Just because

Jay took this incredible photo at the St. Cloud crit last weekend, and I just had to share. I was going to make it my banner pic, but haven't perfected it just yet.

What, you ask, am I doing on the computer on a Saturday? Watchin' the Tour TT, duh! Adventures to come later today. : )

Relaxin',

Kristy Kreme

Hottest of the Hot Dogs

Last night was another deathly, hot night at the Dog. We laid low in the parking lot when not on the bike, wiping gnats off of our bodies as they stuck to the layers of sweat.

The humidity slowed the riders and the wind was too mild to make it any bit bearable. Personally, I was struggling hard....body still begging for recovery time after the last 4 days of racing. I definitely pushed my limits, but still finished slower than I had in 4 weeks, coming in at 19:22. Luckily, it seemed to have the same effect on the rest of the riders, allowing me to take 1st for the Women's Stock category.

Timmer got 2nd (??) in 14:38, and Jay finished hard in 15:38. The OC even came out for the 2nd time, finishing in 20:02. As for the rivalry, Jordan blew away from us with 18:36, and Ray cranked out a 19:01. Sure, Jordan, you may have me at the Dog, but I still got you at St. Cloud AND Hamel!!! Cam tested out the HED3's for the first time, surprising herself with a fast 1st place finish!

As hot as we were, we passed on pizza. All we could muster was some cold suds and laughs, then called it an early night. Great job everyone! See ya in 2 weeks!

Kristy Kreme

Hollywood Circuit Series #2

Man, whodathunk I'd fall for Crits?

When I saw my first Criterium, I swore that I would never, ever do one. They freaked me out! As I got to watching them, I started to think they would be a great learning opportunity, since the 2 things about cycling that scared me more than anything were pack-riding and cornering. So, I tried Northfield....and got lapped. I rode my tail off at Hopkins...and got a top 10 finish! Last week's Hwood Crit was a blast, but I cracked off the back after my solo flyer. At the St. Cloud crit, I did it a little better, taking 6th.....

Come Tuesday night, my body wanted to rest, but I had things to practice and learn and try ..... The temps were through the roof and the air was thick. Riding, though, was slick! The course had a crazy hairpin that Jay was running me through to teach me it correctly. There are a couple new faces on the scene, and I had a lot of fun trying to feel out the field for the first couple laps. I was having a blast cranking out some sprints when the field would sit up. It's not like I was dying to win - I just wanted to practice out there and figure some things out. What better time than a midweek race, eh? One sprint just so happened to pop a couple gals of the back, finally breaking up the field. After 3 days of racing, my body could barely recover and I dropped from the leader group. Pritz-tastic flatted on some rubble, disrupting her chase, too. I ended up TT'ing it 100yds behind the 3 leaders all the way to the finish, never losing place, but also never catching up. It was a hard race but so much fun! The 4th place finish was pretty amazing, too!

As for Jay, he rode Fabulously! Jay took 4th in the Master's 35+, riding like a new man. The heat, however, kept him out of the 1/2's race, but that worked out just perfectly in the end....we got to get home early! The rest of the Silver Cyclist's came out in style as well - Matt Muyers took 3rd in the 35+ race after a strong charge to the finish. I'd throw out a shout-out for the rest of the team, but I'm terrible at remembering times and they're just not posted yet. If you want to check 'em out for yourself, go to www.mcf.net.

Rockin' and ridin'
Kristy Kreme

St. Cloud Stage Race

This weekend was the St. Cloud Stage Race. Timmer, Hwood, and I met early Saturday morning and loaded up Timmer's super truck w/ 5 bikes, 15 kits, 5 helmets, a couple of sodas and beers, and a pan of spaghetti pie. This was my first Stage Race ever and I was so excited.
The weekend started out with a 47.5 mile road race in Albany, MN. Although the Women's Cat 4 was a separate field from the W Cat 1/2/3's, we all had the same start time and distance. The field rode together for quite sometime, with only a few girls dropping off the back here and there. I felt great – actually keeping with the field for the 1st time in a road race (not counting Spam Jam). Before this, my best finish was 24th I think. The heat was intense, and I was doing everything to preserve what water I had. With 13 miles to go, I was riding with the group….and finished my last drop of water. There was no support on the course for me at all, so I knew the fight was about to settle in. I got dropped on the climb, only to catch on miles down the road, and with just enough time to recover for the finish. With 800m to go, and a wide open shoulder, I sprinted up the right-turn hill to the finish, forcing the rest of the field out of their saddles, and crossing the line in 3rd place! I've never even taken top 10 with these ladies before. Yowza, it was the most amazing feeling!

