non-coastal simulacral extravaganza

January weekend fun

2012-01-15T22:34:00.000-06:00

MG & Rhino on the track

One would expect that, on a weekend in mid-January in Nebraska, the weather would be cold, the streets would be snow-covered, and the idea of riding bikes in figure 8s around a big old living room & dining room all day would be a good way to while away the hours. Well, it's been oddly warm (*ahem, global warming), but a regular band of Pirates took shifts to make an indoor century happen nonetheless. I did two half-hour blocks, one on the vintage Bontrager BMX and another on CVO's Pugsley. Fun times.

Ryan did a full hour and a half straight through

Next on the agenda for Saturday was the 2nd Annual Bien Rica Soup Night & Clothing Swap. Sort through your closet, bring what you want to get rid of, rummage through the things others brought and leave with a few gems, and we'll donate the rest to an organization in need -- this year, it's Friendship Home. Also, it's a soup night, and so before the swapping began, we feasted on 6 different soups and accompanying goodies.

Bros Can Cook, a new show featuring hockey fans?

Few get into it as well as Ryan & Diane

Though Anders might be in contention

If you want in on this next year, let us know. Space is somewhat limited!! Start saving up the good things as you sort through your closets...

Sunday morning, as I awoke at a leisurely 8:30 AM, I was sure I'd missed group ride opportunities. Luckily, there was a 10 AM ride scheduled, so I packed up and headed to Cultiva for a little fresh air and gravel. The wind was stiff from the south & west, and I did my best to stay tucked in with a strong group of riders. After 20 or so miles into it, I was feeling the hurt, and besides, I had to get clothes folded up and sorted to donate. Headed back to town with Matt & Mark, enjoying the push of the wind at our backs and the strong sun.

Getting pushed back to town with Wills & Mark A.

Loving my buttery-smooth new ride

Have I mentioned I love my new bike? Yeah. I do. I even took it for a little jaunt through Wilderness on the way home.

Year in Review, or something like it

2011-12-31T15:22:00.000-06:00

As I spend a week in Colorado very bikeless, I have a bit of time to reflect on the past year in my cycling life. There isn't much snow up here, and while I'm sort of regretting leaving the bike at home, it's probably a good thing to take a break, too. Besides, I have 3 days of skiing coming up!

The year started off with a frustratingly slow recovery from a broken thumb at the Lincoln CX race, an injury that, while minor, made it hurt like hell to hold on to handlebars, especially in the cold. I upgraded to studded tires on my Karate Monkey after falling on the ice one too many times, and I spent a good deal of time leading or participating in indoor trainer sessions with Sydney. We also had a blast debuting Sheclismo with the KC Sprints at Duffy's!

January miles: 198

February brought more snow and ice to Lincoln, but a couple rounds of melting got me out on the gravel. And despite mega-cold, bar mitts and studded tires kept me rolling to work every day. I continued trainer sessions, too, finding I really enjoyed leading them when I had the chance.

February miles: 315

In March, it was time to get serious about singletrack. I bought my first mountain bike with a suspension fork -- Black Betty -- and hoped for dry trails whenever possible.

Spent a few days at the end of the month riding around in Denver, skiing, and getting really sick. Then we hustled in an unexpected snowstorm -- 25 riders racing through the city in 5 inches or so of heavy falling snow, eating ice cream and drinking spiked hot cocoa.

March miles: 307

April kicked off first thing with the start of the Psycowpath MTB series. Having won the Cat 3 in 2010, I moved up to Cat 2. I decided, however, that I wanted to give Marathon racing a shot whenever possible. Since there are fewer women racing regardless of category, I thought I'd be better able to push my limits and challenge myself if I tried to see just how much I could do in 3 hours. The first race weekend was a triple header, and I was happy to do the Jewell TT a full 15 minutes faster than I had the year before in my first ever singletrack race. That afternoon, I had one of the best and most fun races I've had to date in the Short Track XC, where Cat 1 racer Katie Bergmann and I pushed each other all the way to a sprint finish.

I did my first Marathon the next day, cut the sleeves off my jersey, and completed 5 laps, deciding not to go out for a sixth, exhausted. Singletrack continued to dominate, as I founded the Wednesday Women's Wilderness ride. I ended the month cheering on and watching my awesome friend Janna be the first woman ever to finish TransIowa and going bike camping.

April miles: 320

In May, surprise surprise, I kept riding singletrack! Right off the bat, I faceplanted on a practice ride at Platte, giving myself a gnarly looking cut under my eye and a seriously scraped up face. Hurting, I still raced Marathon that Saturday, and was most happy about having Scott Noel encouraging me to go out for one more lap with him when we were 15 minutes from the 3-hour cutoff. It was a great lap with a teammate.

