VeloRosa Sneaks into Nebraska to Race

It seems that Lee and Joann have been back over the border racing across state lines again.  Not sure what the team is going to do to contain those two.  You would think they have something better to do with a weekend than race...............NOT!    Recently they headed over to take on the Tranquility Tire Tantrum near the west side of Omaha. 

Joann prepping for Dakota 50 in early September took on the four-hour race.  Yes, that is a minimum of four continuous hours of riding the single track.  She finished five laps (9 miles each lap)  in 4:26 minutes with her fastest lap at blazing 52:28.  She was the first woman to cross the line in this race.

Lee continued her winning ways by topping the Cat 3 field in a time of 54:45 with a margin of victory of over two minutes.

Congrats to our Pink mountain bike racers!

Yours Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Good showing for Pink Gals at Clear Lake's Bikes, Blues and BBQ

Dee, Heather and Erika traveled north to take part in the latest time trial, crit and road race.   Both Erika and Heather raced all three to compete for the Omnium Series that was held on this weekend.  That means that each lady raced a time trial in the early morning then turned around to race the crit a few hours later.

Doing either one of these races requires preparation starting the night before with the right nutrition and fluid intake.  Doing both within a 3-4 hour period requires rapt attention to details right through the crit race.  Sometimes it takes so much out of you that a nap is required. 

But you cannot blame Heather for this as she placed 8th in the TT and 6th in the crit allowing her to finish 7th overall in the Omnium.
Erika also competed in both races on Saturday taking 10th in the TT and 12 in the crit.  She finished 10th overall in the Omnium. 
The crit was especially hard as they skies had opened up and dumped a heavy rain upon the course.   This crit race involves eight 90-degree turns at high speed.  High speed corners and wet pavement does not make for a safe combination.  Both pink gals handled it without incident.

They then celebrated with a post-race refreshment while waiting for VR's youngest racer to take her turn at the crit course.  Elisa then hopped upon her new-to-her road bike to see if she wanted to race like Mom ( aka Erika).

The race went well she she is pictured at left sprinting to the finish.  Below she enjoys her own version of the post-race reward.

Saturday brought better weather the the road race.  Dee traveled up to join Heather and Erika.   The Cat 1, 2, 3, race was loaded with talent from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and beyond.  Dee sized up the competition and put her race-face and took off.  At times the pace was grueling but she knew that if she stayed in the lead pack, she might have a chance.  The pack was almost 15 strong as it neared the end of the race.  Dee dug as deeply as she ever has and sprinted for the line.   Other riders slipped backwards past her as she gained ground.  The final surge took her across the line in 3rd place.  What an IMPRESSIVE victory for one of our strongest racers. Great job Dee!!!!

Heather and Erika lined up for the Cat 4 version of the same race.  They both had some fatigue from the day's prior races but got focused early and took off strong.  The Cat 4 race was a series of surges and pull backs, and never really settled into a good race pace.   This was somewhat frustrating for the VR racers.   A surge on a particularly tough incline picked Erika off the back.  The course would prove too daunting and not well-marked enough to allow her to finish with the pack.  Heather held in and finished strongly in 12th place.

Overall it was a good racing weekend for VeloRosa.   How awesome it is to see the Pink Gals out racing??

Your roving race reporter,

Luann

Pink Gals Take Gold and Silver at Iowa Games Mountain Bike Race

Helmets off to Amy and Kari for taking first and second in the Iowa Games Mountain Bike Race.  Both women raced in the novice category taking on this course for the first time.   Kari chose this as her first mountain bike race and garnered a Silver medal!   Amy gave mountain racing a go last fall and used that little bit of experience to take the Gold.

A big thanks to Bruce R and Kyle S for their work with these two ladies along with all of the VR gals that come out each Tuesday to learn the skills required to be successful at mountain bike riding and racing.   Both of these ladies have been regulars at the practices.  I guess that is why it is said:  practice makes perfect.

Rock on!!!!

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann 

Lee takes Sunderbruch Cat3 Title; Joann 2nd in Ca2

Last week's IMBCS race was held in Davenport on a 9-mile course that had many awesome features built in to it.  This was the first year that this location was part of the series and it proved to be enjoyed by all of the racers.  The FORC club puts on a great event with plenty of fans, food and an atmosphere that guarantees a fun day. 

Lee's race was two laps while Joann also had two laps but with an additional blue-rated and a black-rated section.   The race started with a torturous climb up a paved trail that seemed to go straight up and  and never end.    Lee shot off the line and hit the pavement first.  After encouragement by Zoe R (winner of the Jr Girl's Cat) Lee made it into the single track ahead of the rest of the field.   The course was pretty technical for a Cat3 race.   There was a banked, wooden section that beckoned you to take speed into the walls and carry it right back out. 

The course had a bit of everything...........roots, climbs, steep descents, bridges, logs and a great decent prior to heading back to the start to do it all over again.  However, for the second lap, the steep climb was eliminated and the riders entered into the woods and a 150'-long, raised wooden ramp that had to be navigated uphill.  The section was named Kickapoo up and it appeared to be aptly named.   The field closed in quickly and it was a three-woman race.   On the last decent, Lee could literally hear the two gals behind her breathing.   She grew a pair and let go of the brake and bombed the downhill section;  popped out on the trail and rode it like she stole it to the finish.  She was only two seconds ahead of the other two racers.

Joann's race started out quickly with a local rider that shot off never to be seen again.  Joann settled in and set the pace for the rest of the field.  She worked hard tackling many of the tougher features without fear.  The further into the race she got, the harder she pushed the pace.  She easily outdistanced the balance of the Cat 2 racers.

Joann and Lee have a few weeks off before they compete in the next series race on August 10 in Ida Grove.

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Joann and Lee Win Their Cats at Seven Oaks

Pink teammates Joann and Lee locked up another pair of victories in the Iowa Mountain Bike Championship Series by winning the Cat 2 and Cat 3 races respectively.

Seven Oaks is known as the most technical course in the series and rightfully so.  It is located on land that also is home to an actual ski run.  This may be as close to racing on a mountain that one can get in Iowa.  Joann tackled the full course which contains many climbs, drops, rooted sections and long with bridges that span deep drops.   There is nary a place where one can relax and catch a break.  The single track is so narrow that it is rumored that the trees reach out and smack you.  The post race was collection of racers showing off bruises, scrapes and welts.

Lee had three laps of the upper section of the same course.  The repeated laps made for some familiarity but also allowed for the very technical sections to have to be safely navigated multiple times.   Cheered on by many VR fans (yea for Team York), she ran negative splits to pull out the victory in just under 27 minutes. 

Your roving race reporter,

Luann