Great Escape and Single Speed State Championships

Saturday was the Great Escape Mtn bike race and the Single Speed State Championships in St. Cloud. Jay, the Chucker, and I headed up early so Jay and I could take the SS's out and play in the dirt!

Custom MUSS

Short n Sweet - the race was hell for the first lap. I got into the single track in the top 50% of the mixed Single Speeders, creating the perfect atmosphere for crabby boys following me down the trail. The track was tight, and I wound up getting crashed out 4 times by some uber aggressive boys. Once the boys, the ornery geared ladies, and the clydesdales blew by this citizen single speeder (in a sport race), the course was finally fun. Twists and turns undulated beneath a blanket of fall leaves. I think I was the only one who noticed the pink leaves that covered the ground in the 3rd or 4th section of the course, and that's no prob with me. It reminds me that I'm out there to have fun.

I rode my best pace for the entirety of the race and it paid off - I finished 2nd in the State Championships - taking home a sweet granite trophy with a 40-tooth chain ring wedged in the top!Thanks for the pic, Ray!

Jay rocked a sweet 2nd place in the men's race, completely on top of his game! Kaveh, the Killer, Rahimi finished not far behind in 11th!

Hollywood/Silver Cycling as a whole rode amazingly!

Top Comp Finishers:
Jake Richards - 3rd (Juniors 12-19)
Tim "Chucker" Norrie - 2nd (Men 30-39)

Top Expert Finishers:
Sam Oftedahl - 3rd (19-34)
Eric Oftedahl - 7th (19-34)
Matt Muyers - 2nd (35+)
Hollywood Henderson - 8th (35+)

Cheq 2007

True to our style, Hwood and I hit the road with Timmer, Fat Tire bound. Jay was the perfect host to ferry TImmer and I into our first attempt at Chequamegon madness - Timmer doing the full 40, and me single speed'n it in the Short & Fat.

We left town early on Friday morning, crank'n the ipod and jammin' the whole way. Once I find Jay's camera, I'll U-Tube our homage to Wayne's World.....

Jay and Timmer hit the trail off OO, and I b-lined it to Telemark for a quick nap while they rode. The temps were in the low 50's at best, so I cuddled up and crashed out in the back seat until the Dan Swanson and Dan's brother (that's for you Vegas) showed up and started makin' noise. When J & T returned, we headed to the local pub to warm up and fill our bellies. Once done, we headed back to Telemark - Jay and I did an out n' back of the Ojibwe trail. Crankin' down the trail, we startled a small black bear, walking out onto the trail! I won't lie - it scared me quite a bit, but we finished our ride w/o incident.

The next day we were all amped to ride. The temps were down in the low 30's and my body just didn't want to move. I got a really good start position, but the 3 mile roll out caused me to lose position huge, redlining on the single speed as the big gears powered down the hill. One thing I've learned to love about the single speed - beatin' them all up the hills. No granny gearin' it for me. The pony and I had a blast, reaching a new level of understanding with each other, cruising loosely down the bumpy downhills and flying up climb after climb.
I finished in 1:19.59 - 20 minutes faster than my goal time, earning me 2nd place in the Women's Single Speed category!!!

Timmer didn't have such a great finish - DNF'ing after a pair of guys crashed in front of him in Rosey's field, taking him out and banging him up pretty bad. I still giggle at the thought of Jay shouting "I broke Timmer" after the race.

Jay rode an amazing race as well, taking 63rd, and finishing in 2:24. I was so proud of him, especially since we've barely ridden off road all year. Sam & Eric Oftedahl and Jake Richards all rode great as well.
All in all, it was a fabulous time! Thanks to the amazing Praman's for putting us up for the night - Mary & Dave - You're the best : )

Ridin' into the fall,
Kristy Kreme

Calling all Javelin Riders....

Yep, it's that time again....Interbike, Las Vegas!!! That's right - one whole week of desert, sun, Elvis, bright lites and bikes. You can bet it all that 612 will be strongly represented in Sin City!

While we're there, we plan on giving Javelin a huge thanks for all the bikes that have been coming out of Hollywood Cycles! Since Jay's their only MN dealer, we're gathering up some sweet shots of local people and their Jav's. They can be race shots....

Fun Shots....Whatever the pic, let me know! Bike love!

Kristy Kreme

Henderson TT....T

Today marked the end of my first year of racing. Last fall, 2 weeks after buying my first real bike I jumped into the Henderson TT. Pre-race meal: milk dud's and coffee, time: 52:03. This year, Jay and I attacked it as a team in the Mixed Gender category....talk about a change in life.

The weather was beautiful; fog fighting to burn off in the sunlight, temps cool on the skin, sky clear...we couldn't have asked for better. Jay and I were driving hard. He pulled for the whole race, since his mid-speed was equivalent to me red-lining in his draft. We were hauling faster than I've ever gone in a TT and making great time. At the turn around, my rear wheel slid out from under me and I high-sided, bouncing onto the road and into a field. Luckily, I was so charged with adrenaline during the race that I instinctively hopped back onto the bike and into the race. For the next 1/2 mile I fought off a throat full of tears, feeling so bad for crashing the fab HED bike. Jay was an amazing teammate, encouraging me left and right as I fought through the pain and exhaustion. Jay and I were aimed at doing the 15 mile TT in under 40 minutes, so we never let up off the gas. We blew ourselves away when we crossed the finish in 37:41.8, with a crash n all!