Hwood, Timmer, and Tone had a great road race too! Jay took 11th in the race, with Tone close along in 10th, and Timmer finished great in 4th place. After we all finished, Jay, Timmer, Tone and I headed to a local park for some R&R. We got a lot of relaxing in, but little warm up - getting back to the action just in time for me to suit up and hit the bricks for my TT. After 4 hours of rest, the TT was PAINFUL! 5 miles into the wind, with 3 hills in the first 3 miles. My legs screamed out in agony, causing me to go so much slower than I had hoped. At mile 3, the road started to angle down, and the legs finally quit their b1t(#in', allowing me to finally get up to speed but with only 2 miles to make up time. I ended up finishing 8th with a time of 14:48.4. Julia Mairs kicked but, taking 1st in the W4's 1:30 faster than me! Cam Schmitz, only weeks back on the bike after an unfortunate accident, destroyed the TT, taking 1st in the W1/2/3 in 12:33, 23 seconds faster than my fav. Silver lady Linda Sone. Doug Swanson won the Men's 1/2 TT, with Timmer close behind in second. Timmer made up big points on Marcotte, with Jay and Tone knocking him down coming in fast and furious in 13th & 14th respectively.

After the last of the races for the day, we loaded up and headed to our room, scored solely by Jay-time alone as we lined up for the TT start. A little bit of take out and some Tour de France on the tele was all we needed to rest up for Sunday. Jimmer and Jordan even crashed our party for a bit, coaxing us into a quick late nite dip in the hot tub. (I think Jimmer has some crazy footage of a really bad chicken fight he was threatening to post).

On Sunday, we got up for the Criteriums. Mine was first thing in the morning and I was ready. My mom and lil bro came down for the fun, too, which was such a treat. With all of Saturday's rding under me, my legs were warmed up and ready to play. I rode hard and was having a blast riding with some great gals I've gotten to know over the season - [Strats, Julia, and Sarah P...You gals rock! Thanks for such a great time and so much I've learned! I look forward to the next time I get to ride with you!] As for the race, I was cornering great! I even tried attacking and leading a lap for practice. It was so much fun and Jay was coaching and cheering the entire time. Come the last lap, I was sitting well in 4th, but got pinched off at the last turn and my finishing sprint couldn't save me....keeping my position, I finished in 6th of 12 ladies, and 5th in the overall GC. Julia took 2nd and Strats nailed down 6th in the W4 GC. As for the W1/2/3 ladies, Linda Sone finished in 4th overall, and Cam Schmitz took the win!

Crit-tastic!

Me off the front

Hangin' with Ma after the race

As for the men, the crit was fast and crazy as usual. I can only hope to corner and race like them someday. It was scorchin' out and the field was hungry. Jay ran out of juice, and gu, with 15 laps to go and had to pull out. Timmer was riding great, as usual, and fought the drones of GrandStay riders all the way to the finish. At the end of it, he came in around 7th, but had enough speed to take 2nd place overall! Jay worked hard to help out Timmer, finishing 15th in the GC, with Tone taking 14th. In the 50+, Dave Herbert and Dave Pramann of Silver Cycling rode great as well, with Dave H taking 2nd and Dave P taking 3rd in the GC. Jordan "I wish I was Silver" Cullen rode great all weekend, taking 2nd in the Juniors. Jimmer was also on fire, fresh from some great European riding, taking 3rd overall in the 35+.

It was an amazing weekend, start to finish! Thanks for putting on such a great series, guys! See ya next year. As for you...check out the boys crit'in it up!

Super Timmer

Jay is a pro at cornering!

Hollywood!

Hollywood Circuit Race Series : #1

Tuesday night was the first of 3 races in the Hollywood Circuit Race Series at the Dakota Technical College in Rosemount, MN. The night was hot and muggy but the riders came out by the car load to race.

