PINK WOMEN PLACE Elkhart TT

Wow! The women of VeloRosa have found the racing bug. Five women came out on a windy May evening to push themselves for the seven-mile time trial. So, you may ask, how hard is just seven miles; I ride 20 or more every weekend? True that seven miles pales in comparison from a pure mileage stand point.
But let’s look at the nature of the beast called the time trial (TT). It is you again nature. No help. No draft. No fans, except for the start and end line. You. Wind. Sun. Dirt. Silence. Empty fields. As you wait in line to go, there is little chatter. As you watch the person take off in front of you and they disappear over the little rise in the road it hits you: you are alone. You. Your bike. Your fears. Your doubts. Your mind. Your body.


You sit in the ready position. Clipped in. A strange man holding your seat/buns. You on the bike ready to take off. Your mind doubts; wonders; ponders; wishes; hopes; dreams. It is like Zach Johnson preparing to sink the putt to win the Masters. The silence is deafening. "Go!" and you are off. Your heart is racing. Your HR monitor is binging at your to slow it down. Your legs are twitching. You can see the person in front of you and your have the NEED to catch them. But it is much like the mirage of water in the desert. You can see but rarely can you catch it. Then you need to settle down and settle in to a sustainable cadence. Seven is not that long but it can kill you if you start off like it is a 400 meter sprint.


So you reign in your mind and you try to find a rhythm. But don't get too complacent as 30 second behind you started another rider. Could be a Cat 1 guy; a masters' racer of either gender; a triathlon TT specialist. So hurry up and don't get passed. But don't burn your last match as you are only 1.5 miles into the race. The road appears to go on forever. A country road to nowhere. You can see the horizon but you have no clear view of where the turnaround is at and how much further you have to go. Concentrate! Someone is chasing you down. You are the prey that the person behind you is seeking.


Oh, but you say it does not matter unless the person behind you in your category? HA! When you are driving your car and another one comes out of nowhere and passes you I dare you to not try to accelerate to catch back up and pass that car right back. Remember the TT is you, the road, your sweet bike (and the person chasing you down).


Wait, you now can see the turnaround point. Cool, half-way done. This is not so bad! Oh no, got to slow down, but not too much, pick a line, pull a 180 degree U-turn. Be careful to stay on the road (try a U-turn at 10 or 15 miles per hour). Don't hit the course marshal. Don't hit the pylon. ACCELERATE. Dang, that person behind you is RIGHT there.


Now your legs are burning. They liked the previous rhythm. The slowing and turning and acceleration is like being jolted awake in the middle of an awesome dream. You shift, try to find a comfortable place on the seat, adjust your hands. Crap, the wind changed direction. You rethink your body position, cadence, speed. Where did all of these little rollers come from? You are sure they were not on the way out, which is the other lane of this same road. You are passing others that started behind you; a constant reminder that you are being hunted down by many. Back to the chase mentality. Go and get that person in front of you.
OK, so you only race TT against the clock. All of this nonsense does not happen in your mind. Sure if you are a yogi or Zen master I concede my position. Otherwise, turn those cranks and start praying for this to end. Meatloaf sang: "I am praying for the end of time." He must have meant time TRIAL.


One final rise and you think you can see the school. There was a school. Was there a ball field? Are those cars? It looks close enough that you can run there but it is not quite that close. Smooth pedal strokes. Your thighs are burning. You lungs want relief. This sustained effort has about drained your tank. Don't get too excited and blow up before you get to the end. Oh so close, yet so far. Contain!


Then there it is. It? The finish line. Manna. Relief. You cross. You lay across your handle bars. Wiped is an understatement. You spin for a brief cool down. You then do it some more because if you do not, it is really going to be a sore morning tomorrow. You congrat others. They do the same for you. You all have suffered the same. Whether you rode a sub 17, a sub 20 or a 30 minute TT. It all hurts.


