October 21-22

Bay Area Super Prestige Cyclocross Series #2-Candlestick Point, CA
5th, Erin Kassoy, Elite Women
13th, Andi Mackie, Elite Women
8th, Marion Jamison, Women B
9th, Soni Andreini Poulsen, Women B
12th, Katrina Loera, Women B
15th, Sabine Dukes, Women B
5th, Nicole Bumbaca, Women C
7th, Mary Hoover, Women 35+

Granogue Cyclocross-1, PA
4th, Dee-Dee Winfield, Elite Women
6th, Sarah Kerlin, Elite Women
13th, Anna Milkowski, Elite Women
18th, Stephanie White, Elite Women

Wissahickon Cross Mac Race Series #2, PA
4th, Sarah Kerlin, Elite Women
6th, Dee-Dee Winfield, Elite Women
13th, Melanie Swartz, Elite Women
14th, Anna Milkowski, Elite Women
27th, Stephanie White, Elite Women

Iron Cross Lite and Iron Cross IV

By Dee Dee Winfield

WOW! What a weekend! Where to begin? First we’d like to thank Morgan, Hillary, Alisha, and Nathan for letting us crash at their place. I say crash b/c we certainly didn’t sleep. Our little girl was pretty wound up and all excited about the keetie, keetie, keetie (i.e. their cats) that she kept us up most of the night. Around 1a.m. Buck was holding Cadence trying to settle her in to a nice slumber and she just starts saying “keetie, keetie” over and over again. Well, we were pretty exhausted and I’ll admit a bit frustrated but neither of us could hold back the laughter which
proceeded to gear her back up again. Needless to say she is easily stimulated.

Mel gave a nice race report for Saturday so I will stick to the Sunday details. The Iron Cross is the longest cross race in America and come to find out there was actually a competitor that came all the way from England just for this race.

The race begins with one lap of the Iron Cross Lite cross course and then out to the brutality of the 60 mile course. About 8 miles into it I went to pass someone on some rocky rutted out fire road and wham, all of a sudden I find myself face down in the dirt. I am really not sure what happened but I landed hard on my right knee. It had been a while since I had crashed and I think I had forgotten what that felt like.

So the fun had just begun and it was a tell tale sign that today was going
to be trying to say the least. Shortly after the first check point I realized my rear tire was rubbing. This was nothing new to me, it has happened at this race every year b/c the technical parts knock my wheel out of place due to a long standing problem in my rear drop outs. It not being new though, did not make it any less frustrating. I adjusted the wheel only to have it start rubbing again shortly thereafter.

I rode like this for a while feeling the energy being zapped from my legs and my mind. At Ckpt. 2, I looked back and saw Mandy right on me. I was a bit discouraged after having to stop a few times and readjust the wheel. We rode together for a while and had some crazy downhill adventures which we laughed about afterwards. Then there was the chain. I have a forbidden gear b/c my chain had to be shortened (can we say rigged?) and I chose that gear. UH OH! I thought for sure the race was over at that point but one of my fellow racers by the name of Mike stopped to help me and we were able to fix the problem.

I was able to make up some time on some of the steeper, technical parts for I had many gears and eeked out the win by only: 50 seconds on a 60 mile course. It was a tough day both mentally and physically but the BBQ afterwards was oh so worth it. Many thanks to all the supporters and volunteers out there along with the positive attitudes of all the racers!!!

New Gloucester race report

by Stephanie White

This weekend was the first race of the Verge New England series in New Gloucester, Maine. The courses for both Saturday and Sunday were fast and (mostly) dry, with just one muddy section on either day. Saturday’s course was slightly more interesting, with quite a bit of climbing, an off-camber section, and a longer mud bog. Sunday the course was faster with more road, still a lot of climbing, and a fast, twisty descent in the woods.

On Saturday I got a good start and was in 7th around the first few corners. Anna passed me at this point and I managed to grab her wheel. We sort of worked together for the next few laps, aka I was barely hanging on while she pulled me. I tried in the beginning to help pull, but it was all I could do to hang. At the end of the third lap we caught Mackenzie Dickey and I fell of of Anna and Mackenzie’s wheels. Another woman, Chris Rothfuss, passed me on the last lap and I finished 9th. I was happy with this (UCI points!) but I wish I could hang on for the last 10 minutes of every race.