The Women's Open race starts early - 5:30 - and we got there just in time for a quick warm up and a couple coaching laps before the start. My goal in crit racing is learning to corner better so the twisty semi-truck course was the perfect learning tool. There were 8 of us at the start, and Jay rode behind us coaching the whole way.

The race was fast and I learned to corner out there quick, taking the turns hotter than ever before. There were a couple sprints that try to get off a couple times, but not without the field noticing. With 3 laps to go, the entire field sat up, sipping water, and started to look around. Jay was whispering in my ear about how "if they do this next lap, you should go off the front"....then he had a change of heart and urged me to go.....and I did! I tore off the front without a second thought, cranking my legs through the shicaines as hard as I could muster. I got a huge lead and held it for an entire lap before I had to recover. They caught on and, just like the pros, Linda Sone counter attacked! The field was tired and tried desparately to keep on. I had completely blown my load and got dropped, angry as heck that I had so little left and so far to go. Jay kept on me to snap out of it (he was right - I worked my tail off doing something I had never attempted to do before, and I rocked the hell out of it!)

I finally got over it, TT'ing my way up to Sarah. We rode side by side for the last lap, both of us off the back, setting up for a fair finishing sprint. I took a great line, tight on the inside corner on the final turn. Sarah jumped me, but I answered with some crazy hockey-power on the FSA's and tore away, taking 6th place overall. Linda kept on her game, and won it for the team! Bleed Silver! It wasn't until the end that I saw my Hollywood Flyer wasn't all in vein...it helped the team get the win. Being the domestique was so much fun!!!

Thanks babe for absolutely everything you do to help me every step of the way! I wouldn't be where I am without you : )

XOXO
Kristy Kreme

Hollywood riding with Toyota United: by Jay Hollywood

With all the wild and crazy things that I, Hollywood, get to do...sometimes I forget about the perks of my job. One of the greatest perks: Taking out cyclists for some epic rides, like the time I got to take the Toyota United team for a killer MN ride before the Nature Valley Grand Prix. This is not only a top domestic team, but they got Henk Vogels, a multiple top 10 finisher at Roubaix amongst other Spring Classic finishes. And come by the shop to check out the hot signed jersey by Henk! Werry, Baldwin, and the boyz enjoyed the ride through the River Bottoms and ramped it up for a big win that evening.

Check out Hollywood's rad video of the Toyota United team ride!(click here)

Not only did I get to help out Toyota, but Tilford needed the Hollywood touch as well, when I built up his TT bike in the parking lot. And, later, rebuilt his complete road bike for that evening! Steve was stellar, showing his appreciation with an autographed World Champ Jersey!

Hollywood and Toyota United


Jay celebrating with Siberian Champ Ivan Stevic, winner of the St. Paul Nature Valley Crit

Party On!

Hollywood

Hamel Time Trial

Sunday, sore bum and all, was the Hamel TT. The drain was wide open in the big parking lot, so Jay and I took up some property in the shade with Timmer. The weather was nice and cool, making it just perfect for the limited issue Black n White Hollywood skin suit.
The course was more hilly than I anticipated, putting my efforts to the test climb after climb. The button didn’t pop for 6 miles or so, and I as pretty sure I was well behind my goal time of 40 minutes. With 3 miles to go, I felt full-throttle. The beast unleashed and I was charging to the finish, big-gearin' it over every climb. 1km to go, I saw Jay turn around in the distance to ride and cheer me on. He was so great, filling me with encouragement as I revved up for a finishing sprint. I cranked those sweet FSA's up to a 27mph finish, crossing the line with mouth hanging open and every last fiber in my legs on fire.

It felt great! I rode so hard. Jay and I spun out with Russ and a handful of Silver Cyclists. With the adrenaline depleted, the tenderness in my tush took over and fatigue started to set in. We got back to camp just as it was becoming unbearable and just in time for awards. Timmer was flying again, eating up the field, with more than a minute between himself and second place.

macho macho man....Timmer wants to be a macho man!

