W is for WIN

I lined up Wednesday night for a crit just hoping for a top 5 finish. The course was supposed to be for beginner racer's - but that was hardly the case.

Picture by Velo Vivid - thanks Dion!











I pre-rode the course a few laps first with Dominic, on his flat bike, and then later with a few racer girls I know. It was hairy. Two of the four 90 degree turns were on cobbles with cracked pavement, bumpy as fuck. I decided before the race which lines I would take according to where the smoothest part of the road was.

We lined up, 15 minutes late, due to a parked car on the course. They never did get it towed so we raced anyways. The whistle blew and we were off.

The 1st corner was on cobbles, and I took the turn on the inside, like I was taught. Some of the girls were going wide, and I just concentrated on staying upright. The next turn was the scariest, bumpyasfuck cobbles with a big lip where the pavement met the cobbles. I took that turn on the inside as well. Once through that turn it was a couple of blocks in a headwind and we had a nice paceline going. The next turn was into a slight hill, and again, I took the turn on the inside with one girl going really wide, and then riding almost into me. I had to brake to let her in a couple of times. Once up that little hill, the next turn I easily found a hole on the inside and I could blast through it and get back on the front.

I stayed in front, taking pulls with Carrie and Annie, who for the most part, stayed in front. My plan was to take a pull every once in a while, and then stay on a wheel when I needed to recover. My HRM was at home, but I can imagine it was in the 190's. My lungs were burning and in the first 7 minutes I felt like I was going to die.

Round and round we went, and the minutes ticked by, then they held up a sign that said 8 laps to go. I had to hold on, but I felt like I was going to die. The turns were getting sketchy and I wasn't comfortable taking them with the pack anymore. At 3 laps to go, I knew the end was near and I was about to GO.

They rang the bell for the last lap and my plan was to sprint ahead so I could take the cobblestone turns alone. I surged and got through them both in front, not caring if they passed me after that.

Then I heard a POP!
Then I heard someone go gown.

"RIDERS DOWN", someone yelled.

I kept going, but knew my friends were down. That was hard, knowing a crash had happened and I was going to take the win. What would you do? Part of me wanted to stop and go back and see who was hurt and how bad. The other part of me wanted to finish the race, so I just sprinted, yelling at bystanders "riders down!".

I crossed the line, not even happy that I won.

I rode over to where the crash went down and my friend Annie was hurt. Carrie had some road rash, but was ok. The look on Annie's face, I will never forget. She looked so scared, and couldn't move her shoulder.

Then they were calling me for the podium. I felt guilty, not like I had won the race the way it should have gone down. Carrie, Annie and I should have been going for that sprint together. But instead, Carrie was taking Annie to the hospital and I was standing on the top step of the podium, for the first time in my short bike racing career.

Picture by Jeffrey Jakucyk - thanks Jeff.













I let the doubt set in, thinking the win wasn't justified. I was thinking if Annie and Carrie hadn't crashed, they would have won. Later, I was told I raced really well, took good lines, and had smart tactics.

Annie broke her collarbone and is off the bike for a few weeks. She was super supportive of my win though, and had nothing but good things to say about our race. I still don't really know why the crash happened or who's fault it was, but that's bike racing. Crashes happen and it's a risk we take every time we pin a number on.

#TOOBUSY

The last few weeks I have been wanting to blog so bad, but there always seems to be something else I should be doing while online. Re: Reflect Sports or CXmagazine stuff. I try to stay disciplined but it is hard working for free. I try to stay optimistic but we're just scraping by and I have put off aggressively looking for a job until my Mom's surgery is over with.

Speaking of that....

She is in surgery as I type this. My sister took her to the hospital. When Dominic gets home, we'll head over to the hospital. I hope it goes well. I've been so worried about this day, I sweartogod I have not shit in 4 days. My stomach is all cramped up and I am a ball of stress. The recovery for a total knee replacement is not going to be easy for her. I have her little dog here - who is about 12 lbs - he is her motivation to get better fast so I can bring him home.

#getbettersoonMOM!

Speaking of dogs....

We have a new addition to the family. Meet Lola.













She looks like Fausto but she weighs about 20lbs less. The story about how she came into our lives is priceless. I'll share it with ya.

Two days ago I was driving home from a sales call for Reflect Sports, and Dominic was coming home from a tile job. He pulled onto the highway right behind me. I was talking to my friend Chip on the phone and when I saw Dominic's car, I waved. He was driving right behind me. We got off the viaduct and we were heading up Glenway hill when I saw the dog. She was in the street, trying to lick water from a dried up puddle. I knew Dominic wouldn't just drive by.

And I was right.