Finally you sit up and ride back to the start. You feel a bit of pride coming on. You look at those Cat 1 guys. You look at the family and friends. You look at the volunteers. You sit up a bit straighter because you are now a TIME TRIALIST.


Even better, you are a PINK TT. You rock the biking world. Welcome to VeloRosa mystique. Where we tell you we just help women ride bikes but where we really transform them into conquering dreams they were afraid to dream.
This TEAM rocks. Congrats to all that rode that little TT called Elkhart. So how far is just seven miles.....
See ya at the races.


Your Roving Race Reporter,



Luann

RESULTS:
W CAT 4     2nd Abby G       3rd  Erika Y
W 40            J2nd  Julie G
W Open       2nd  Aryn F        4th Megan K
Blogger note:  Julie G will always be VeloRosa to me!

Pedal, Mud, Stump, Hill, Pedal, Jump, Carry...Repeat

Wow! VeloRosa women rocked the Dirty Wooden Shoe and Altoona cyclocross races on Saturday and Sunday, October 2 and 3. These were hilly and challenging races. There may have been a near mountain with a barrier about 1/3 of the way up in Pella. Ah ha, you ask "So what?" The what is this: ride your bike at full speed, start to swing your right leg over the seat while still moving, unclip your left cleat and hop off at a run. Don't take a breath here because you are just getting started. Hoist up your bike and run over the 18" barrier or two and run, either carrying or pushing you bike, up the rest of that big hill. Whew! But not done yet because while still running hop on to your seat and pedal off hoping that your cleats clip in before the next hole, 180 degree turn or heckler offers you a beer.

The rest of the ride has sand, mud, grass, rolling hills, steep down hills and more 180 degree turns. Do this for 45 minutes non-stop while chasing down the gal in front of you. Don't forget to watch for Kim E.(Iowa City) or Lisa V. (PRC) whom may be passing you like you are not moving at all. And while your mouth is bone dry attempt to grab your water bottle, drink and put it back before any other above hazards come at you like a freight train.........again.

That makes me tired just writing about it. This is what our crazy, challenge-loving teammates were up to this last weekend. The good thing about cross is that you can ride at your own pace. Yes, some folks like our newest teammate Loren are busting it up at break-neck speeds that have lead her to first places in the Cat 4 races or you can be more social by heckling the heckler or saying hi to a cheering teammate all while trying to enjoy the fun that around minute 35 seems like torture.

Congrats to all of the VeloRosa racers list below. Remember that everyone who rides is a winner.

ALTOONA:
Loren....1st..WCX4
Kate.....4th..WCX4
Joann....2nd..W45+
Melinda..5th..W45+
Julie G..6th..W45+
Dee......7th..W45+

PELLA:
Loren....1st..WCX4
Melinda..4th..W45+
Julie G..5th..W45+

Your roving and hopefully someday a big enough bike to ride with these fine ladies roving reporter,

Luann

Rain and Mud Make it Cyclocross

It was a wild racing weekend in Des Moines the past few days.

For those not familiar with Cyclocross, it is described as "a bike race mixed with steeplechase. In cyclocross, riders race laps around a short course that usually features some pavement, some dirt, some woods, some steep hills and for good measure, some obstacles thrown in that require riders to dismount, work their way through and then get back on and ride some more." (David Fiedler @ David's Bicycling Blog)

Saturday's race was held in a steady rain. While to some this would seem to be very poor conditions but the rain did a good job of washing away the mud that would have accumulated and affected racing. Kim H took the women's 45+ race's top spot. Kate also raced through the slop with a strong showing with a bronze medal performance. Julie gutted out another fun day chatting and racing well.

Sunday turned out to be a gloriously sunny fall day. The ground was sloppy but no rain was falling. What was not foreseen was the mud that would accumulate making it nearly impossible to even push your bike up the inclines. Many a women surrendered trying to ride up the hill to try and push, drag and/or curse that heavy bike along. Yes, even a carbon bike is very heavy when coated in mud. The best this roving reporter could offer was a cold beer on the back stretch hill.