Dan's performance was a little soggy....Don't worry Dan, it happens to lots of men

Jay was also cooking, coming in just over 30 minutes. Me, I blew away that 40 minute goal, finishing in 37:04!!! I ended up 11th of 19 in the Women's Cat 4 - slowly climbing the rungs and learning more and more each time out. I even beat Jordan - maybe the extra 15 years of fat stores works to my advantage in those last 6 miles. hehehe Jordan thinks it doesn't count since it wasn't the Dog, but I'm sure as heck gonna revel in it! Nice job though, Jordan! Taking 1st in the Juniors is a great accomplishment! And it was super awesome to see Cam back on the bike, taking first overall! Welcome back, girl!


Way to go, racers!
K-wood

Was it a "Domestic" or just my "Domestique"?

So, is it considered 'domestic abuse' if your super wonderful, fun loving, handsome fiancee crashes you out on your sexy road bike and makes you cry? You be the judge.

Saturday, Jay and I got up early and tried to catch the finish of the LifeTime triathlon. Unfortunately, we got there a little late and they were already giving out awards. Jay and I stuck around for a bit, hangin with the crowd, until our empty bellies got the best of us and we followed TK out, headed for the Birchwood and some tasty breakfast. The food was great, and it was fun to see Tracy's place for the first time! Yum!

After the meal, Jay and I headed to NordEast to Timmer and Angie's house. Half way there, as we just tooled around finding our own way there, Jay cut right while looking back and talking with me. Me, I was close on his wheel and far from my brakes.... we both steered to try to avoid the crash but I hit his rear wheel and went down. The bike went right, my left leg unclipped and I did the splits for the first time ever....only to land full force on my left SITS bone. So, there I was - on all fours in the middle of the road, wind knocked out of me, in enough pain that I started gagging, and trying desparately to get out of traffic and Jay corraled me onto the curb. Kneeling on the edge of the road, I broke down, lip-quivering pout, fighting the tears with every last bit of strength I had. It didn't work. I cried and Jay was so sweet to comfort me. Sure, some of it was probably just fear, but my arse still hurts!

We picked the gravel out of my hand and wiped off my knees, back on course to Timmer's. Luckily they had some pain killers so I could make it back home again. It hurt so much being on that saddle, that we pretty much took a straight line home. Timmer joined us to get his own ride started. We got home in no time at all and I was layin' out on the couch within minutes. Timmer continued to ride the Tour de Timmer without us, but hopefully will take us along once I can sit in one place that long again. ;OP

Sure, Jay didn't yell out "Derby!" so that probably means it was an accident. Either way, he was super gentle about it and took such great care of me that I had to forgive him.

Yes, I still love the bully.....
Kristy Kreme

Birthday Black Dog

Last night was another memorable night at the Dog. (Seriously, if you're not coming down for it yet, you are missing out on some rad times). Jordan the Super Kid's 12th Birthday!!!
The weather was perfect and the spirits were high. Jimmer missed out big! Not only did we get to party w/ the lovely Mrs. Karla, but we got to eat ice cream cake in the parking lot! And before pizza none the less. Don't worry Jimmer, Jordan wouldn't let us load him up with treats before the race.

Aside from the Bday fun, the racing was great! It was super windy, blowin' riders silly near the factory. One rider even ate gravel at the turn around. Me, I was on fire! I was diggin' so hard I didn't know what to do with myself. Sure, it was a struggle to fight through the wind but my legs felt powerful. I didn't have much for a finishing sprint in the end, but I was pretty certain I got under 19 minutes for the first time. Jay was convinced I was sub 18:50, I was sure there was no way.

We returned to the lot to order up the D-grease and hang out. We had a blast, razzin' Jordan about the big Bday, grubbin', and sharing laughs. When the results were posted, there were some huge smiles around the melted ice cream cake.....Timmer cut 5 seconds off his PR, anhiliating the field in 14:06! Jordan swung by with a smirk to tell me I didn't beat him yet again...surprise, surprise, right? NO - This was different.....We TIED! We tied with a super fast 18:43!!! AMAZING! That's 29 seconds off my time from 2 weeks ago! Yowza just doesn't cut it.....that was friggin' fantastic!

Lovin' my cyclin'
Kristy Kreme

Hopkins Crit

So, writing this blog of "Kristy Kreme Adventures", I feel it's my duty to keep the stream of stories coming. There are times, though, that the adventures are so close together that the river backs up and a flood of folk-lore comes raging out in one second.