Sunday was more eventful, but not in a good way. My sister, Libby, did the B women’s race at 11. She was leading when she lost control on a descent, crashed, and hit her head. It was terrifying. She had a concussion and couldn’t remember where she was or what she was doing. She was taken to a hospital with my Mom in an ambulance. My Dad and I stayed behind and I raced, but my heart wasn’t really in it. I knew there was nothing we could do for Libby and sitting in an emergency room waiting would be hell
(especially for my Dad). Libby was fine and we took her home that night, but it was unsettling to say the least.

My race was strained and the start was delayed for the ambulance. The race was cut short, thankfully. I just wanted to get out of there to go check on Libby. I finished 10th (still in points) and when we got to the hospital the timing was perfect (Libby had just been released). Everyone at the race was very supportive. Thanks especially to Cally and Anna, you guys were great. It was a hectic weekend, but everything worked out in the end. Libby won’t race for a few weeks, but her headaches were mild enough that she went to school today.

Bogus Bonsai Downhill Race, Boise, ID

Bogus Bonsai Downhill Race, Boise, ID

By Rebecca Gross

Sunday dawned cold, and with no cross race today, I decided to tackle the Bogus Bonsai downhill race started 16 miles above Boise down to the center of town. Only because I’m slightly nuts, I elected to do the single speed race that included six more miles of not downhill.

A few years back, in the good old college days, I built a single speed bike at the urging or my three guy roommates. What a new world this opened up! Single speeding is one of the purest forms of riding, the bike is light, no gears to complicate things and that little bit of extra pre-thought to keeping momentum for the climbs does wonders for your mountain biking with gears. If you haven’t done so, give it a shot!

So I built an old frame up to ride back east but once I moved to Oklahoma the flat was too much and I couldn’t pedal at all. So I used another frame from a previous year of racing and built up another bike with a more difficult gear. This bike is the one I have now and apparently I forgot it was for flat land riding when I opted to climb up four ski slopes in this supposed downhill race.

Listening to the banter of all the guys at the start line “yeah I’m on this gear, or I though these 29er wheels would be better, or check out this new superlight frame I got!” I started to listen in on the gear part of the conversation beginning to remember what mine was (I don’t pay much attention to technical stuff like numbers!). I began to realize all their bikes had easier gears on them than mine did and began to get that nag of worry.

A break in the chatter opened up and I threw in my two cents “hey I’m on a 32-18.” Silence… They all looked at me like I was nuts and then realized what I was saying (yes women can speak the lingo too!) and their gazes turned into measured awe. “That’s a two to one ratio!” one threw in. “That’s more then any of us have!” said another. I didn’t know what to say, “well it is gonna hurt anyway so I thought I could at least make it look good.” They nodded in agreement and shortly after we were off.

Pretty soon I was not so happily pushing the bike up hills I could only wonder why the rocks were not rolling down; wishing I maybe could at least see the girls in front of me all of which were my age when I was BORN. Six miles of walking later I was cruising with the tail end of the racers with gears going down the hill, forgetting the thorough beating I was receiving by encouraging the other women and trying to offer pointers on handling and cornering.

For the good show I put on running up the hills, most of those people with gears wizzed by later on the down as I hit the other end of the single speed spectrum, not enough gear to pedal and spinning out. I coasted the rest of the way, pedaled when I could and went to give my props to the three women who smoked me down, first and second place women being 50 and 49. The speed that comes with age! Something to look forward to!

So my last minute decision to race the single speed race proved fun, earned me A LOT of respect with the local guys, and reemphasized the ever present lesson that pre-riding is so important in deciding factor how to race a race or what equipment to use. Most importantly though it got me further involved into the local cycling community when I am still feeling out, letting me meet more people and letting no one forget who I am: the Velo Bella chick in the pink and purple who rode a gear harder than all the boys!

Rebecca

Cross Racing in Idaho. I love Goat Heads…

A Weekend of Wild Cross Racing in Boise!

