The Natasha Cowie Files
July 22, 2007
Talk about a woman on fire! Southeastern Pro Bella Natasha has been movin’!
Some of the latest results for Natasha:
3rd, U23 Women XC, Mt. Snow, VT
3rd, SERC #9
1st, SERC #8
For a complete list of Natasha’s results, check here.
July 22, 2007
Albany Criterium, CA
4th, Erika Donald, Women 35+
12th, Linda Locke, Women 35+
14th, Laura Sanchez, Women 35+
16th, Angela Aldrich, Women 35+
3rd, Tracy Loper, Women 4
15th, Denise Ramirez, Women 4
Yarmouth Clam Festival Bike Race, ME
16th, Ivy Luhrs, Women
Tour de Delta Road Race, Canada
13th, Sarah Kerlin, Women
July 21, 2007
Tour de Delta Criterium, Canada
19th, Sarah Kerlin, Women
Watsonville Criterium, CA
7th, Monica Neilson, Women
July 20, 2007
Tour de Delta Hill Climb, Canada
23rd, Stella Carey, Women
28th, Sarah Kerlin, Women
31st, Marian Hunting, Women
July 19, 2007
Giro di Burnaby, Canada
17th, Stella Carey, Women
24th, Sarah Kerlin, Women
26th, Ryan Hostetter, Women
Jano our Musselman-o!
July 19, 2007
Geneva, NY, July 15
Posted by Janet
Musselman 1.2 swim, 56 bike 13.1 run
Thank you girls for the congrats on my Musselman 1/2 iron. It actually was not as bad as I thought it would be! I highly recommend it – you girls could survive the mini-mussel 500 yd. swim, 15 bike 3.1 run) easy, even swim was mostly shallow and only 500 yards my husband Hans did his first tri and he is not a good swimmer. He did say it was a bit scary there were 1/2 foot waves (they have a novice wave start which is nice) Geneva is a great place and Lakeland Park ideal to hang out.
Saturday was the mini-mussel and it was fun to observe as a non-participant. Transition area is very entertaining and is
always fun to see people and how they transition from swim to bike and bike to run. There were even two 14 year old girls doing it with incredible times that would whop my butt. Every year the entrants get younger and younger and there are more of them. There was also a professional Olympic distant triathlon (0.9 swim, 26 bike 6 run) in afternoon that alone was worth the trip to watch. They are alowd to draft and in a crit like loop (8 miles) so you can watch the excitment. The transitions are FAST and put me to shame! These guys just hop out of water run to the bike shoes already in clips and off they go. There was 20,000 in prize $$ and qualifier for bejing olympics. This all took place right outside the Ramada where we were staying.
My tri start was following morning at 7am and there was concern of thunderstorms and talk of canceling swim and doing running course twice! I did not train for marathon. Luck held out and my start (first wave was old ladies and men!) with 4 minutes intervals for next 4 waves.
Two laps of a .64 mile triangle with 6 bouys (please don’t let me get lost) for a 1.2 mile swim. Wetsuits aloud and boy there were rolling waves and lots of swallowed water and a few people holding on to Kayaks which were safe guarding course-these guys were great. Sun in eyes on turn-around and I saw some green caps passing me I was pink (the really good guys) I made it out in 46:00ish minutes, transition OK (yes, Kate, I did my cowboy hop onto my steed (sp?) beautifully to a gasping crowd….) course beautiful.
The thing about being in first wave you have a wee bit advantage if you are good swimmer so not many bikes left transition yet but boy did hundreds catch up and pass me the next 1/2 hour….nasty headwind last 15 miles and people were moaning *&^&*(^% FINALLY off bike onto run I got to wee, quick portabottie. Oh yes, I did not pee on the bike like a girl in front of me… “shit! that is not water but pee spraying!”
Janet waving to adoring fans.
Run was beautiful also and got mike running legs after 3 miles. Run my worse event but did OK lots of great volunteers and stops and finished with a respectable 6:50 time. there were about 600 in this event.
Lars had the best event and MOST entertaining to watch a total of 100 kids in 2 starts age 6-10 and 11-14. 6-10 year olds(25 yd shum, 2 mile bike .25 run) These kids had most fun, and there nerves disappeared once they ran around swim bouys (it is called a sh-wum instead of swim cause its very shallow) Lars age 9 was 2nd out of water and slow on transition those darn wet socks…off onto bike back second but he tossed bike oops! Off on run, forgot to take helmet off but tossed that a bit later and finished second The kids get to go through the actual finish shoot. He was very excited as I since he has some foot issues. Great shwag for kids, everyone wins and gets a real nice medal.
These 1300-plus tri-athletes are so darn nice and always giving tips, advice to anyone who will listen, much fun!