Julie G joined the fray donning her unique green helmet along with Kim and Melinda. Jule finished 5th, Melinda 6th and Kim 3rd in the very competitive 45+. Dave joined in the muddy fun and took 2nd in his 45+ race.

Check out MOMENTUM or bikeiowa.com for a list of upcoming races.

Your roving, muddy race reporter,

Luann

Chequamegon 40 Race

Karolyn on route.


This is a 40 mile ride that starts innocently enough on a paved road but you had better enjoy the short journey as it heads off on the real path. Many of the latter roads are logging roads with active traffic. If you have ever had a VW Bug scare you while on your bike on a road in DM, try a fully loaded logging truck!


This is what 9-time racers Dee and Dave on the tandem along with first-timers Kim, Karolyn and Julie G faced on a beautiful fall day as they attacked the 40-mile course. While it can be deceptively beautiful the challenge should not be understated.

Or may be teammate Kim H put described it as only one whom road it can do:
"At the start gun 1700 riders rolled elbow-to-elbow past the cheers of the crowd lining the town of Hayward through Rosies's Field and onto the Berkie Ski Trail. Racers were treated to beautiful forest trails, breathtaking lake views, fast gravel forest roads, excruciating climbs, more cheering crowds, sweeping descents, giant mud puddles and even a band of heckling pirates bearing rum shots. The race finished 40 miles later at the Telemark Ski Lodge in Cable, WI." It has been stated that while in the 35-38 mile range many riders are thinking, "I will never do this again IF I manage to finish this." However, shortly after completing, the celebration with friends made it safe to plan to ride it again next year.
In the photo: Karolyn, Kim, Dee, Maria, Julie, Sally and Heather


The website for this race contains this course warning: "PLEASE NOTE: This map is intended for general directional purpose only and not detailed enough to use for orienteering in the woods. Always take along a compass, detailed maps and plenty of fluids when riding in the deep woods. The courses are off-road and on a variety of unmaintained trails. Riding hazards exist and extreme caution should be exercised when riding in the woods."

Warnings aside, the VeloRosa ladies and our favorite bike guy, Dave, conquered this challenge.

See the following blog for lots of pictures from this event!

Your roving race reporter,

Luann

Pink Gals Stomp Snus Hill Winery

Julie and Robin rode over to the annual wine stomping at Snus Hill Winery in late August to try their feet at making wine. Snus Hill is located in Madrid and each fall it allows wine aficionados and crazy bike chicks to stomp grapes and play winery games.

Julie was the best at bobbing for a water balloon, running it to a chair and then using her bike-toned buns to smash it. She put down more than anyone else in the one minute contest. Her teammates always suspected that she was multi-talented. Now that is a proven fact.

Robin's miles of biking, drinking and dancing paid off as Robin was voted the most energetic grape smoosher.


Once again, Team VeloRosa shows that a biking team is only as good as it is at having fun. And those team kits look outstanding off the bike.

Your roving (once again) bike reporter,

Luann

VELOROSA SWEEPS IOWA GAMES MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE

A hot and muggy morning greeted the participants at the Iowa Games race at Peterson Pits north of Ames. The Novice race was two laps of 5 miles each, for as accurate as a mountain bike distance can be measured.

The course had flat grassy areas that lured the riders into the view that it would be a relatively easy race. However, the great sand beach that appeared was just a preview of what the course actually entailed. The course held rolling hills, mud, bridges and jumps, a water hazard, heavily-rooted climbs and steep descents. Then back out into the blazing sun, a bit of gravel road and on to lap 2.


The overall women's winner is VeloRosa racer Julie S in 1:01:06. Julie is working on getting back into racing and proved her mettle in this race. She declined a post-race comment but had a great big smile. Lee came in second overall at 1:10;47 in just her second mountain bike race. She opined that sand is much softer to fall on than rocks and roots. Both of our ladies took home age group honors and scored Gold Medals!

Your roving race reporter,

Luanne