By Rebecca Gross

There are plenty of things present on this earth which might serve some beneficial purpose, but really would benefit us more if they were not around. Take mosquitoes for example: sure bats and spiders need to eat, and West Nile and malaria need some way to get around, but truly the world would be a better place without them. Goat Head thorns are another one. I had my first experience with the goat head when I moved to Oklahoma and rode a century race down in Texas giving me more flats then I care to remember. I have no one to blame but myself since in my mountain biking mind the grass is as fair game for riding on as is the road surface.

Cross bikes, as we well know do it all. You can go out fast on the road and dive onto a trail; you can run them over obstacles or jump into a passing group ride. They are the jack of all trades and you can’t go wrong. UNLESS you live in Idaho (just relocated, again) where the goat heads are as big as I am. I’ve tried it all, rim strips, slime stuff, extra tubes inside my tires, liners, searching for thorns till I can’t feel my hands, you name it I’ve done it.

My first cross race in Idaho began well. I liked the course and was feeling good. The weather was perfect and the leaves were piled up on the grass like an east coast fall. There were a lot fewer barricades then my previous cross races and a lot more terrain variety; fun stuff! Not having a spare set of wheels, I piled my spare tubes and tire levers next to my car and hoped for the best.

The three girls racing in the women’s division went off with the boys; all the more fun because no matter where I am in the girl’s race I can chase down those poor unsuspecting guys. We went out and I was comfortably in second, Stacy, in front of me is a really strong cross country racer and I wanted to see what damage I could do. The grassy corners were on some pretty nice little hills and I was hanging pretty well till I slipped out and took way too much time trying to untangle myself from the bike.

Finally dislodged and where I could get back on my bike, Stacy had already gained quite a bit on me. I was determined to get back in the game though and I was enjoying the challenge of trying to go fast. So much of the race was cornering, balancing, and avoiding the things I didn’t want to hit or sink into, but the places I actually could open up felt great! I was feeling it, really truly having fun. Even on the hop up out of the sandy beach I kept nailing so hard my rear wheel would come up instead of jumping over like I was trying to do, I had to a laugh.

I came through the start finish, just three laps to go and there it was: flat number one. I rode it through till I came up to my car and jumped off to speed change it through the layer of mud. The rest of the boys and girl I had worked so hard to pursue flew by. But all the more fun right? Then I get to chase them down again!

So two laps to go and second place was seconds in front of me. I was well on my way to administer a thorough butt whipping on the last lap when she disappeared. I wondered if I had misheard and was riding an extra lap. Well, as Alex would say it would be good training regardless so I gunned it out, it was good to put on the show anyway.

I blew through the finish, a bit confused but feeling good about my race, and sure enough, they had told her to stop since she had been lapped. It would have been fun to have to work to catch her and see if I could have accomplished it but regardless, I had a ton of fun. I loaded up the car and upon arriving home, grabbed the bike to bring into the house… There they were: two more flats! I’m averaging a ten pack of tubes a week. Thank god for mail order discounts.

Sunday’s racing was even more fun, but that is another story…

Rebecca

Dee Dee’s Wild and Wooly Iron Cross Win!

Iron Cross Lite and Iron Cross IV

WOW! What a weekend! Where to begin? First we’d like to thank Morgan, Hillary, Alisha, and Nathan for letting us crash at their place. I say crash b/c we certainly didn’t sleep. Our little girl was pretty wound up and all excited about the keetie, keetie, keetie (i.e. their cats) that she kept us up most of the night. Around 1a.m. Buck was holding Cadence trying to settle her in to a nice slumber and she just starts saying “keetie, keetie” over and over again. Well, we were pretty exhausted and I’ll admit a bit frustrated but neither of us could hold back the laughter which proceeded to gear her back up again. Needless to say she is easily stimulated.

Mel gave a nice race report for Saturday so I will stick to the Sunday details. The Iron Cross is the longest cross race in America and come to find out there was actually a competitor that came all the way from England just for this race.

The race begins with one lap of the Iron Cross Lite cross course and then out to the brutality of the 60 mile course. About 8 miles into it I went to pass someone on some rocky rutted out fire road and wham, all of a sudden I find myself face down in the dirt. I am really not sure what happened but I landed hard on my right knee. It had been a while since I had crashed and I think I had forgotten what that felt like.