Sunday was the Hopkins Crit. I've been in only 1 real crit before this and 1 circuit race. My whole goal today was to learn to corner better, and hang onto the field as long as I can. The temps were well above ninety and hot, hot, hot! I broke a sweat pretty much instantly once I'd suited up in my sweet Silver kit. I was feeling good though - moderately calm, mellow innards, anxiety low...I rolled up to the start w/ the other 14 ladies in the Cat 4 race. When the whistle blew, I rode out with the field, keeping pace and not letting my adrenaline run the show.

I was feeling so good that I hung on easily....and I kept on! Corner after corner, I kept with the field and cornered pretty well. I know I still need to work on my corners and hold my line, but in this one, I was riding hard and doing great. Turn for turn I could here Jay shouting out cheers and pointers and encouragement....I love that about him! Coming into the closing laps, I moved into 4th place. I held onto it for a lap, only to lose it due to a bad line on corner 3. The speed kept revving up, going into the final lap at 24mph and getting faster.

There was a large finish group that came in sprinting, and I was part of it! I ended up finishing 9th! First single-digit finish w/ more than 10 riders! Man, it felt so amazing to have things work during the race, hear my teammates cheering around the course, have my Sweetheart cheering me on for the whole race,....and then to have it come together for a great finish! Yowza! I loved it!

As Jay prepped for his race, the heat gave way to a cold breeze, weather threatening with storms to come. The men started fast and hard, with a prime on lap One. As the first lap finished, the sky began to light up with electricity, and the thunder clapped loud in our ears. Jay tore off the front with another rider and the smell of rain in his nose. They were far off the front coming into Turn 4, and Jay sprinted to the line hard. As he crossed the line in the lead, the officials called the race - storm delay. Racers and spectators alike dashed for doorways and open cars when the rain opened up fast and furious. We huddled beneath any over-hang as we watched the rain give way to hard winds and hail! Half an hour later, as we were wet and still in our doorway, the officials had to cancel the race. Jay's the big winner! 2007 Men's Hopkins Crit Champ, Hollywood Henderson! Way to go babe!

Damn internet...won't let me give this entry a title! But, if it did, I would call it something snappy about the 4th of July. Maybe "en fuego 4th" or "fun and fireworks", or straight to the point "July 4th Adventures"

Jay and I went down to Northfield on Wed. for the 4th of July Criterium. This was only my second criterium, but I rode great. I led out the first lap, probably against Jay's advice, but I got to go through every turn w/o anyone next to me for my first official time through, and I found it quite comfortable. The course had a 2 block climb that wound up being my concrete nemesis. I was doing a stellar job on the corners and rocked the straightaway, but the climb caused me to loose places time and time again. On a personal level, I rocked! I rode hard and fast and felt great. And Jay got some rad pics to prove it.

I ended up finishing 14th of 20 finishers (22 total). Not the greatest but I finished above a couple gals w/ more experience, and definitely not DFL.

Jay, as I predicted, rode amazingly! Sure, he's probably taking longer to come around than he wanted to this year, but it's still fabulous to watch. Hollywood rode the 1/2/3 with a goal to finish 7 or 8 of the 30 or 40 laps.....man was he happy when he not only finished, but rocked some great laps while doing it. With 3 laps to go, Jay took over as Timmer's lead-out, with almost too fast of a pace. He rode it to the limit, then moved aside for the next rider to take over. Jay finished hard, and help Timmer get a sweet second place! Silver Cycling was out in force at the Crit, representing and riding well. Dan from Peace Coffee also did an amazing job, finishing 10th and leading a great lap. Way to go, Racers!

As for the rest of the afternoon, Angie, Leslie, and I roamed around the festivities eating corn dogs (with dog drool) and ice cream cones in the hot summer sun.

Atlas was always trying to snag our vittles

Later that evening, Hwood and I hit home for a quick shower before heading to Terri & Randy's place for some grub and fireworks. We took the pedal bikes out to make sure we could get in and out fast during the explosive show. Small world as it is, Jay was pretty thrown when one of his college dorm mates, Tim, was sitting around the fire pit when we got there. Hadn't seen each other since the 60's! (hehee...old man joke for my very handsome man!)