I said to Chip "I gotta go, there's a dog in the street and Dominic is pulling over."

The next thing I know, he was putting her in his car.

While driving to the house, I thought "we should name her Lola".
When we got home, Dominic told me "we should name her Lola".

That was a sign. So we just kind of decided she was staying.

She's a skinny little thing, about 5-6 months old. Fausto LOVES her. Ari voices his discontent by moaning loudly from his crate. She is learning how to potty outside. Watching her taste new foods is the coolest thing ever. Watching her come alive is the most rewarding of all.

#rescuedogsarethebest.

It's so hot this summer, the only place I can take the dogs is to the woods. This is Ari staying cool in the creek.














As far as riding goes.....

I consider myself a diverse type of cyclist these days. I am starting to realize just where I belong in this cycling community and where I feel the most comfortable. It's actually pretty rad.

We volunteered at kid's night at our Bike Coop on Monday. It was fun. Dominic helped teach the kids to wrench on bikes along with two other mechanics.













I kept the kids busy with coloring and games while they waited their turn. Keeping the kids in check is not easy. A few were even kicked out for bad behavior.

We'll be volunteering every Monday night until the summer is over. I loved every second of it.

#kidsplusbikes=rad.













Wednesday night I was reg'd for a weeknight crit that was canceled at the last minute due to parked cars on the course. So instead, a group ride was organized at the last minute and I found myself in the midst of a 'who's got the biggest cock' type of ride.

#dontreallybelong.













Yesterday I found myself at the BMX pump track with a friend's kid. She owns a spa and gives me free massage in exchange for getting her kid out of the house in the summer. It was terribly hot so he didn't last all that long but he was stoked to ride bikes with me.

#jumpbikesarefun.














As I continue on this path of recovery, I am discovering more and more about myself. Where I like to ride and with who. I am getting rid of the toxic assholes in my life. I wish I could "detach with love" as my sponsor tells me, and sometimes I do. Other times I detach with some mother fucking anger. I am learning. It's a fucking process.

Next month I will be heading to Chicago with my BFF Emily to see our friend Laura. I have been friends with these women for almost 30 fucking years. How rad is that?

#lifeisgood.

The winner is.....

Thanks to everyone that participated in the HooHa Ride Glide giveaway. The lucky winner was WineDog. I hope that she loves this cream as much as I do! Thanks again for playing along. Check back later, I hope to have another giveaway soon.

Bicycles and More, my LBS here in Cincinnati, is the newest store to carry the cream. If you are local, their shipment should be in later this week. Stop in a buy a tube, you won't regret it!

Looking for my running legs, have you seen them?

It's official.

I am all signed up for a triathlon. My first since Ironman. Not the typical triathlon though - this one is off road. Shorter distances too - a 1K swim, 13 mile MTB, and a 5 mile trail run. I am pretty excited.

I started a bit of running after Mohican. I have to run for CX anyways, so WTF, right? I did a couple short brick runs after some riding, and my legs acclimated pretty well.













It's kind of funny. I don't even remember how to train for a tri. I just swim when I feel like it, run when I feel like it, and ride more than anything. One day last week I rode my MTB for 2 hours and then ran trail for an hour.

Yesterday I ran trails again - the Stone Steps - and it whooped my ass. I have forgotten how much I love running. Apparently I have lost my running legs though. It HURTS to run. Especially trails.

Today I didn't have a car to get to the trail to MTB, so I took my road bike out and did hill repeats. I so love to climb.

This weekend I am doing the Hueston Woods MTB Classic in the sport division which is 18 miles. Perfect distance for me and this is a hilly course, so I hear. I may even try to sneak in an OWS after the race, it's been 2 years since I have swam in open water.

In other news....

My Mom is having surgery again, a week from Friday. She's getting a total knee replacement and I am really nervous. Especially after how she reacted the last time she was under the knife. My sister is flying in for 3 whole days to help. She will be here for the surgery and 2 days after. Then I will take over. This is one of the reasons I am not working right now. I am not sure how this is going to turn out, and so I am putting off getting work until after her surgery.

HooHa Ride Glide Giveaway!

So, in the spring of 2010, when I was training for Calvin's Challenge, a 12 hour road race, I was riding my bike a lot. Like, a lot. And I developed a saddle sore. A big ass, oozing saddle sore, one that would not go away. I even named it SAM.

I went to the doctor and tried two rounds of antibiotics.
I stayed off my bike for 9 days.
I even cut off half my saddle.














It wasn't until I tried Reflect Sport's HooHa Ride Glide that SAM went away. This stuff has healing properties and once I started using it, SAM went away for good. Even through all of the miles I rode for Mohican this year, I haven't had any problems. Saddle sores are a thing of the past!