I started mixing in crit practices, since I decided I should do the road races in my backyard at the end of the month. Putting road slicks on my 'cross bike, I started getting better at hanging with the group out at The Bridges, and what was more, I was getting better at hopping back on to the group after I'd been dropped. Since road really isn't my focus at all, I knew race days at the Capital City Criterium and Pioneers Grand Prix would be less than impressive, but it's too cool to race around the capitol neighborhood -- a regular part of my commute -- to pass up the opportunity. I ended up having a great time working with junior racer Abby Burke after we lost contact with the lead pack, and it was fun to have so many folks out cheering, too.

The Grand Prix taught me that I didn't yet know how to read the plays that the more elite racers were making, and once a big attack was made, it was all over for me.

We hustled in pouring rain! Rounded out the month with some fun riding, extending my commute whenever possible. Another bike-related accomplishment: I had an art opening at Tugboat Gallery focusing on women and their bicycles, inspired by early writings from Susan B. Anthony on how bicycles did more for women's emancipation than anything else, my grandmother's 1939 bike tour in New England, and the stories I gathered by Lincoln women on why they ride.

May miles: 463

June started out hot and muggy -- not my favorite weather. Girl Bike Night wore 80s workout gear. I had a blast going on the Foxhole 100 with friends, riding gravel and singletrack on the way there, teaching pacelines on the way back.

Women's Wilderness continued to grow, with several women new to off-road riding getting better week by week. I headed up to Ponca State Park with Sydney for the MTB State championships, and was surprised to find just how awesome it is to see another racer in your same kit out on the course. I turned out 5 laps in exactly 3 hours (yeah, I might've been a little extra slow at the very end of that last lap to not have the option of going out for a 6th), and noted that my climbing skills needed work.

Another goal on my list for the year was learning to assemble a bike, and with Ian Robertson's hands-off guidance, I put together a Long Haul Trucker frame obtained from Butch with a Frankenbike-worthy collection of parts. Though I wouldn't necessarily feel confident doing it all myself -- and because I really appreciate a pro build -- I do know a lot more about how my bikes are put together, which really helps with maintenance.

The biggest accomplishment of June, though, was going on the Ponca Ride, a PCL staple. It's a 155-mile gravel and MMR ride straight up to Ponca State Park, but instead of driving like I had the week before, this time, I rode every mile. We left in a crazy thunderstorm, pouring rain, were forced onto pavement until North Bend, then beautiful gravel, dirt, and great times with a group of 18 other awesome riders. I made and solidified some friendships, especially when I started having some serious breathing problems. At 110 miles, in Pender, I was curled up on a park bench, unable to lower my heartrate and unable to take more than a shallow breath without my chest burning in pain. I kept going. I struggled again. I have great friends. They got me there, and I'd never been more proud of myself when I reached the state park sign.

June miles: 640

July! By July, whenever it rained, I was starting to think about cyclocross. Wednesday Women's Wilderness morphed into Women of Wednesday, as we mapped out little routes at Irvingdale, Neighbors, and Van Dorn Park. We brought a crew of 7 women to a Thursday night ride at Tranquility in Omaha, impressing the pants off the regulars with our numbers.

I was reminded at the Lewis & Clark TT of the benefits of pre-riding, had a great time racing in the Tranquility short track with Sydney and the Master's Men, and then opted for the Cat 2 instead of the Marathon the next day because of horribly hot weather. Commutes, nacho rides, and fun around town was all hot as hell. I spent the last two weekends of the month racing at Branched Oak, first in the Cornhusker State Games, then in the Marathon. The State Games race was a major flop, and reminded me that even if a race is more for training, you still need to eat right beforehand. After getting a little tune-up in Malcolm's hustle that Thursday, I did much better in the Marathon, turning out 7 laps and feeling great.

July miles: 457

In August, I had two big events on the horizon: Gravel Worlds and the Dakota 5-O. I continued riding at Wilderness, and added gravel rides to my routine whenever possible. At the beginning of the month, I helped out my friends at the Foxhole during Czech Days, and part of the deal was getting to ride tandems in the parade -- with the members of the Bolzen Beer Band riding stoker. I had Ciara and her drum on my bike, and we totally stole the show in the parade. Apparently no one had ever seen a polka band on tandems before!

