the Washington State Championship, I was ready to start chasing Kristi Berg. I know I can hold my own consistently in the top 3. The cold foggy morning burned off into a cold sunny afternoon and it was a wonderful treat to feel the sun.

The course was nice and tacky as the dew had tamed the sandpit sections and I could really grip the fun windy twisty singletrack trail corners on the Challenge tubulars - love it! The course was TOUGH, too. There were TWO steep wall-like loose sand run ups and a couple of sand pits. There was no real chance to rest as I was always winding up, down and around on the trails when I wasn't dismounting for barriers. I felt it was good nationals prep. It's the hardest I've raced yet!

The race was going great. I had a decent start and had 3rd place secured with second in sight after the second lap. On the last lap to go, I was trying to reel her for a sprint finish. The corner before the pits (1/3 into the last lap), I rolled the tubular off the rim. See what I mean by Bad News Bella? I hope I'm taking all the bad luck for the team.

As I begged for a neutral bike or a spare wheel, the pit guy said the pit was closed on the last lap, further adding to my breaking and desperate heart. So back to running the rest of the race with the bike. At least I'm getting good at this. I was VERY thankful on how light the Kona is and ergonomically designed with the flat spot perfectly for one's shoulder - that has been a blessing. So I got last place again.

But the good news is that I'm not sore like last week from the running and as we speak, the tires are being professionally glued (I hope with superglue - never again will we try to glue up our own tires). Watch out Portland, third time will be the charm in my attempts to race....

Beautiful Day

By Melody Chase
Plymouth, New Hampshire

17th Annual West Hill Shop Cyclocross Race
Putney Vermont

A beautiful Vermont Fall day was the perfect backdrop for the annual cross race put on by The West Hill Shop in Putney, VT. This venue is Vermont cross racing at its finest!

The course started right off on cross country ski trails with a fast barrier section then put us into the woods following mountain bike paths. My mountain bike skills came back; to put me in the top three right off the start. Coming out of the woods you had three steep birch tree run-ups that prepped your legs for the BMX course around the corner. Pumping the rollers you could get up speed for a fast decent to the “corn field velo-drome” dodging the dried corn stalks added to the challenge!

My zippy new Easton wheals and challenger tires responded great on the manure packed course and technical woods sections. Once you made it out of the corn field you hit pavement to finish on a very steep run-up that had a trough so deep that the little people had to take a less direct rout to the top.

Lap one and two I was leading out of the technical sections until I bobbled on a remount and was passed. Another rider bridged up to me, working together we tried to catch the leader. Final run-up I managed to hook my tire on a tree that spun my bike around hitting me in the head….now I have a nice shiner to show for my efforts.

I ended up finishing third, with a decent gap on the rest of the field. Awards where given in style huddled around a wood stove sipping hot apple cider. Good day!

Bella Party in Boulder!

By Amy Dombroski
Boulder, Colorado


It was an epic weekend of racing in Boulder, with two UCI races put on by DBC Events - Saturday at the Boulder Reservoir and Sunday at Fairview High school. The Velo Bella crew represented! Barb flew in from CA, and our Boulder team was in full force with Tash, Jen, and Monique. I think both days we had four of us in the top 15...not too shabby!

My legs didn't feel too great on Saturday. I had a good first lap, but couldn't hold onto the pace. It was my maiden voyage on the bling Easton wheels, and my first time riding tubulars. It was definitely different, and will take some time to get used to. I kept thinking I was rolling off the rim on the corners because the sidewalls are so supple, I guess?


Sunday was much better, my legs are coming back. I did have a rough start, which concerned me a bit, and a few bobbles on the first lap. Taking a corner a little too hot, I crashed and my bike landed on my head and I went through some of the fencing. You can see in the above picture that my left shifter is fairly broken. Luckily I have a single front chain ring, so I don't need it to shift, but the brake doesn't work (is that a bad thing?) After getting an ugly first lap out of the way, I was cruising. Barb and I got to work together a bit, which doesn't happen too often in cross. It was so great to race in Boulder and have friends cheering my name, instead of the girl's names in front of and behind me.

It was a very fun weekend. Thanks to Missy, Brother Dan, and Challenge Tires for your help in the pit!

Barbarella and me:

Klunkster Tasha:
Tiara Tilley:
THE Barb:
Mo Hein:

Editor's Note: Cyclingnews caught Barb and Jen in action, too!