So the fun had just begun and it was a tell tale sign that today was going to be trying to say the least. Shortly after the first check point I realized my rear tire was rubbing. This was nothing new to me, it has happened at this race every year b/c the technical parts knock my wheel out of place due to a long standing problem in my rear drop outs. It not being new though, did not make it any less frustrating. I adjusted the wheel only to have it start rubbing again shortly thereafter.

I rode like this for a while feeling the energy being zapped from my legs and my mind. At Ckpt. 2, I looked back and saw Mandy right on me. I was a bit discouraged after having to stop a few times and readjust the wheel. We rode together for a while and had some crazy downhill adventures which we laughed about afterwards. Then there was the chain. I have a forbidden gear b/c my chain had to be shortened (can we say rigged?) and I chose that gear. UH OH! I thought for sure the race was over at that point but one of my fellow racers by the name of Mike stopped to help me and we were able to fix the problem.

I was able to make up some time on some of the steeper, technical parts for I had many gears and eeked out the win by only: 50 seconds on a 60 mile course. It was a tough day both mentally and physically but the BBQ afterwards was oh so worth it. Many thanks to all the supporters and volunteers out there along with the positive attitudes of all the racers!!!

Milkowski Admires her new SRAM Force Shifters

By Anna “Trees” Milkowski

Stephanie, Callie, and I headed up to Maine for the season opener of the New England Verge Series. Racing on the off-cambers and swamps of the Pinelands cross-country ski venue has become an annual welcome-to-cross ritual, so imagine our surprise when we found a fast roadie course and brilliant blue sky! The race was off from the gun. Evidently my legs are having some issues with getting going fast. Lyne Bessette was off, followed by Katerina Hanusova of Luna Chicks, Mo Bruno, Melissa Thomas, Mackenzie Dickey, and Christine Vardaros. Maybe I was too involved with admiring my new SRAM shifters to notice that the race had gone up the road.

Stephanie and I worked together for a few laps, at which point we caught Mackenzie and Stephanie split off. One among many problems with charging from the back is that when you catch someone like Mackenzie she will have no interest in chasing down the rest of the field (since she has just been dropped by it), just in beating you, so you have to be careful. So I couldn’t quite go flat out since now I needed to worry about making myself vulnerable to Mackenzie’s sprint. After about two laps of riding together, I took a better line through a mud pit and put on the gas to drop her. I ended up 6^th, a decent ride but I need to challenge myself to be at the front when the race happens. Stephanie completed a great ride for 9^th place. Callie finished her first race in the UCI women’s A field.

Sunday’s course was even faster – a road climb and long fast mountain bikey descent that I gave a fair amount of practice during warm-up. The start was again fast (Lyne was warmed up from having raced the men’s B race). I was feeling sluggish, once again finding my legs a bit too late, but on the second time down the hill was charging when I flatted the rear wheel. Those Easton tubulars can’t come fast enough! I’d made the mistake of putting a spare bike in the wrong pit, so I was in bad shape. Rode the flat for a long time as person after person flew by until I was decisively in last. Nothing like a little incentive. I tried to offer as much draft as possible to my friends and teammates as I came by. Once I got going I was riding hard, finally starting to feel smooth on the bike for the first time this season, but the race was long gone and I felt the painful feeling of a missed opportunity. Lyne won, followed by Katerina, then Mackenzie, who had stuck with Mo and out-sprinted her at the line. Stephanie rode a strong race to finish 10^th. Callie had a great ride to finish mid-field. Richard Sachs rider Amy Wallace, who had an on-fire start to the season followed by a string of crashes and injuries, was back in action. For two races now she’s been there on the sidelines cheering us on. That’s class!

So there it was: gradual progress plus setback on my end, Stephanie and Callie riding strongly and getting faster by the day. Granogue is next weekend and I’m ready for a good ride. Velo-Bella Kona will be out in full force, rounding the water tower on the Dupont estate, so watch out!

