I love my new bike!

This weekend I got to rock the new Salsa Chili Con Crosso 2 days straight. This bike replaced my old Primativo, and I can barely contain the excitement when I'm on it. Not only is the wheelbase significantly longer and the toe-overlap gone, it's light and wicked responsive!!

Hwood built it up for me with a super aggressive dropped stem position to imitate my road position. On top of that, it feels like it's a continuation of myself, responding gracefully w/ every shift of my body weight and turn of the wheel. Anyways, enough wazzing out....

So, Sunday I took ole Sassy Frassy out to Hudson for the Big Ring Flyer. My only goal was to hang with Zoe, hoping to take 2nd to her if I could in the end since she's been beating up on the women in our field all season so far.

From the blow of the whistle, I launched my attack, holding on as long as I could. Before I knew it, the field was splintered and stretched out in a single file line behind me through the twists and turns.With every ounce of energy I had, I kept launching attacks and tried to keep the pace high as Zoe stayed steadily on my wheel and Terra threatened us both in third.

With only 2 laps to go, Terra started to fade, but Zoe came around me as fresh as a daisy. Worried, I attempted to mark her every move while I frantically tried to recover before she could sneak away. Around a sharp right turn, Zoe lost her traction and went down. I delicately steered around her head and slowed my pace, encouraging Zoe to get up and get on my wheel. Seconds later, I realized I was racing, and focused back on the task at hand: GO!!!

At every opening, I was out of the saddle and charging as hard as I could. Flying over the barriers. Pedaling through every corner.


I did everything I could not to let up....and when I came to the final stretch, I was all alone. I raised up my arm in a salute to my hubby (still working on the no-handed riding on grass).
I still can barely believe that I pulled it off! B1+ch, Puh-LEEZ!

pinching myself,
Kristy Kreme

Gotta love the Rotten-Apple-Splattered Downtube!

Saturday was the Baker Orchard CX race out in WI. The day was absolutely GORGEOUS - cool, crisp, and sunny, making the apple orchard course a dream come true. The course was flat and wove between the orchard rows and along some wooded trails. With a new cross bike, and my old one built up as a single-speed, I decided to double up and do back-to-back races.

The first race, women's 4, started fast and furious. I fudged my start by not getting clipped in until I had dropped back to 6th or 7th place after a call-up start. By the time I got my rhythm on, I got blocked at the first barrier and watched the lead 2 women ride away into the shadows. I tried to find them, but only moved myself into third, never finding a way to close the gap.

At one section with a long out-n-back, I could see the ladies far in front of me, but never had the gas to throw down a couple insane laps to bridge it. My teammate, Points, and I worked together to the finish to take 2nd and 3rd in the Women's 4's. Terra-the-Jet took first, and Zoe the Junior Dynamo, whooped us all yet again.

But hell, I loved every minute of it! And what fun is the weekend if you're not ridin over fallen apples and partyin' it up on the podium like this?.....
Yeah, that's right... like Ice Cube said "today was a good day"

Ridin and rhymin
Kristy Kreme

Don't Cross in pearls!

Theo Wirth CX was awesome again this year, falling on my first wedding anniversary, just yards from where we said "I do". The weather was much cooler this year, and the hangover less severe, so anything was possible.

With minutes to the start, we toed the line, with the majority of the women in back (since we've had a separate start and call-ups each race). Unlucky for us, they reduced it to a mass start w/ riders getting pulled if they were lapped - no matter by who or when. We were in a tizzy to say the least (but I'm not one to say who's to blame - it was what it was.....and I think it actually helped me!). Us ladies are pretty used to getting lapped by the male leaders, so it was disheartening to think we wouldn't get to ride the full race.

But the bonus of it was: it made me ride like a freak off the leash! I tore through the trails lap after lap at my threshold, desperately trying to stay away, begging for time splits from the men's leader to make sure I was doing okay. Being it was my anniversary, I donned my veil and a string of pearls to dress it up a bit. [NOTE: long necklaces should not be worn when much oxygen is needed and there's enough jostling to tangle them in a tight loop around your neck.... not easy to breathe!!!!]

(pic thanks to skinnyski)

Fortunately, the threat was enough to get me to the finish line in first for my category!!! Still, I came in behind the Junior Dynamo, but I'll never complain. I rode my veil off and loved the moment I got to solute my hubby and cross the line w/ the arm in the air! Love ya babe - thanks for being the best hubby, coach, teammate, and friend in the world!