Mad Skillz at Ham Lake

By Maria Stewart
Minneapolis, Minnesota

I continued my trend of stellar athletic performance 36 hours after crossing the Atlantic Ocean, this weekend- maybe you heard, last Sunday I won the 5k Gastroenterology Fun Run in Paris, France. The Ham Lake race on Saturday turned out to be the best race of my season so far with a 2nd place finish. It really helped that the women received a delayed start so the men could get themselves sorted out. The race started fast with Linda Sone leading the pack. Linda Cooper got a stick stuck in her derailleur briefly, and we never saw her again. Linda S, Margot, Amber from B-wood and I were together going through the mud pit when Margot endo-ed. She was lucky she didn't get hurt. Amber crashed behind Margot and dropped her chain, and I slammed on the brakes so I didn't run into either of them.

Linda S was long gone, but the three of us were still pretty close. Margot and I took off after the crash, and Amber was a little behind. Margot and I traded leading for a few laps until Amber caught on. I was getting tired, so I dropped back behind Amber until she started letting Margot get away. I definitely had a moment during the race when I thought, "Is there something wrong? Are you going too hard? You haven't been this close to Margot all year!" I pulled back up to Margot and on the last lap, I took the lead going into the woods. I had no idea what I had left, so I figured I'd better go for it. The last 2/3 of the lap was bumpy and sandy with some tricky corners. My superb handling skillz really paid off and I was able to drop both Amber and Margot to take 2nd place.

I was really thrilled because I just installed my new SRAM groupo on Saturday morning and didn't have any mechanicals during the race (except learning the new "double-tap" shifter set up). My pink brake hoods must have been key.

Grumpy's race on Sunday was payback for my awesome race on Saturday. Not only was the course really slow and muddy (probably from the soccer field irrigation system), but after 2 laps, I lost all of my good kharma and my body went on strike. Some of the bad kharma moments included skipping my pedal on a piece of plywood and nearly sending my bike sideways, and single tapping my "double tap" shifters when I need to get into an easier gear (single tap = harder gear), and tripping over a barrier. I made it my mission just to finish the race in one piece, and thats what I did. Not a race to be proud of, but I think all of my bad kharma is out of my system.

I'm not sure if I'll make it to Milaca next Sunday, but you can expect to see me at the State CX race on Nov 17!

Clicky for Results.

Sand Trap

By Tasha
Boulder, Colorado

Here's a race report that it took me a couple of days to put together in my head, because it needed to be totally, like, profound and stuff. I'm all about profanity. Profoundness. Right. Anyway...

Race #3 in the Boulder Cross Series was last Sunday (after a really SWEET Saturday of Veloswap insanity) at the Boulder Reservoir. So, people told me the course was sandy. I was like, oh whatever, there'll be some sandy sections. Easy!

NO. There was SAND.

$(%*@*#! SAND.

So I'm all like pre-riding and stuff, and I'm like, sweet straightaway, nice barriers (over a big plastic weird pier) and there are skydivers parachuting into the field next to the course, and I'm watching them and running into things. And then it's like, BEACH. SAND. AaaghghghghghhH!!!

It was cool. Finished my warmup and lined up. Started talking to my friend Chellie about halloween costumes. Whoops, the official just blew the whistle. What? Was that for us? Oh gee, looks like it's time to race.

Against all odds I made a nice start and got into the front group just fine. It was a happy sunny ridiculously warm day, temps in the seventies, no wind. I'd just gotten into a nice pace and we gapped the chase group, when on the second lap, I carried too much speed into a turn and slid out. I sort of sat there for a minute while the chase group flew past and a nice mechanic sort of guy picked up my bike and ensured that I was coherent. Then I remembered what I was doing (oh yeah, racing. right?) and hopped back on the bike. I could tell immediately that my butt had lost some skin, and also my knee, but LUCKILY no damage sustained to my sweet Kona or Louis Garneau skinsuit. Pride comes before and after a fall in bike racing.

So, I started chasing, and also trying to brush all the dirt off my butt so everyone could see the nice design on the skinsuit. That was pretty much the rest of the race, except I also nearly fell into the lake no less than three times. The course went right along this super deep wet sand at the edge of the water. By the time I'd worked my way back up through the chase group I was sort of really tired and my butt was sore. So I was entirely content with tenth place.

Really, a delightful day, particularly the sand run-up with its perplexing characteristic of seeming to pull you slower the harder you tried to run fast. Sort of like quicksand, except with spectators and bicycles.

Happy trails and cross courses,
Klunk