RACE REPORT: US Cup 1 and 2, Bonelli and Fontana

Fontucky. Photo by JPoV

The first two weekends of the US Cup have provided some of the most exciting racing of my life. Fresh in my new category, in new kit, with a new bike, there was plenty to get the juices flowing. After an awesome weekend logging some more endurance miles and spending time with my family while they were in town, I'm ready to finally get this post up! Read on for thoughts and feelings about Bonelli I and Fontana/Funtana/Fontucky.

Team Cannondale for a day!

BONELLI  - US CUP 1, UCI C1

I headed up to Bonelli to ride and visit with the ShoAir-Cannondale crew the Thursday prior on assignment for MTBR which was an exciting way to kick off the weekend. Manuel Fumic wanted to make sure we were "actually media" which I think was a compliment. "You should race," Evelyn Dong told me shortly before I endo'd over the handlebars on the steep backside descent. Embarrassed, I let her know that I would be somewhere near the back of the pro women's category and she kindly offered up some tips and line choices on the course. It stuck, so I had the treat of her voice in my head each lap!  

Darryl Sykes photo: I survived Bonelli!

I rode that first lap on the Cannondale Scalpel so I thought it would be a good idea to sneak out out my new Rocky Mountain Vertex to make sure I could get around the tough course on a hard tail. About then is when Tedro and crew started hammering the railway ties into the A Line. And I still couldn't even get my brain to allow another attempt on the steep section, let alone acrobatic wheel lifts. *gulp*

Thus dampened of spirit, and short of time, I returned to Bonelli only the morning of the race, without having had the chance to sort out my trouble spots, which i knew were mainly mental. I chatted with Gerhard part of the way (he was in Colorado) to try and understand the nerves, and hopefully put them to bed.

Let me tell you, it does nothing for nerves to hear your name called out at the bottom of a very long list of national champions, world champions, and Olympians. What does help with nerves is when the whistle blows, you get clipped in, and start moving.

I was pleasantly surprised to find I was not chewed up and spit out the back as I was sure would happen. I was with the group, though yes, near the back thanks to being called up in 55th place, but I had contact and it wasn't so scary afterall!!

I got to work on the very short course, and to my excitement, found I was passing girls on the climbs (of which there were many). I should probably also mention that the temperature was a blistering 90+ degrees. There's tough, and then there's tough.

I got in about an hour of racing before I was met with a line of tape across the course, and directed to the side. The UCI 80% rule had been amended to 50% to accommodate the short [2.35 mile] course and I was done (and 'well-done', after an hour in the oven).

Even though I was pulled, and finished in 32nd place, this was one of my favorite results ever. I met all my goals: ride safe, figure out hardtails, know the unknowns, and get in a workout.

FONTANA - US CUP 2, UCI HC

Fontana, with shots from Drew and Ben

For Fontana--a course I really enjoy for its technical rocks and long "power moves" climbs--I set new goals. Now I understand that you can't race with all that extra fear. And you can't race like you're going to get to ride all the laps. You gotta go NOW like you're on your last lap, every lap. So the biggest adjustment for me was pacing.

Thankfully, the heat was down a little with the temp comfortably in the 80s. My folks and Gerhard made the trip as well which always makes me dig a little deeper. Fontana was ranked HC by the UCI so we again had a truly impressive group of riders to line up with vying for those valuable points.

They announced my name in the call up much sooner than last time, however I didn't get to take advantage of the better start position as the staging took a LOT longer than anticipated. So again, I was in the back row, but I had a much better idea of how to handle it.

After a few laps, I came through the start/finish expecting to get pulled and every lap that wasn't the case. I was joyous, but also totally shit-wrecked because I was racing like I was about to get yanked thus not leaving as much in the tank as I'm used to. However, I found out that I have a lot more in the tank than I think!

Fontana: Drew Engelmann photo

We had a few great bike races --another thing I like about the US Cup and racing in the pro category: other people!! and I enjoyed playing "what would happen if..." to test out different strategies and tactics. I won a couple rounds, and learned from a couple more.