The weather in August turned cooler and nicer, and it couldn't have been more welcome. We had another race at Swanson, this time with the trail being run in reverse. I didn't want to ride too hard, so I made my goal slow & steady, and finished 6 laps feeling good. It rained the night before Gravel Worlds. It was muddy. Following Janna's advice, I portaged before others, saving my derailleur from destruction and bringing me to the finish 16 hours and 46 minutes after I started the 153.5 mile race, crossing the line with fellow hardwoman Kim Carveth.

Another super proud accomplishment, particularly since I'd spent most of the day flying solo, earning each mile on my own. Cyclocross practice started that following week, and I was finding it hard to keep focus on the 5-O, especially since, after a rather uninspiring experience looking for a new 'cross bike, I'd gotten in touch with War Axe about building a bike for me. Also that week, I had my best hustle performance to that point, pulling Michael Bikel to the finish for 2nd place right behind Russell. Consensus from the Lincoln Hustle boys: I'd gotten faster. Much faster.

August miles: 544

September began with the Dakota 5-O. What a beautiful, amazing, challenging race. 1st real rock riding experience, 1st creek crossings, 1st ridge riding, 1st riding over funny cattle gate obstacles, 1st roaring down long fire road descents. Better climber than I thought I was (had fun passing people going up long gravel climbs), much more chicken shit descender. I had a proud moment when overhearing guys at a checkpoint say "that's a crosser" as I got back on my bike to go on. I got lost, added climbs and miles, enjoyed the scenery, struggled a little, and finished strong. As Rafal likes to remind me, I stood around in my kit grinning from ear to ear for about an hour after I finished, that's how happy I was.

I really rode a bike indoors for the first time, turning TT laps on the D Street circuit. And then it was time to get ready for CX season. With Van Dorn Park so close to home, I was going there at least a couple times per week, learning from veterans and getting faster. I rode Wilderness at night for the first time. The first Streets Alive happened, and I had a great time playing in the beautiful weather with tons of other people on arterials closed to traffic. At the Girly Hustle, we raised over $100 plus goods for the Friendship Home. Fall was on the way.

September miles: 406

In October, I figured out what it feels like to race 3 times per week. With Wednesday races at Van Dorn Park sandwiched between Omaha CX, Joules CX, the Fort Collins USGP -- my first big pro race -- and Spooky CX, I didn't have a single weekend off. I was fortunate to have a mechanical before Omaha CX that put me on a demo Trek Cronus, a bike that I came to ride on several occasions throughout the season, whenever I was traveling with or alongside the Trek Midwest CX team. These guys de facto adopted me to travel to a few big races, and I learned a ton about team travel, race prep, working pits and more in the process.

The USGP experience was incredible. To race on course early in the day and then later watch the pros race the same thing was a boost of inspiration, and I was pretty happy with how I measured up against national competition. In October, I also finally won a hustle, not just the women's division!

October miles: 429

My intense cyclocross travel schedule continued into November, with Boulevard Cup, the Louisville USGP, Lincoln CX, and Jingle CX, plus two more Wednesday night races in Omaha. I was getting stronger and faster, and really enjoyed racing in mixed groups in those night races. We turned out record numbers of women at all of the races in the Midwest CX Stitch series that Sheclismo put on. The schedule was starting to wear on me, though, and after the Louisville trip, I came home sick the week leading into Lincoln CX. The first day was really rough, and I barely held on to my lead in the series with a lackluster finish. The second day, feeling better, I surged through the racers, finally catching and hanging on to Janna until the end. In a fun-filled trip to Jingle CX, I pulled off two podium finishes, ending my year as a Cat 4 and ready to move up to Cat 3.

November miles: 229

In December, I was ready for a break. I entered the month not feeling like doing much of anything. That changed a bit with the much-anticipated arrival of my War Axe, which of course was built up and ready to ride right as the weather was nasty. I only had to wait a few days, though, until it warmed up, got beautiful, and I got to debut her at a just for fun weekend of cyclocross playing in my parents' pasture, in what became the first annual Cowpie CX.

Much to my chagrin, I was a finalist in the Gamjams Rider of the Year contest, and was humbled by the support from friends. It was certainly nice to have people recognize how far I've come and how much I've tried to build this sport, in particular for Nebraska women. I added in working with a new citizen bicycle advocacy group called Bicyclincoln, too.

Since I took off to ski for the last week of the year, my last ride in 2011 was on Christmas morning, just a few frosty laps in solitude on my beautiful new bike. Happy New Year, all.

December miles: 158

Wonder how I could possibly remember all this? I've been keeping track using bikejournal.com. I logged miles, and added a column for a ride description and the weather that day. It's great to look back on the notes!

