Palooza Cross

The photos say most all that you need to know as to why bikers swarmed Altoona on a hot summer day. Cyclocross is just plain fun. The VeloRosa women took to the course and proved that biking, running, falling and smiling make for a great day. Erika led the team with a podium, third-place finish in the Women's Masters 35+ categoy. Congrats to Kim, Amy and Michelle for tackling this challenging course. As much as the photos above show fun there is more to 'cross than just serious racing. If you really want to enjoy this sport you need to look beyond the race track and have some fun. Kim demonstrates how to stop and smell the green flowers along the course! Many more races to come. So get out and ride! Your 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

Dee Second: Karalyn K Races Hard in First Race

Congrats to Dee whom placed second in the Cat 1, 2, 3 women's road race today at the State Center Rose Fest. She took on a grueling 40 miles to finish second.

In the Cat 4 race, Karalyn raced hard in her first race.  The wind and hills were challenging but the practice on  Monday's paid its dividends.    She finished 9th just in front of Erika whom held on for 10th place.

What a great race showing for the Pink Gals today!


The next race is the Blues BBQ and Bikes in Clear Lake.  This is an awesome venue for races.  The crit is on a short course where the fans are close by and the fun is endless.  Whether you want to race or to cheer, head up there the weekend of July 13-14.

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Pink Rules Water Works Circuit Race

Eight ladies showed up at Water Works park for the circuit race last Saturday.  This was an outstanding showing for the open Cat race.  This put all racers on the route at the same time.  

The ladies in pink road a strong race.  Kim, Lee and Megan took turns out front helping to protect Dee.  Lisa and Ali hung close in the pack and picked up the flow of the pack.  Ali and  Abby rounded out the showing.

Loren and Leah had a photo finish with Dee right on their rear wheel taking third.  Megan took fourth.  Newcomer Lisa (Carp) finished fifth in her first race. Kim and Ali finished seventh and eight, respectively.  Erika took 11th and Abby 15th.   This strong showing allowed VeloRosa to win the Team title for this race.

Congrats to all of the ladies but especially to those first time racers.   Welcome to the game.



Abby and Ali post race with team beer





Listening to the directions



Kim worked hard all race

Megan charges for the line

Pink dominates the final results

Tha is a lot of pink!

Pre-race strategy

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Squaw Creek Crit

The opening race of the Iowa Cup proved that  February may bring 80 degree days but the first Cup race of the season will be cold and windy.   The grey skies held off the rain long enough for the eight-lap race to take place.   The Cat 1-4 women all lined up together near the apex of the hill.  The perilous start line would also be the challenging finish line.  

As everyone worked to clip in and start to pedal prior to falling over, the race took off in a flash.  One way to get your heart rate up quickly is to climb out of a dead start.  The Cat 1-3 ladies formed a gap by the mid-point of the first lap.   Lee and Erika fell in to the group of Cat 4 racers.  The winding roads and rolling hills did little to break up of the group.  However, the long steep downhill that slams into a sharp left turn separated out the group into two distinct sets.  Eventually there were three groups making the rounds.  As each rider made the long and winding climb to the start line, another lap was counted down.

Lee found the wheel of a stronger racer, traded places for a few laps and set up for an exciting finish.  She came around the bike in front for what was a two person race for placing.  She was not quite able to close the gap and lost out by less than half of a wheel.   Lee took fifth. Erika held on strong to take 11th place in her first crit race.

Kudos to both ladies for getting out and representing The Pink Biker Chicks in fine fashion.

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Race Like a Girl

RLG returned to Des Moines

and the VeloRosa ladies, plus the hotest guy in pink,
showed up in force to take part.


It was wonderful to see all of the new


riders coming out to learn the ropes.




Erika, Aryn, Melinda, Dee, Megan and Jason rocked the pink jerseys and rode like the wind.





Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Photos by Kim and Karolyn............thanks gals!!!

Iowa Games Tri

On Sunday, July 11, Erika dove into the water to conquer her second Tri at the Iowa Games Tri. This is a sprint distance Tri with competitors of all levels. The weather was not very cooperative with rain and some wind.

Erika turned in a PR shaving 30 minutes off of her time at the Bluff Creek Tri!

Congrats to Erika on this fine race.

Luanne