The best part of this race though was the support from so many friends, family and Ninja teammates along the course! It seemed like every corner on the way to that grueling asphalt climb had someone else yelling my name. Big thanks to Mom, Dad, Gerhard, Drew, Tony, Liana, Dawn, Todd, Derek, Vinny (Vinny especially!!), and last but not least, Jake (and I'm sure I missed some names!!). Jake was up top taking photos and his "Yeah Kris, Stay on it" was such a welcome message near the end of that climb. Except the last lap, he added, "Yeah Kris .... you want some beef jerky?" which almost made me fall over. It was just the smile I needed to get my hot crampy legs up that final push one last time. Thanks Jake! And thanks for the photo too!!

I raced clean, my bike was SO AMAZING, and I finished all five of our laps for a 35th place. I couldn't have been happier if I'd won the thing.

TAKEAWAYS: THINGS I LOVE ABOUT RACING IN THE PRO CATEGORY 

 1) So awesome to have big fields! It makes racing 1000% more exciting when you bust off the line with almost 60 other women.

2) Feeling like even though I'm at the bottom of the pile, it's pretty much the raddest pile ever.

3) Short laps. I kind of love it! I thought I wouldn't but besides getting lost on the lap count sometimes, it is really fun to roll through start finish/feed zone and get that energy boost from your friends

4) Ours is the only race on course. I don't mind sharing a race course, but this is just darn luxurious.

5) The pomp. I love the call up, I love the helpers standing around with umbrellas, and I love national anthems.

6) My fellow competitors are awesome! Everyone is super nice but you can tell they're also there to do well, and they recognize that you're there to do well too. It makes for a really cool vibe of mutual respect.

Thanks again to all of my amazing helpers this season: Top shout outs to Rocky Mountain for that hardtail you sent me. Good lord I love that bike, especially after Brock at RIDE Cyclery helped me get it dialled in. Thanks to Eliel for helping me look the part in the best-fitting kits I've ever had. Thanks GU Energy for keeping me fuelled and well-stocked in salted caramel, and heat-beating hydration. My stylish new white shoes are courtesy of friends at Gaerne and they are a perfect fit right out of the box (thank goodness, because they were an emergency addition to the shoe rack after Temecula wrecked All The Things). And of course, thank you to Team Ninja, the awesome gang in black and pink! The season is just beginning and we have so much more fun to come! 

Fontana: Drew Engelmann photo (hi Tony & Liana!)

2015: It Starts Today!

Happy October 1!

Today is the day Coach Richard and I have selected as day one of base, strength training and ultimately, the 2015 race season. So if you're looking for me, I'm probably out on the road bike, doing long, lonely, steady miles. Now taking music recommendations!

2015 has many exciting things to look forward to, including the Kenda Cup West series (as opposed to the Eastern edition -- new this year!) and the US Cup, which appears is really just the California Cup, with one token Colorado stop at the end -- no wonder, since everywhere else will be covered in snow, and mother nature has not blessed us with precipitation of any kind. Expect dusty race courses!

Anyway, mark your calendars and get to work on those race schedules. 2015 is coming.

RACE REPORT: Fontana US Cup

I don't remember the last time I had to get up so early for a mountain bike race, but I have to say, it was a pretty nice set up (once I'd finally found a Starbucks).

There was a calm feeling over the venue and only a few people had arrived, most being directly involved with the 8:30am Cat 1 races. So I warmed up in relative peace, thinking to myself the course was probably in excellent shape, dampened ever-so-slightly by the nighttime dew -- and we'd be the first ones on it to boot. I reflected on the cool, comfortable temperatures, compared to the hellfire that usually awaits at 1:30pm starts. And I looked forward to being finished in time to catch the women's Pro XC race.

With only a few minutes left on the trainer, my spirits were lifted tenfold as a whole gang of teammates meandered across the parking lot. I'd heard a rumour they'd be there to support the two of us with the early starts but I couldn't believe anyone would go to such trouble -- showing up EARLY in the morning a full day ahead of of their event at a race out of town.

Silly me. Team Ninja is the best team ever, both in spirit and in standings (or will be soon on the latter, just you watch). Thank you to all you guys and gal who brought the laughs, the support and the cowbell.

Added bonus, Coach Richard appeared seemingly out of nowhere to calm the last of my pre-race jitters on the start line. As the men's Cat 1 races emptied out of the start gates, I could feel my metaphorical hooves pawing the dirt. Time to go.