Total miles: 4,466

My hummus recipe

2011-12-14T19:03:00.000-06:00

I've had a few requests recently for my hummus recipe. Ryan, for some reason, thinks it tastes like baloney, though I have no idea what he's talking about and can assure you it's fully vegan. Apologies to people who work with exact measurements; my recipe is going to have some estimates. Try it, tweak it, refine it :)

1 large can garbanzo beans, drained
2-3 cloves of garlic
1-2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
grapeseed, sesame, or olive oil

Throw the garlic in your food processor first, chop it a bit, then add garbanzo beans. Process. Add tahini, lemon juice, and spices, process more. Now, you'll note there's no quantity on the oil added. You're going to add this gradually as you process it until you get to the consistency you desire -- less oil if you're using it for sandwiches, more if it's going to be for chips or veggie dip. You can also adjust the amount of tahini, as more will make it smoother. Let it sit for about an hour, then check the salt and garlic levels before serving, as these flavors will really "bloom" as it settles. Devour your delicious protein source!

New Bike Week

2011-12-05T10:25:00.001-06:00

Posted from http://lightbox.com

After much anticipation...

More photos to come, natch

Jingle Cross 2011

2011-11-29T14:04:00.001-06:00

If anyone felt like they'd lacked the experience of a "real" 'cross race, this year's Jingle Cross was an easy way to end that. Photos by Berly Brown, Emily Hoesly, Noah Marcus, Josh Rice, and Anne or Mark Savery.

Friday:

After 5 hours of driving, I wasn't really too excited to race. Legs didn't feel good, stomach didn't feel so great either, and though it was exciting to be there and under the lights and such, the doomy cloudy sky wasn't really revving me up. I did a practice lap and headed to the line with all the rest of the Cat 4s.

GO! Watch 608, she's my competition...

The mess began just after the start, as the officials had only left a 15-second gap between the 60-ish Cat 4 men and the women. We'd caught the tail end of them in a bottleneck right after the first corner, and trying to maneuver through the group was going to be critical in the first lap.

Running up Mt. Krumpet. Beastly long and steep.

This hill run-up helped with that. Lots of people were moving really slowly up this, so I tried to push it harder, sending myself way into the red. After the first lap, where Ms. 608 kicked my bars on her remount, I got ahead of her. Not for long, though, as she attacked somewhere on lap 2 and put in a bit of a gap. Girls 1 and 2, speedy Juniors, were way ahead, and I was trying to find motivation to push harder while also thinking about the 2 additional days of racing ahead.

Under the flyover. You're supposed to ring the bell for good luck.

That motivation came in the form of John Lefler, race announcer and fellow Lincolnite, calling out that the race for 3rd place was the one to watch. He called me out, called out 608 (Sarah Rice from Chicago), and started doing a play-by-play of our last lap, wondering over the loudspeaker if I could catch her. So I did. I shouldered and ran a long, muddy off-camber section all the way to the base of the flyover, and I caught her on the top. Lefler saw and called the catch, and I drilled it down the other side and to the base of Mt. Krumpet. Pushing as hard as I could to run up the hill, I started to make a little gap. Down, through the barns, and back through the pinwheel -- where you could catch glimpses of your competition repeatedly -- and grinding to the start/finish, and I'd pulled out 3rd place on the podium. Phew! Time to go have some fun on the hill.

Friday podium, with two girls half my age.

After watching the pros, we got dinner at a great pizza pub. Back to the hotel, time to sleep for an early start Saturday morning, rain in the forecast.

Saturday:

It was raining steadily when we woke up, and it was clear that the ground that had already been a bit soft Friday was going to get soggy pretty quickly on Saturday. Luckily, when we raced at 9:30, it hadn't yet gotten much colder, and the temperature in the upper 40s was perfectly tolerable despite the rain.

Start line on Saturday. Rain, but not too cold yet.

I hadn't really warmed up at all Saturday (having a really full car meant forgoing luxuries like trainer and extra wheel), and there was a new cast of characters on the line. Adding to the fun, teammates Berly Brown and Emily Hoesly were in the mix as well.

Soft, wet ground. Not bad here, much worse elsewhere.

The ground was a real powersuck. Though there were many places that were truly muddy or necessitated running, I could ride more than others despite not having mud tires. Lots of places, though, were just soft, wet ground, and my legs felt tired from the effort the night before. I slipped from 3rd into 4th and then 5th wheel, with 6th giving me chase. On the 3rd lap, the rider in 4th went down in a greasy corner, and I came around her with now-5th place hot on my heels. She gave good chase for the last lap, but it wasn't enough, so I ended up with a 4th place finish, a wet, cold, muddy body, and a really messy bike. Clean up, warm up, yell at friends, and hit the hot tub.