Sure, it wasn't until 10 minutes or so after the race that the pain really started to kick in, noticing the blood on my knee and elbow. Luckily, I went down on the turn around - at least that way I was going slow and the injuries were definitely minimal.

Jay and I had so much fun. Hopefully the couple that TT's together, stays together, right? Yeah, he's amazing at encouraging me and kept me from doubting myself. What can I say, I am the luckiest woman in the world!

TT'ing in love,
Kristy Kreme

Dakota 5-Oh!

Since I've obviously strayed from writing the last couple weeks, I must've been busy, right?? Well, on top of finishing the TT/Road race season, still settling into my new role at work, and trying to have a social life, I got a monster tooth ache. It was pretty quick, getting into the Dentist, only to find out that I needed a Root Canal...ASAP....and just before my 4 day Labor Day vacation in the Black Hills none the less. Needless to say, I didn't really feel like writing much while I was all hopped up on pain killers.

24 hours after a surprisingly easy RC, Jay and I rolled out to One on One to meet up with the rest of the Mpls Mafia for a weekend of Mtn Biking, camping, and partying at the Dakota 5-0 in Spearfish, SD. 14 of us loaded into a pair of passenger vans, ready for the 10hr drive ahead of us. Luckily, enough Vicodin will let you sleep thru the majority of it, so I really didn't notice a thing. We rolled into town late, set up camp in Perry & Kristie's front yard, and started off a fabulous weekend. There had to have been 30-some Mpls peeps in Spearfish last weekend, out for some good rides and good times.

On Saturday, Geno drove us up to the top of the course so we could get a feel for the 27 mile downhill. Not 2 miles in, and I was already off my bike....walking the new Moto Rapido down a gnarly, rock laden downhill for a good 5 or 10 minutes before I even attempted to get back in the saddle.....3 laps at Theodore Wirth didn't really prepare me for this. Jay and I had a great time riding together. The mountains were so beautiful and the trail was amazing. All in all, it was 4 days of wonderful times and memories. Here are some of the hightlights.....

Jay and I stopped near the top for a water break. The view was spectacular!

Trevor in a thrift-store favorite

Burns was the talk of the town, finishing the 50 miler in tight Wranglers and cowboy boots!

Yep, he got the fab mug for Best Dressed!

Jay leading out the Kids' races

Yep, still madly in love!

We rode to the whisky bar to cash in some Steak bets from the race.

After a long adventure, we stopped for a group photo.

Our weekend in Spearfish was unforgettable! A huge thanks to Perry & Kristie for setting up the race, but especially for letting us set up Tent City in their front yard. It was a pleasure to meet and spend time with you both, and I can't wait to see you all next year!

Still flyin' high, Kristy Kreme

State Fair Ride

A dozen of us gathered for a late night, mid-week run at the fair. Of course, we ate some bad food, drank some now Full-strength beers, and people watched to our heart's content. Here's the wrap up.....

a Motley Crew indeed

how to use a flat to fix a broken saddle on the way to the fair...

good friends and good times!

and then, of course, what's better than heckling??? How about tormenting this guy!

Fun at the track

To wrap up the year, the last two TTY events were held at the track. Personally, I wanted to do them but the % grade of the Velodrome was completely freaking me out. The women had to do a 500m solo and 3k pursuit, while the men did a solo kilo and a 4K pursuit.

Jay and I got to the track early so I could warm up with little to no riders on the track with me. I rode the blue infield for 4 or 5 laps before Jay convinced me, quite reluctantly, to ride the black line. Before I knew it, it was my turn to race the 500m....I rode way too high on the track, teasing the red line and adding a couple bike lengths to my ride distance, but it blew my fears right out of my skin suit! Sure, I rode out of my aero bars, but I got 3rd of 4 women with a 51.5 seconds.

Jay rocked his Kilo in 1:15, even though the track is one of his least favorite things ever. Timmer, as usual, kicked major a$$ and won the Kilo.

Once my 3k came up, I was ready, willing and able, and focused on getting into my aero bars at some point...I had 12 laps to do it. I went out hard, trying to build up significant speed before hitting turn one. By turn three, I was mellowed out and in my groove, pedaling hard after Roller-Derby Bonita on the other side of the track. After 3 or 4 laps, I finally got the nerve to settle into my aero bars and I never looked back. The Slayer and I hammered out on the track that day, passing Bonita twice and taking second in the 3K in 5:02.8. Silver Cyclists in every Cat did great that day - Jay getting a new PR in the 4K in 5:12.5, Timmer winning left n right, Tone was fast n furious, and Russ was turnin' heads, crankin' out some fast times.

Photo by Tom Stuart

I have fallen madly in love with my TT bike...more than I ever thought I would. and sealing my fate as the 2007 Women's Open TTY winner! I couldn't believe it when I left the track that afternoon, that I had defeated yet another fear and had a blast in the mean time!