For those of you who already use this product, you understand. There isn't another ass cream out there that can compare to HooHa Ride Glide. A product made FOR women, BY women. Finally.

You can read more about this product (and their awesome hair products) on their website. Check them out.


















So, onto the good part. A giveaway! It's super easy to enter. There are 7 ways to enter. If you do all 7, you get 7 entries. All you have to do is play along.

1. Follow my blog.
2. Post this giveaway on your blog (if you have one).
3. Follow me on twitter.
4. Tweet this giveaway.
5. "Like" Reflect Sports on Facebook.
6. If you have tried HooHa Ride Glide, write a review and post it on their Facebook page.
7. Follow @hooharideglide on Twitter.

Be sure to leave me a comment and tell me what you've done. I will draw a name on July 18th. Thanks for participating! I am excited to share the love.

RIDE ON!

Work and shit.

So. I quit.

I couldn't take another day of it. With my husband's blessing, I just didn't go back. Unobtainable goals, unrealistic expectations, and the continuous bullshit of corporate drama, it was all too much.

Was it the responsible thing to do? Probably not. I paid up the mortgage for the summer, socked away a few bucks and have a plan in place.

I am regressing with age.

I no longer feel the need to work for an industry I can't stand.

I no longer feel the need to work in an unhealthy environment.

I no longer feel the need to make a huge amount of money doing something I absolutely cannot stand. I'd rather do something I love and be poor.

So, I accepted an internship with cxmagazine.com and hope to learn more about publishing, editing, and content coordination. What an exciting opportunity!

I also accepted a sales position for ReflectSports.com - the company that makes the infamous HooHa Ride Glide, a product I believe in. A company owned by two women who have worked their asses off in the last two years to get their brand of products out there. I have never been in sales before, but what the hell, right? Might as well give it a shot.

I am excited about what the future holds for me. Bring it on!

Freaks, Flatland, and FUN!

I'm sitting here tonight, reflecting on a great weekend spent doing fun stuff on my bikes, instead of "training". I have done little of that "training" thing in weeks. I am kind of sick of it, to be honest. I love racing my bikes, but it's not a priority anymore. I love riding bikes, and helping others get out there and ride too. I have really come to hate the elite bullshit that goes on with bike racing - the teams and the fucking ego's, it's getting old.

So I participated in my first Alley Cat race. I was asked a while back to help plan this event, but couldn't make the meetings that were held at night, and I was working. The girls who put on the race were super cool and fun. The event was for girls - but guys could race if they dressed in drag. Some of those dudes took it very seriously.













I showed up on my fixie, ready to to do this urban scavenger hunt around town. We were given a manifest with different check points around the city. Each check point had a challenge and was worth a certain amount of points. We had 3 hours.













I took off on my own and headed for the big points, Devou climb. Climbing that fucking hill on a fixed in 90+ degrees about killed me. Once at the top, I had to take a picture of the overlook and text it to a girl in charge.

From there I hit up a bookstore in Covington and had to find a book on the shelf - which I never found - but the woman gave me my points anyway and off I went.

I found another dude to ride with and we headed to an LBS where we had to eat a popsicle and then find the tube that fit my bike.













Then we headed across the Purple People Bridge where I had to do a trackstand with a female condom on my head. Slightly unsuccessful but got my points for trying.

We hit up Mt. Adams - big ass climb - for a to-go menu just to prove we were there.

Then onto Mirror Lake where we had to eat ice cubes and point out a batch of poison ivy.

Then to a Clifton restaurant where we had to write up a recipe. Then to another check point down the street to collect trash on the street and we got extra points for recyclables.

I skipped the check points downtown and headed back towards the finishing spot - a bar - and I was trashed! Riding fixed for 2.5 hours around the city was insane. I ended up with 50+ points and got 4th and won some cool prizes, one of them being a sweet light for my bike. It was a good time.

Those aren't drag queens.












Today was the 4th of July Northside Parade and we actually rode in the parade with Mobo, the local bike coop. Dominic was so excited about it, he was awake at 7am. He couldn't wait to get out there and ham it up on his flat bike.

Pic by Jaime Koller












The parade was so much fun, so much excitement, and freaks everywhere.

Pic by Mel Unmysterio











After the parade, there was a big festival, and I worked the Mobo booth for a couple of hours, selling t-shirts. It was a lot of fun.

Pic by Mel Unmysterio











Dominic rode his flat bike while I worked the booth, hanging out with the kids, showing them how to do tricks. It was a great day and I was glad to be away from the training, the race scene, and just be with people who are stoked to ride bikes.