On the whistle, I carefully worked to get clipped in and stay out of trouble on the very loose asphalt chunks that lined the Start/Finish area (subsequent races saw some gnarly crashes thanks to that unstable surface) and once clear of that, clicked down the cassette and started to make some moves. I knew I wanted to be on the front of the race for the first section because of a couple potential bottlenecks, and I aimed to settle into my pace on the first open climb, part of which featured some pavement.

I lost a couple of the girls on the first climb, but I rightly predicted I'd reel them in on the descent, which was pulling double duty as the Super D course. I forgot to account for the back of the men's races ahead of us though, and got a little tangled up in traffic. Rode the first lap nice and clean, and came through the feed zone for my favorite part: Team Ninja love!!

Coach Richard and Ninja-extraordinaire Michael Henry followed me as the course wound back on itself with encouraging words like "race smart" ... at which point I klutzily got my grip hung up at the crucial moment I wanted to shift for a loose climb and eventual-winner Allison Jones saw her chance. We'd been playing cat and mouse so I was confident I could make up for the error but then I ran into some more unexpected trouble. My back muscles declared tug-of-war with my IT bands and hip flexors that left me feeling less than racy. I worked through that complication and continued on my way.

Lap three Richard and Michael again had words of encouragement, calling out split times between me and another woman (though not in my age group). I was grateful for the carrot and figured I could use her as a stepping stone to Allison so I closed the gap, passed and kept hunting. Ran out of real estate, and Allison had put a nice gap into me anyway, even with my last-ditch efforts.

I was pretty happy with my race -- I rode clean, no crashes -- and as if Team Ninja wasn't awesome enough already, they treated me to some post-race tacos and made me feel like a million bucks (even if I was "first loser" ;)).

We hung around our spiffy team tent watching the pro women warm up and then begin their race under the watchful eyes of high-tech drones, thanks to the amazing Red Bull coverage. I predicted Pendrel, Batty, Nash and almost won my bet but Batty ended up in third. She was accompanied by her parents and fiance Adam Morka, and combined with other familiar faces like Amanda Sin, Mikaela "Fudge" Koffman and Peter Glassford, I was feeling pretty darn homesick for Ontario Cups.

All in all an awesome day at the races. Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you Team Ninja, PowerBar, Zumwalt's (for the most-excellent fix to my cables! shifting was perfection), Coach Richard and to my parents who patiently waited for me to do my thing before we concluded the weekend (the last of their three-week visit) hanging out at the beach.

Thanks to Team Ninja's Paula Evenson for the podium pics! 

Race Report: Vail Lake Kenda Cup #1

My first "real" US Race is now under my belt, and it could not have been a more enjoyable day! First of all, my parents arrived just in time to be in attendance, and with Gerhard already agreeing to come along that meant it was a chance for "team training" leading up to BC Bike Race. Everyone was very attentive to pre-race procedures so I'm confident the support crew will be in tip top shape come June 28.

Pre-race procedures this time meant the song and dance I usually reserve for early-season Ontario races: will it rain, or won't it? Mud tires, or no? Where's the Pam cooking spray? What's the latest forecast? The rains we had in Southern California recently are rare, but much-needed (though I read they still didn't make a dent in the drought situation we find ourselves in). The course I pre-rode last week was completely different from the one I found on race day. Thank goodness. Gone were the hot, dry, choke-on-dust conditions I expected and in their place was cool, tacky, cloudy (but not raining!) perfection. 

We joined up with the awesome people of Team Ninja under our team tent and tried to get as many racer stories as possible. Our team was looking sharp in our new kits and everyone was buzzing with that post-race glow. Love this team! I did my warm up on the trainer (a first for me, but not the last), then jumped on the mountain bike to make sure it was working as perfectly as I left it and then it was off to the start. There were five women in my new "Cat 1" category, but since we were divided by age group, I was really only racing one of them. Another light class for the ladies. Sigh. I'm told that later races will fill up a little more. Fingers crossed for that day, and big thank you to the Cat 1 ladies who came out for this one: Ema, Michelle, Shelly and Rhonda!

Our category started last in the 1:30 group so we had no one behind us chasing us down. So lovely. We agreed that since almost no one in our start gate was actually in a race, we'd all work like a pride of lionesses to chase down as many men as we could. Look out, boys! Fun game. 