"Wrong Way " Swartz checks in from Gettysburg

Iron CX Lite, Gettysburg, PA
14 Oct 2006
by Melanie

Dee Dee Winfield 1st, elite women
Melanie Swartz 3rd, elite women
Alisha Styer 1st, kids race

First official day of “feeling-like-fall-weather”…
Arrived at race venue and was delighted by the 30deg temps, blue skies, sunshine, and the first changes of color in the leaves. Wasn’t too thrilled about the modern style outhouses with chilly air blowing through. Watched all the beginner racers get ready to roll while I sat in the car, bundled up with a blanket, my oatmeal, and the number game kakuro which I can’t seem to figure out.

The “Grasshopper” Family (DD, husband Buck and future Bella Cadence) arrived with their host, The Styer Family (East Coast VB-K mechanic Morgan, podium boy, little bella Alisha, and the glue that holds them all together, Hilary).

A quick pre-ride of the course included a hard-pack-dirt starting-stretch, long gravelly hill, super fast downhill, 180deg turn into barrier run-up, followed by lots of grass. The grass section was broken up with more 180deg turns and an interesting “spiral-of-death” which I can’t even describe without getting dizzy. I had a hard time figuring out gearing for this course since the hill was a small ringer, but the grass was big ring and kinda sapped your energy.
I think a single ring would’ve been ideal.

At the start line, which is the furthest point from the pits, I got a flat on a small rock hidden in the grass while riding around. After an episode of freaking out and then heading off carrying the bike to the pit I was happy to see my friend Judd and his bike. I took his front wheel and started to take off my layers before I noticed all the other girls were lining up. I hurried back to the start line in true Flo-Jo style with one leg warmer on and one off.

They did the call-ups and for the first time in ages I didn’t have a front-row start at my local series. Lined up behind teammate Dee Dee who had the first call-up as current MABRA series leader. Out-of-towner Cheerwine Mandy Lozano, who came up to the race to sight see the Civil War sites, lined up behind me.

After a count of five we were off: Dee with the hole shot, me trying to get her wheel without knocking a local competitor out of the way with my elbow and Mandy right behind. I bobbled on the hill in the loose gravel while Mandy and Dee were able to stay on the hardline and press on. Dee managed to grow a decent gap with each trip around the course. I tried to close the gap to Mandy but wasn’t quite able to do it. And so it went.

Dee Dee is on track to win the MABRA series for Velo Bella-Kona. With the series win you get bragging rights around the Wash DC area and a very much respected and sought after “white” jersey.

Little bella Alisha won the kids race and had quite an admirer of a little boy who kept asking me where my teammate was as he put his little arm out at his head level indicating he meant little bella Alisha and not big bella Dee Dee.

We were thrilled to have other Mid-Atlantic Bellas, Niki and Lyndsey, out cheering as they watched their first cx race. We’re looking forward to having them join in the fun at the next race of the series in three weeks.

Dee Dee and family stayed in Gettysburg with the Styers to partake of Sunday’s infamous Iron Cross race: 60 miles on steep climbs, trails, and full of adventure. She is attempting to reclaim the win since she did the inaugural race a few years ago. (ed: Dee Dee accomplished her goal!)

Melanie

Crazy Momma shakin’ it Spokane Stylee

Shannon

October 14-15

Surf City Cyclocross Series #1–Tiki Cross, CA
5th, Amy Abele, Women 35+
2nd, Sarah Kerlin, Elite Women
7th, Erin Kassoy, Elite Women
13th, Andi Mackie, Elite Women
3rd, Marian Jamison, Women B
6th, Erika Donald, Women B
8th, Jeni Udall, Women B
9th, Soni Andreini Poulsen, Women B
11th, Katrina Loera, Women B
14th, Kelley Miller, Women B
3rd Ryan Hostetter, Women C

Iron Cyclocross Lite, PA
1st, Dee-Dee Winfield, Elite Women
3rd, Melanie Swartz, Elite Women
1st, Alisha Styer, Kids Race

Downeast Cyclocross #2, ME
10th, Stephanie White, Elite Women
16th, Anna Milkowski, Elite Women
18th, Callie McDowell, Elite Women

Downeast Cyclocross #1, ME
6th, Anna Milkowski, Elite Women
9th, Stephanie White, Elite Women
23rd, Callie McDowell, Elite Women

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