Tinman (lady)
Jano
July 18, 2007
MGA Proving Grounds Road Race, WI
32nd, Tracie Nelson, Women Pro/1/2
July 17-18
Working Man Stage Race, MA
Stage 1–Time Trial
3rd, Ivy Luhrs, Women 3/4
Stage 2–Road Race
2nd, Ivy Luhrs, Women 3/4
Overall General Classification
2nd, Ivy Luhrs, Women 3/4
Random Pics from Owasco Stage Race
July 18, 2007
A New York Kudo for our Ice Kate
July 16, 2007
Dear Bellas,
I just wanted to let you know that Velo Bella is very
well represented by New York State member Kate Stewart!My kid Eleanor is a Junior Elite level speedskater who is attending an Olympic Training Center summer residency program in Marquette, MI. Eleanor was told that part of her training would involve cycling on a road bike. The kid had a bike but was not comfortable using it. We are talking high anxiety! She had a couple of spills last year trying to learn to use the bike and had let it go.
Eleanor and Kate are both members of the Syracuse Speedskating club, and Eleanor knows Kate is a great cyclist. To prepare for the OTC Eleanor asked Kate to help her get used to the bike, and Kate took her out on the bike before the Marquette program began. Kate was so great. It took a lot of patience on Kate’s part to get Eleanor comfortable and to instill a little confidence in her, there were clip-in pedal spills, uphill meltdowns and turning lessons, but with Kate’s help it all worked out.
I don’t think that Eleanor would have made it to Marquette with the bike without the generosity of Velo Bella Kate.
Very Sincerely,
Marcia
Will You Marry Me?
July 16, 2007
Race 7, Ellijay
By Natasha Cowie
Dahlonega, Georgia
So, it was supposed to be a rest weekend, but at 9:30 last Saturday night I was like, sure whatever, it’s the closest race I’m going to do all year (45 minutes from home) and it’s a cool course. Why not. Also, I was chasing points in the Georgia State Championship series. My points lead was large enough that I was almost assured of winning without the race, but not quite. BUT I was totally going to race conservatively, just cruise, go easy, whatever. Finish for the points.
Right. That was the plan, but there’s nothing conservative about me. I mean, I have a nose piercing and a subscription to Mother Jones magazine. Anyway, so I got to the race course early on a cloudy morning. Beautiful course, lots of climbing, winding around ridges that border Carters Lake in north Georgia. Warmed up. Sort of. Needed more coffee. No problem, though, I had my Magic Canadian Hot Short Shorts on. (I am seriously into the Louis Garneau team kit. The short shorts are very fun. And they are making me favourably adjust my tan lines upwards.)
On the start line. OH my god there are some fast people. Well that’s okay, I told myself, just try to hit the singletrack second or third wheel, hang out, see what happens. We started with a parade lap thing: half a mile of climbing on a paved road, then the last 2/3 of the course before going through the start/finish to start the first full lap. Predictably, Jamie took off in front, and I sat third wheel for a while to see how my legs were working. Hm. They were happy, I was happy, so I passed Paula and moved into second. That kind of surprised me. So I was like okay, might as well try to chase Jamie, at least it’ll give me something to do for the next hour or so.
I notched up the pace, nearly got run over by some large singlespeed dudes, and then rode by myself for a while, observing the oak-hickory hardwood forest and thinking about how much I wanted to eat the blackberries hanging from bushes surrounding the trail. And then…I found Jamie. Hey girl, she chirps. How are you doing? Well, pretty good, I said. Do you know what lap we’re on? No. Um…are we on our last lap? I don’t know, girl, she says. Do you think anyone can tell us? I ask. (At this point we were in the middle of a huge section of forest without anyone or anything nearby.) Yeah, maybe someone at the finish line, Jamie says. Well, Jamie, I say, I guess I’d better pass you then. Been nice riding with you.
Thus began my two laps of freaking out. I passed Jamie, decided that probably that parade lap counted as a full lap and sure, I was probably about to finish, cruised across the line shouting at people “Is this the pro finish?” Everybody either a. stared at me like I was a driveling idiot or b. cheered me on, saying “Go faster! Go faster!” Crap. I had just run out of water. Like “going faster” was totally going to happen for the next eight miles and 1000 feet of climbing. So I started lap 3.5.
Somehow I finished. I lapped a bunch of sport guys on the last lap, and as I was climbing a hill so steep I couldn’t really see straight, some dude proposed to me. I told him I’d better finish the race before I made a decision on that one.
A nice clean win by about 2 minutes, and many comments on my pretty Kona as I rode around after the race. I also got a lovely pink massage stick for turning the fastest female lap.
Happy trails everyone. (And happy roads too.)
Editor’s note: Clicky here for more on Tasha’s adventures.