We headed out as a towny biker gang, pointed towards the Stone Arch Bridge and taking over the streets and the Mall as we pedaled along. The fireworks were great, and almost as fun as the ice cream man that Randy pounced on for a cold treat. I think the pour man was there for hours, as the mob of whining kids spotted him with Randy. We snuck out of the crowd quickly to get away from traffic and get home. Stopped on the way to light off some fireworks in a park - I'm pretty sure Randy's got a bald spot on the one side of his head now.
Of course, it was another fun night in LaLa Land!

Partyin' on,
Kristy Kreme

Take that Firecracker and.....

Sunday was the WORS Firecracker Mtn Bike race in Eau Claire, WI. The citizens race was pretty early to follow such a late night, so Jay put a suspension fork on the Baloney Pony for me to race Sport. Still high from Spam Jam, I was ready willing and able to take on the unknown....what was I thinking?

Not only did the MC screw up the order, by calling up "all singlespeeders", he made Jay chase me down and stop me in my tracks. So, adreneline gushing through my rookie viens, I had to pull over the Pony and wait for the ladies to come by. Supposedly he only meant male singlespeeders. Whatev.

I waited for the women to come by and merged into the field. I was one of 4 single speeders in the group, but kept pace well. To quickly summarize, the WORS chix were Beotches like none I've ever seen. I know I was out of my league, but I didn't need the constant shouting and insults - that's not what it's about. At one point I finally got so sick of the Beotches behind me that I just pulled over and let the entire field go by me. With 14 miles to go, and I was solo. I've been razzed enough by a few people for racing Citizen (even though I am a total beginner) and this race turned out to be reason enough not to do Sport again, maybe ever. Not only were the chicks being WORS whores about me "not being fast enough" but the course was so far above my ability level. Sure, I can endure 18 miles on a SS, but I'll be the first to admit that my handling skills are nowhere near where people somehow think I am.

Needless to say, I fell a lot and I learned to ride with tears in my eyes. However, I did get better at going over logs. Being a Single Speeder, too, I wound up with a 4th place medal in the end. Nothing like standing on the podeum for last place. Don't get me wrong, I love the Pony, I completely get a rush out of mountain biking, but this one just wasn't for me. Maybe next time people will actually listen, and realize that I have no reason to brag about NOT being a Sport racer.

Jay, on the other hand, was rockin and rolling. He rolled out the super-Rita to take on the Comp Single Speed crowd. He was riding amazing! My sweet, rockin, WC finished 3rd place in his race! (there were much more than 4 riders in his class, so that was definitely a great finish). I am so proud of him! Way to go, Champ!

Sausage Fest

Saturday night, Timmer, Hwood and I grabbed the towny bikes and headed to B.Rose and the Mrs's house for Sausage Fest 07! Not only did B.Rose stuff, smoke, and cook some homemade sausage, but he finished them off by boiling them in beer and serving 'em up to his buds with some cold keg beer and a good time. The whole gang was there - Ztox was workin' his magic on a fuschia fox, Hurl and Kelly Mac were there, along with Trevor, Bodie, John & Kate, B-Rad and Marna, and so many more. Sure, the kegs were tapped and B-Rad B-arfed, but the sausages were tasty and the laughs were plenty. Thanks for havin' us kids, it was a fabulous time!!!

B-rad didn't feel so rad

Yum....sausage....

Sorry Ladies, this one's spoken for!

Ridin' in style,

Kristy Kreme

Spam-Tastic......Spam Jam 2007

Yesterday was Spam Jam 2007 in Austin, MN, a citizen rode race in Hormel country. Jay and I rode out of town early to meet the rest of the Silver crew in Lakeville. This race wasn't on the MCF calendar, but definitely one of Silver Cycling's favorite races that they've won time and time again. This year's returning champ was none other than the Silver Fox himself, Steve Knowlton.

The temps were warm and the sky was clear, as it always is on the last Saturday in June (ask me sometime, I know this, Man!). More than 12 riders came out to don the Black n White at this race. Spam Jam was great, one mass start for all of the age classes, men and women alike. I worked my way up to the start in an attempt to grab on to the rest of the Black n White and pull away from the pack early. I myself wore my favorite Silver Cycling kit, and have never felt so much a part of a team. The start was fast, holding on at 28 mph for the first mile. I thought the guys had leveled out a bit, but rev'd it up to 32 mph before I dropped off the back. Their chase group came up on me, so I jumped on their wheel for a bit, but let them go as I saw we were only 2 miles into our 25 mile ride. I wasn't about ready to completely blow apart, especially as I was already sitting 1st for the women.