One of my favorite spots for food in the Midwest is Masala Vegetarian -- it was an oasis of great vegan food that I always tried to make part of my road trips back and forth to Providence when I was in college -- and after a cold day in the rain, Indian food sounded so good. A group of 10 Nebraskans met up and gorged ourselves on spicy deliciousness. It's so awesome to get a full menu from which to choose!

Sunday:

Sunday was going to be cold, windy, and full of the muddy effects of Saturday's rain. It was a mess. I warmed up in the parking lot, knowing I wouldn't actually be sprinting much once on the course. Again, there was a new set of characters (albeit smaller this time), though all three of Saturday's podium finishers were on the line again, too.

Running through the logs.

I took the holeshot, but not having pre-ridden the course meant I was completely unprepared for the first re-routed turn. Oops. I maintained position for a little bit, but two-time 1st place finisher Skyler Schneider moved around me pretty shortly. Along with her came Saturday's second-place finisher, and another girl who hadn't raced yet this weekend. I settled in to my tempo again, trying as best as possible to find good lines through deep mud and puddles. Slow and steady, no mistakes, that was my goal.

Holding steady in the mud.

And slowly but surely, I was once again in the position of holding 4th place and gaining on 3rd. I found my attack on the third lap, and I think I heard Lefler call me a diesel engine as I came through the start/finish. I rode the last lap increasing my gap for another solid 3rd place finish.

Sunday podium, and an end to my 2011 season.

After getting cleaned up and watching the other races (including Ryan goofing off in the Single Speedo race wearing Sheclismo bikini briefs), we headed up to Mt. Krumpet for some SHEnanigans. It was a fun way to end another great weekend with friends, and a somewhat bittersweet cap to my 2011 season.

SHEnanigans on Mt. Krumpet.

I'm pretty tired of being on the road every weekend -- I've only had one weekend home since the end of September -- and my house shows for it. I have freelance projects demanding attention, cats demanding attention, and knitting projects to finish before friends have their babies. I still haven't unpacked my race travel bag, but I'm hanging my hat on racing until spring. Being at a race age of 29, I'm in an odd spot for Nationals. I could spend a bunch of money for a Wednesday "non-competition" race, or I could complete my upgrade and race the elites, only to get pulled after Katie Compton blows by me a couple times. Next year, I'll be old enough for Masters', and with Worlds being in Louisville, I'll plan on extending my season into January. This year, though, I'm going to build up my anxiously anticipated War Axe, goof off on it in my parents' pasture, ski for the week between Christmas and New Year's, and enjoy that 29th birthday.

Nebraska travel squad who went to Jingle Cross, it was great to hang out with y'all for the weekend. Super fun times. If you want to just ride around sometime, look me up. The calendar seems a lot more open now...

Lincoln CX Weekend

2011-11-21T22:12:00.001-06:00

Well, this weekend was quite the tale of night and day differences in racing for me.

As I've mentioned before, the Lincoln CX race holds a special place in my heart, as it was my first foray into organized bicycle racing of any sort two years ago. (See video of me with fixed gear "racing" 'cross in 2009.)

Well, throughout last week I was fighting off either some food poisoning or, more likely, a gastrointestinal virus brought to work by a co-worker silly enough to have young children at home. Nasty little buggers! I wasn't feeling all that well all week, and then Thursday night I really came down with it. I got up to shower Friday morning and realized going to work wasn't going to be possible. Great. Staying in bed all day and not eating is a superb way to prepare for a demanding weekend of racing, right?

Ryan was sweet enough to go pre-ride the course Friday afternoon, camera in tow, to take some video for me. Even though I couldn't really get a sense of the course, I could see that it was going to be really hilly, with lots of fun ups and downs. Not a course to get bored on.

Got up Saturday morning, forced down a bowl of plain rice, a banana, and a little applesauce with some Good Belly probiotic juice and headed out to Pioneers Park, prepared for cold. And thankfully so, because the temperature dropped about 15 degrees in just as many minutes. Stiff North wind, cloudy skies, and a little drizzle and it really felt like winter.

I needed a decent race to solidify my win in the Midwest CX Stitch series, and with 2nd place Julie Higgins coming up from KC, I had to give it the best I could. Double points on the line, and though I hadn't taken the time to do the math, I knew that if I wasn't right behind her, I'd be in trouble.