My perfectly-working mountain bike declared it was less-than-perfect right off the bat with a near-to-"Schlecked" chain that just never really sorted itself out. Team Ninja cheered me through the opening stretch as I wrestled to get into the big ring. Oh well. I was trying to climb and spin the adjusters at the same time for the first half of the lap and eventually did find a place where I could make use of my big ring (!!). 

With the rain, I wasn't sure what to expect from the course, but bikes from the previous race were coming out fairly clean and Ninjas had mostly good things to say, so I was confident we were in for a treat. I was right. The climbs felt like we were riding elevators, my tires were like velcro in every corner (regular tires ... not mud ones ... thank goodness I didn't succumb to that temptation) and with the dust pasted down, I could actually breathe. I hammered off the start line despite my beleaguered drive train, opened a gap and didn't look back until the course wound back on itself after the first super fun drop. 

Ema was leading the rest of the ladies and looked determined to close the gap. With three nine-mile laps on the menu, I picked a pace and stuck with it, trying to focus on men up ahead rather than Ema on my heels. 

Halfway through the lap, she closed the gap. Ema was racing in the 15-19 category and I was super thrilled to have her back there. She was riding smooth and strong and if that's the quality of racing coming up the ranks, then that's great news for the women's scene. I asked her if she wanted to come around, but she declined, so I said, "Okay, let's go" and we rode together for a little while. I hope I helped her, because she helped me. I lost her amongst some passing/trail traffic and then I was back on my own until lap three. 

The second lap I ate up some more men, and started to really settle into my pace and enjoy the course. Vail Lake isn't everyone's favourite race, or so I gathered. But without any others to compare it to, I was fully enjoying it. It winds back on itself a number of times, skirting ridges and going in and out of canyons with one climb in particular, "the switchbacks" standing out as "breathtaking." And then the descents were just a blast. No brakes, lovely berms, some rocks and drops to play with and I was loving it. On one of the drops, I misjudged my line, carried in way too much speed and I don't think my tires even touched the ground except to skitter over the tops of the rocks. Regained control just as I hit another well-formed berm and laughed out loud it was such a rush. There were so many "yee-haw" sections and I found the course had plenty of flow to offset the long steady climbs and punchy steeps. 

Brought it around for the last lap, collected a fresh bottle (I fudged my feed on lap two carrying too much speed into the feed zone ... regrettable ... but there were plenty of shook-free bottles to choose from on the course!) and enjoyed seeing my team, my parents and my husband cheering me on for the final push. My shifting was once again slipping back out and I'd narrowly avoided tearing a side wall on one of my more daring descents so I was mainly focused on finishing up clean and safe. 

And then of course, I look over my shoulder and there's Ema again. I kicked it up, and brought it home to cheering friends and family. So awesome for the Cat 2/3 Ninjas to stick around for the few of us Cat 1 racers, I really appreciated it!! 

Collected some neat hardware and then the best part, Team Dinner swapping war stories and filling our faces. All in all an awesome first US Cup/Kenda Cup experience. Looking forward to Bonelli! 

I want to thank Team Ninja and all of our fabulous sponsors. In particular, PowerBar, thanks for those "real fruit" pouches. Delicious. Rudy Project, thanks for making a bright pink helmet that my mom can easily spot on the course! Thanks Champion Systems for our enviable kits -- I have never had more people ask to have the shirt off my back. Thanks to Aaron Hauck and Inner Strength Fitt Labs for getting me so comfortable on the bike. Huge thanks to my coach, Richard La China for ALL THE THINGS. And a big thanks to all the Team Ninja racers for making all this suffering feel like FUN! Feeling pretty lucky to be part of our awesome team. Going to be a great season. 

And I also want to thank my mom and dad for coming all the way from Canada for this race!! (okay okay, they just happened to be here anyway). Thanks dad for snapping all the pics in this blog, and Mom for trying to feed me (sorry I messed it up!). And my husband Gerhard who always makes me feel like I can go 20% faster just with his presence. I love having you guys at the race, and can't wait for our "Team Kris" reunion at BC Bike Race. 

The Start of Cat 1 Women

Coming through at the end of Lap 1 with Gerhard cheering me on

Crossing the Finish