I rode solo for another 6 miles or so before a group of 4 guys and one tri-gal came up on me. They were pushing a good 24 mph, so I hopped on the back and kept on. They kept the pace going for more than 10 miles and rode hard and smart with them every step of the way. The light was turned on this time - now I could hear the pedal speeds as they increased for a sprint, and was able to react quickly and stay on. I could stick on a wheel and see a rider coast up the line like I had just stepped into the other side of the Matrix. I was feeling great as we watched riders drop off the back, and the 3 remaining of us bridged up to faster groups.

With 10 miles to go, me and the 2 guys I was riding with came up on Jay, riding the course backwards looking for me. We were tearing it up at 24 mph when he cranked it up to grab on. At first I couldn't tell if Hollywood was hurt or spent, but soon enough I caught the sound of his flat tire. He rode on my wheel for a couple miles, encouraging me and cheering me on. It was an amazing treat to have him see me riding so well - I hope he knows I couldn't have done it without him. Riding the flat turned was definitely a struggle, and Jay fell off the back with only 4 miles to go. I ended up dropping the other two and bridged up with some other riders that were working their way up strong. We kept moving, picking up riders and charging up to the next group.

I let the guys ramp it up to the next level and charge in without me. Sure, I want a field sprint so I can seriously throw down, but this was not the day. Here I was, 1st place lady, coming in for my first win....I wanted to throw up my hands. Luckily, I learned how to ride with no hands just weeks ago (literally only weeks ago) while out riding with Jay and Timmer one afternoon. So, as I came to the finish, I sat up proud and tall and threw both hands in the air! Winning my first race! Yowza! It was so nice, how proud Jay was of me.

Silver Cycling as a whole did wonderfully at Spam Jam, taking the top 4 places in the men's division, and me taking 1st in the women's. Joe Hamline won the men's race, Chris Flood had a triumphant return, finishing 2nd, A. Grab took 1st in the "kids" class, followed by medal winners Ted S., Steve "the Silver Fox" Knowlton, Andy Kruse-missile, and C-Ray. Great job, guys!!!

Bleed Silver and party on!

K-wood

TTY Night at the Dog

People came out in drones for TTY night at Black Dog. Jay and I even skipped out of the shop early but still wound up with numbers in the 80's. This was to be yet another night of the Jordan-Ray-Kristy match up, and my first Dog with the new crank set.

Jay rode great that night, finishing in 15:36 in the Men's 35+. He may have had a late start to the year, but he's definitely coming around. I definitely believe that he'll own CX season at the least. Along with Jay, a great number of Silver Cyclist came out strong that night. Brian Abery won the Masters 50+ in 14:51 with David Herbert in a close third at 15:31. Steve Knowlton and Ron Gallas were close behind in 6th and 7th. Matt Stein (Men 35+) finished third in 15:12, Linda Sone rode an even 17 minutes to take 4th in the Women's Open, and Julie Mc got 2nd in the Women's 35+ with 17:37. and.....who owned the Dog that night???

Was it a bird? Or a plane? Nope......Timmer "my biological father is really Flash Gordon" Mulrooney destroyed the Men's Open field with a hot 14:16! Way to go!

As for the rivalry, Ray's new super bars shot him forward to a slick 19:07, shaving more than a minute off his time. And Jordan? Well, he's almost untouchable at 18:14. Somehow he happened to sneak out of the Doping Tent before he had to donate. The jury is still out on that one.

As for me, I got my PR, finishing 2nd at 19:12, one whole second off my time from 2 weeks ago. I honestly wasn't super excited about how I rode, but I'm still proud of myself. Again, all three of us got new Personal Records - I think this rivalry is good for us. I still can't believe they didn't let me win since it was my birthday and all, but oh well. I'll remember that next time, Jordan.
As for the rest of the night, it was fun as usual. The pizza delivery guy has us on his radar, and came quickly w/ arm-loads of pizza. We sat around as the night closed, sharing a bunch of laughs, cold beers, and some hot food.