Day 1, with 24 women lined up to race. Photo: Sydney Brown

I hardly had energy to do a warm-up, so I just spun my legs for a little bit. Heading to the line, I did get a little boost of energy seeing 23 other women standing there shivering, too! All the work put in to making the series a reality, bringing in racers from out of town and convincing local ladies to take the line for the first time worked, and we rivaled the biggest field of the day. (Compare to 7 women in 2010 and a mere 5 in 2009, and this is a pretty amazing accomplishment.)

We started out somewhat slow, and a crash at the start line had lots of us hesitant, I think. Janna took the holeshot, and the front group's pace was easily too fast for me. I also noticed that I hadn't checked the saddle height on the demo well enough, and it was about an inch too high. Not so comfy, yet another detail to fall victim to my general ill-feeling. I sat on Julie's wheel for a bit, then attacked on I think the 2nd lap going up one of the longer inclines.

Running up Hooligan Hill. Photo: Kyle Hansen

Much to my surprise, the Hooligan Hill run-up proved to be one of my strengths. Training with my quite heavy bike and then getting to race on a demo that's about a third of the weight put some spring in my step!

Though I put on a little bit of a gap, by a couple laps later she was on me again, and when she launched her counterattack, I was out of gas in the tank.

Struggling. Photo: Kyle Hansen

By the 5th lap, I was just doing everything I could not to let anyone else catch me. Any effort I tried to put out, my body had nothing in it to react. I was relying on the flow and momentum of the course to keep me moving, and when I pulled around to the finish on my last lap, the beautiful and ever cheerful Berly Brown was making her way through as well. Suffering the climbs on a singlespeed, I reached out and gave her a push through the finish. (If anyone got a photo of this, please let me know. It was wicked cute.)

Getting warm after the race was nearly impossible, as the wind continued to be fierce. I took cover in the Trek van for awhile and watched the next two races. Then it was time to pack up, clean up, and party! I was starting to feel a little better -- most of all, I was hungry again -- and we headed to the Hour Lounge for the Midwest CX Stitch awards party.

Prize table. Amazing, generous donations, particularly from local women!

A really nice crowd turned out to eat pasta and enjoy some drinks before we dug into giving out series awards. In addition to winners in the Category 3 & Category 4 divisions, we also gave out a Singlespeed series winner. On top of that, we had a Skillz award (for best technical riding) and a Makes CX Look the Most Fun award -- and that lovely lady got first pick of the prize pool! For the Lincoln race, we also had a ballot box on Hooligan Hill for the crowd to pick their favorite racer and for best costume. Jen, as Cookie Monster, won that one hands down.

C is for Cookie Monster the CX racer. Photo: Kyle Hansen

As if that weren't enough, there was also a match preme given by Conrad, a Lanterne Rouge preme sponsored by Lincoln Hustle, and a Grindcore Memorial Dive in Head First award, given to the rider with the least-appropriate bike for cyclocross. And thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, everyone who raced got a chance at the prize table!


Brunch! So much oatmeal with fixins!

After a good night's sleep, I woke up early, a good sign that I was on the mend. My lovely housemate Diane had volunteered to help out with making an oatmeal bar for racers, complete with lots of fancy fixins', and we headed over to the lovely Bulfinch home for a cozy brunch. Did I mention it was 15 degrees out? Yeah, it was frigid.

Even though I wasn't quite sure if my stomach was ready for it yet, I needed calories badly, so I went for the oatmeal. Twice. A nice dollop of probiotic-rich yogurt, and I felt a little more ready to conquer the day. I always feel more relaxed the second day of racing, it seems.

The sun was shining, and even if it wasn't getting that much warmer, at least it felt that way. I packed my new winner's jersey and headed out to the park.

Flashing the winner's jersey. Photo: Sydney Brown

I was excited to try my hand at this course again. With a heavy emphasis on technical features, it was super fun to ride, and if I was liking it even while feeling crappy, now that I was feeling better it was going to be a blast! Off the line, I was easily in with the front 5 or 6 riders, and as we settled in to position, I was in 7th position. First time up Hooligan Hill, and a bad remount dropped me to 8th. Sandy Collins and Renae Weaver -- a woman who has let me know I've been making her nervous all year -- came by me, and I hopped on her for the next lap. After we came through the start/finish and back onto the grass half a lap later, she told me it was time to go get the next one. I pulled ahead and found myself chasing Aubrey Dock. She looked tired, and after coming around her, I caught a glimpse of the next rider...5th position was being held down by none other than Janna Vavra. And she wasn't that far ahead!

Feeling pretty good in the cold, PINK FAST! Photo: Kyle Hansen

Slowly but surely, I pulled up to her until I was right on her wheel. Everybody we passed was cheering us both on, and for about two laps, I held steady. Janna's a really skilled rider and experienced racer, and I was reading her for the places I might have an opportunity to attack.