<3
Kristy Kreme

Still breakin my own records

A little late, but I've got to toss out a huge shout out for the Pork Chop Cyclocross race! The course was a ton of fun with rippin downhills and long stretches, but most of all it was my first cyclocross win EVER!!!!

Sure, Zoe-the-super-junior beat me, but since we're different categories, it's still a win! WHOOHOO!!!! And, if I could figure out my computer (see a pattern here?), I'd attach an awesome podium shot, but I'm a PC and I can't find my photo drive.

Kristy Kreme

Addict Alert!!!

I can't help myself....mountain biking is just too fun.

We spent Sunday up at Spirit Mtn. for the Powder Monkey Mtn Bike Race. It was my 3 Sport appearance, but one I was ready for. No post-wedding-reception-hangover, no swine flu...just proper sleep and diet and ready to ride.

Jay and I loaded up with the Chucker, Lady Death Rider, and MSH and headed north early to get me to the dirt church on time. It was a hot one, but I was amped to ride. Though my technical skills are still pretty elementary, my roady-fitness is still a strong ally, helping me close gaps with more experienced riders on all the climbs, flowing trail sections, and dirt roads.

I kept a constant stream of advice from Jay, Kyia, and the Crue playing in my mind on repeat throughout the 3 lap sweat fest. Sure, I took more spills into the brush and trees than ever before, but I was taking on elements I've never dared ride before. I know I'm new. I know I need more time and experience. So I used that awareness to push the limits and see what I could learn in the short time I had that day.

Riding down stacked boulders and over the rock and log gardens was a ton easier than my more fearful self once though. And the falls didn't hurt nearly as much as I anticipated. It was so amazing. And to top it all off, I still clinched a 5th place finish, 2nd in my age group!!!! Everyone with me now...B1+CH PLEASE!

With this new 'habit' in my system, I may have to take my bike off road next season. Moving up to a Cat 3 on the raod next year will probably find me at back at the cabooze again, so why not mix it up and focus on the dirt? I dunno..... we'll see. But it sounds pretty nice right now!

Maybe I'm just missing Cyclocross so much right now that this is my intermediate fix. My nicotine patch of sorts. Ether way, I'm lovin' it.

The new dirty girl on the block
Kristy Kreme

Fabulous Finale to the '09 Time Trialing

This passed Saturday was the Henderson Time Trial, my favorite one. Two weeks after I bought my first bike, I went out and tried my first bike race - the Henderson TT. And I was immediately hooked. This year marked my 4th appearance, my 3rd doing the mixed gender team time trial w/ Hwood.
As the first time riding w/ anyone else on the road since my crash at State, I was oddly nervous and hesitant to get in Jay's draft. I knew it was crazy to feel that way - there is no other wheel out there I could trust more to ride than his - but I still had to fight my way through the fear.

Since Jay can TT way faster than I can, I sat in his draft for the entirety. My max speed in the draft equals the max effort he can pull me at, making us even that much more a perfect pair. The first couple of miles, I struggled to relax in his draft and let it pull me in. I knew the wind would tire me and I tried to force myself closer, focusing my site on his rear derailleur.

As the adrenaline pulsed through my veins and flooded my muscles, the fear dissipated and I closed the gap. In a daze, I watched the rear wheel and rode at my limit. When he shifted, so did I. Jay rode the perfect pace, never faltering, never wavering...consistent and steady. We flowed steady through the turn-around and regained our pace quickly as we tackled the immediate hill.

Settling in again, Jay raised it to an 11, and my legs were happy to oblige. With 2 miles to go, Jay turned it up again, blowing out all the carbon and stealing every second from the clock that we could. Into the final turn, my hubby stayed wide and allowed me to come through for the final finishing push. Head down, I dropped another gear and drove my heals into the pedals. Silence filled my ears and my vision tunneled in on the line.

We screamed over it at 28 mph, in our new best course time ever!!! Shaving more than 3 minutes off our time from 2008, we finished in 34:25 on the 15 mile course, winnig the Mixed Gender category for the very first time!!!! It was awesome. And for the first time, we also won the ice-cream bet with Silver Steve & C-Ray. B1+ch please! (thanks for the breakfast substitute, Steve!)

Time-trialing in love,
Kristy Kreme

could it be???

This MN heat wave isn't gonna slow things down...Cyclocross is just around the corner & I'm chompin at the bit, ready to ride. By far, this is my favorite style of bike racing, tied in the #1 position with time trialing.

And so, to get myself in the right frame of mind, I couldn't help but look back at some of my fave times..... this one's an oldie, but goodie.