Hwood/Silver Cycling Wins Team Cup!

That's right - we took the team CX cup this year!!! The Silver peeps came out in groups to put up the points at the final race of the year - including a chunk of the Hellians doubling up to pursue every point they could get.

After taking 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the women's Cat 4's race, Amy, Jacki, and I saddled up for the women's open race just an hour later. It was awesome! And, somehow, the first race was warm-up enough to help me ride this course faster than I did earlier in the day.
Trying to work with one of my fave SHEroes, I was able to seal myself a top 10 finish in my first ever elite women's race! It was sweet! Just a taste of next year, eh?

To keep the fun rolling, I got to watch my awesome hubby KILL IT during the hole-shot challenge!!!

So proud of you babe!!!!

Kristy Kreme

State Cyclocross Championship Weekend

State Championships this year were my best ever! The course was pretty good, but the competition and the race itself will live forever in my mind.

As the first race of the day, the temps hovered around a bone-chilling 30 degrees. As one of the only races I've pre-registered for all year, I found myself getting the third call-up and on the front line at the start of the race. The bummer was the women's/men's/jr's mixed start - causing quite the chaos for the first 1/2 a lap of the race. I did everything in me to get the hole-shot, but had to sacrifice a few spots to keep from getting driven into a pole by some testosterony men.

I battled through the waves of people to take the lead in the women's field by the time we got out of the sand pit and kept hold of it lap after lap. For the first time ever, I was RUNNING up the stair case, rather than suffering up it at a walking pace. When we popped out of the woods, I attacked down the hill onto the dirt path as fast as I could.
With one lap to go, Jeanie Fleck (an uber-strong duathlete that had my number for the last couple weeks) caught me and put 5 seconds on my by the time we got out of the woods. I knew I had to make a move, so I bombed the decent as fast as I could and dropped it into a harder gear to launch one of my greatest attacks ever. In less than 100 yards, I closed the gap and was right there on her wheel, ready to tackle the last 2 barriers and sandpit before the finish.

Neck and neck, we got to the sand and she dismounted and took the inside line... the same line I'd been flying across all day as I rode my bike through the sand. Instinct took me out left and I tried to ride around her....

Sadly, my bike stalled out in a deep section of sand and I had to dismount. By the time my bike was shouldered, she was remounting on the other side and sprinting for the line. Any chance I had sunk in the sand with my wheel, and I slowly crossed the line for 2nd. Jeanie was waiting for me after the finish with arms out wide - we embraced with huge grins that stretched our faces as we reminisced about the preceding race. It was AMAZING!!!

Happiest 2nd place finisher ever,
Kristy Kreme

Northfield CX

Just hours after laying down and taking a midnight 'nap' after the KISS concert, Jay and I were up and out the door at sunrise again for the St. Olaf cyclocross race in Northfield. Like a pouty child, I dragged my feet and wined as we hurried out the door. My legs and feet were still exhausted and swollen from rockin out at the KISS concert in 4" heels all night and I wanted nothing to do with riding my bike or running up the long St. Olaf climb.....

But my hubby still made me go.

And so I grumbled and fussed and wined and pouted....

I did a warm up lap at half pace and broke a sweat with the last of the fluids left in my body. It was not the way you want to start a race.... but I toed the line anyway. When the whistle blew, Desta, Zoe, and I pulled the pack down the start stretch. Desta pulled out in front and I filed in line to make our way through the first of the obstacles. Unfortunately, the first 180 was sloppy and she went down and, at the pace we were haulin, a number of us rode into the back of her. Luckily, we all got up and got on our way. Zoe had pulled out ahead at that time, but Points took her place in chase mode, heading for the first log and grinder climb.

I got back on the lead ladies by the base of the hill, and pulled solidly into 2nd by the time we reached the top, grinding in my lowest gear and forcing every last pound into my pedals. The decent was gnarly and we flew down it and back onto the open field as my husband's cheers and screams filled my ears. For some reason, the exhaustion seemed to have disappeared as we flew over the barriers and across the field.

I rode to my limit lap after lap, trying to stay with Zoe as she led the way. Half way through the race, Zoe missed the remount after the creek and I was able to get away. Each turn after that, I pulled out of every turn and obstacle, dancing on my pedals and trying desperately to grow a gap on Zoe and the rest of the field. By the final lap, I had a good lead and focused on riding safe and smart. As I darted down the final stretch, I knew I was all alone so I took a moment to steady Sassy Frassy and threw both hands up in victory!!!!
It was only my 2nd all out ladies win and the first time I've ever been able to get both hands up in the air on a cross bike (I'm clutzy). I'm still soaring!!!!
The Hellians all did great - aside from Desta's unfortunate ankle sprain that later required surgery (heal up chica!). I've never been on such an awesome team with such wonderful gals (and guys for that matter). BLEED SILVER!!

Lovin' the cyclin' life,
Kristy Kreme

Alive 35

What do you get when you combine face paint, platform shoes, guitars, and explosions?? No, it's not a Friday night with Hwood.....but it's still a pretty freakin' good time!

Hwood and I joined Teri, Randy, and the crue to catch KISS's most recent stop in Minneapolis. Thanks to Randy's bud Chuck, we got hooked up with some wicked close band seats... eight rows from Tommy Thayer's side and close enough to sweat each time the pillars of flames shot up from the stage! The seats were so good, Brian Setzer (Stray Cats, Brian Setzer Orchestra) was just a few seats away!Being it was my first KISS show ever, I was a little hesitant, wondering if the guys still had it in them to melt my face off.... Consider this gal's face fully melted. We were so close to the action, I had to tear my face away from the stage to look over the sold out crowd. Rows of singing fans stretched out as far as the eye could see.Even after the 2 bike races each of us did earlier that day, Hwood and I danced and sang along to every verse. Fists pumped in the air to the beat as heads threw back in excitement. To add to the spoils, our group had 2 all-access passes to share and Jay and I made our way to the stage. The security crew parted as we descended from our seats, lighting the way for us to join the fun up front..... just in time for "Rock n' Roll All Night".

As we bellied up to the partition, the road crew loaded cannons with buckets of confetti that showered down on us like welcome snow. We sang at the top of our lungs as they tossed handfuls of it into our faces. I've never rocked out so hard at a show in my life - it was amazing and everything I'd ever hoped for.

Officially rocked, we all returned to Teri & Randy's for some snacks and brews to finish out the night. By the time my head hit the pillow, exhaustion had taken over and I had nothing left in me to fight off sleep. I fell asleep instantly, with the distant echoes of KISS songs bouncing around inside my head.

Rocked,
Kristy Kreme