And at some point, she knew it, and really gave it the gas. As we came off of the climbs and into the Pinewood Bowl section the last time, she motored off, and I couldn't catch her on the way down and through the finish. Afterward, Janna said she just couldn't let it happen...yet! Still, finishing 6th in a pretty stacked Open field felt darn good. It was exciting just to be that competitive with that level of racers.

After the women's race, it was time to do it up, Hooligan Hill style. The women on the Hill came up with a new game, the DK'd Willies came to play again, and Lincoln rocked. Keith Walberg captured it best.

All in all, it has been a fantastic season of racing. This weekend marked my 17th and 18th CX races since the first of October, and with three more at Jingle Cross on the horizon this weekend, I'm pretty tired and ready to be home and knitting for a while. I wouldn't trade it for anything, though. Traveling with my teammates from Sheclismo -- and with my adoptive team the Trek Midwest CX squad -- has been a blast, and I've gained so much valuable experience and knowledge, not to mention made new friends. 'Cross is awesome.

Sheclismo CX ambassadors, Elisabeth Grindcore, Berly Brown, and Syd Vicious. Photo: Nancy Brown

Up and Down the Boulevard

2011-11-07T07:34:00.002-06:00

Sometimes, things click and you're just ON. Welcome to Boulevard Cup 2011.

Last year, Boulevard Cup was my first out of state race, and in the midst of all my documentary editing and premiering, I hadn't had nearly enough training. In a huge field of 4s, my fresh legs pulled out a 3rd place finish. Needless to say, I was really stoked.

Fast-forward to this year, where I've raced all but one weekend since the 1st of October, as well as every Wednesday night in between. I've done the training. I spent the summer riding gravel and mountain bikes, and improved my bike handling skills dramatically. And after a couple of weekends of somewhat frustrating racing on wide open power courses, we pulled up to this venue alongside a very visible, long off-camber section. My heart started pumping. This was going to be awesome.

Spent my warm-up tooling around Saturday's course with Emily Hoesly, chatting with her about off-camber riding. We watched some of the Men's Master's race, then squeezed in a practice lap on the course. After riding into the sandpit, I realized that I'd been spinning around in my big ring the whole time without even noticing. This bode well, as I've spent a couple weeks forcing myself to stay in that big chainring to build power. It also meant following my travel buddy Schmidty's assessment that this would be a big-ring course. Since I'm still rocking bar-end shifters, minimal shifting is a very good thing.

I headed back to the staging area to find 46 other women lining up. WOW. This has been an absolutely incredible year for growth in women's cyclocross. We were split into Open (fasties, 2s & 3s), 3/4s (where I opted to be), 4s, and then Master's 40+, 50+, and 60+. Behind all of the ladies were junior racers, including an adorable 11-year-old girl.

The start was on a bike path, and I worked to hold myself toward the front of the group. I'd lowered my tire pressure to about 30psi for confidence in the off-cambers, and with pretty grippy tires, this wasn't going to be my strongest part of the course. I managed to be about 10th or so through the first bit of grassy turns, and at the first sharp S-curve, traffic slowed to a near stop. Grr. Time to get a little more aggressive in the corners and move around -- these were going to be my strong sections. Not too long after that, we hit the off-camber hillside for the first time, and I was zipping past women struggling with a couple steep little rollers. This section offered a bit of recovery for me, and even the short run-up was fun!

Loving the off-camber, with Julie Higgins right on my wheel. Photo by Roger Harrison/Lanterne Rouge

We popped out of this and onto a long flat stretch. I don't know if I just get bored with these or what, but they really aren't my strong suit. Unless I'm chasing someone, being chased, or really focused, I'm pretty sure I'm slowing down on these. The first time, I was on the chase, and once we hit the sandpit, I was caught partway through by a couple racers not making it the whole way across. Bailing and running the rest of the way, I hit the pavement in front of them and drilled it into the stretch in front of the announcer's stand, holding 2nd wheel in the 3/4s pack. Renae Weaver of Women's Free State Racing wasn't far behind, and she made her attack on that long back stretch I mentioned not liking earlier. Also chasing was Jessica Vanackeren of LocalCycling.com, who had suffered a fall and a dropped chain in the sandpit.

Renae's attack stuck, and I spent the remainder of the race checking over my shoulder for Jessica on the flats and increasing my lead in the sandpit and whoop-dee-dos. I particularly enjoyed hamming it up a bit for the sandpit crowd, as it felt proper to let out a big "YEAH!" after grinding it successfully across.

Peeking over the top of a hill on the whoop-dee-do section, having a blast! (That's on my face, right?) Photo by Roger Harrison/Lanterne Rouge

Emily crushed it! I don't know if my little pre-race off-camber lesson helped, but this girl rocked it.

Emily Hoesly, making serious progress. 5th race and a victory in the 4s. Welcome to Sheclismo! Photo by Roger Harrison/Lanterne Rouge

After the race, we were chatting, and she remarked that she didn't think she saw anyone with a 700-number pass by her. Could she have won the 4s race? Sure enough, they did the podium, and there she was on the top step! Quick subcommittee meeting:

Sydney: Why isn't she in our kit?

Elisabeth: We need her in our kit!

[Emily returns from the podium]

Elisabeth: Congratulations! That's awesome! Want to be part of Sheclismo?

Emily: Well, I've "liked" you on Facebook for a long time. Don't I have to be in Lincoln? I'm not getting up at 5 AM for trainer sessions...

Elisabeth: That's too damn early; I don't do that either.

Emily: I'm in!

We cheered on the Cat 3 and Singlespeed men, the highlight of which was heckling our Nebraska guys coming out of the sandpit, threatening slaps on the rear if they didn't go faster. This was particularly fun with Malcolm, all decked out in the Daisy Dukes and a Dolly Parton wig.

Best part of Malcolm's get-up: mimicking the 'cross woman's affinity for tall sox. Photo by Roger Harrison/Lanterne Rouge

It was great to have such a large Nebraska contingent at the race, but it's also been awesome to make new friends through the Midwest CX Stitch series. This weekend, I'm heading to the USGP in Louisville, and then comes our series finale and State Championships at Pioneers Park. Nostalgia abounds...that was my start to racing just two years ago, on a dare. Who are you going to dare into this?

USGP New Belgium Cup

2011-10-11T08:03:00.001-05:00

This weekend, I participated in my first national cycling event, the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross New Belgium Cup in Ft. Collins, CO. To say I had a good time is an understatement. A recap...with photos courtesy of Megan Kaminski Doloto, Anne Savery, and Chris Wolff.

I was adopted for the weekend by the TMCX team for the drive and the weekend, and they really took me in like family. It was awesome. I raced at 8:45 both mornings, and at a large venue with races on course the whole time, warm ups are challenging. (They'd be impossible later on Saturday, as driving cold rain hit...) Matt set me up on a trainer, blocked from the cold northwest wind, and I warmed up the legs and got to feel all pro in my attitude. Being looked out for just plain rules.

After warming up, I headed to the call-up line, cozy down jacket wrapped around me, to get lined up, Matt at the sidelines waiting as long as possible to take my layers. Day 1, I was in the second row of 8. They had both a Category 2/3 Women's and a Category 3/4 Women's race going off together with a 1 minute gap in between, and I was in the 3/4 group as a 4 on the upper edge, testing waters for moving up in category. And there were 28 others with me. After lining up with 5 others last weekend, this was a big, exciting change.

Didn't get the best of starts, but probably made it about 7th or 8th into the holeshot. Then, it was time to settle in to loose, sandy descents and try to hold position. Picking defensive lines came in handy, as I could swing through and pop out of the switchbacks faster than most behind me. It was long climbs on which I struggled. That, and the trail was still really, really bumpy.

So bumpy, in fact, that a not-quite-tight-enough saddle slammed itself down with the nose tilted way up going down a fast descent on the second lap. Crap. Even if I'd had a pit bike, I don't know if I would've stopped for it, since I was in a nice back and forth battle with these ladies. They'd catch me going up hill, and I'd get back on their wheels on straightaways or technical sections. So I ended up doing a lot more standing and pedaling.

This was also my first experience with a flyover. Fun stuff! Run up the stairs on one side, zip down the ramp on the other.

Here's a look at the dry course Saturday morning, with the annoying terrace cutouts. These really kept us from picking up much speed.

And the finish. After being in a battle for 9th/10th, I fell back to 11th by the end of the last lap. Out of 29, I was pretty happy. After all, I was at 5,000 feet of altitude...

After my race Saturday, in which it was just sprinkling, the rain set in for real, making for sloppy and cold races for the TMCX team and Elite races of the day. It never got cold enough to snow, but it rained steadily into the evening. New experience for the morning: mud.

I woke up not at all motivated to race, and quite apprehensive. Now, I know I've been mountain biking for a couple years, and I've been commuting in snow and ice, and on top of that, I have a lucky propensity to somehow stay upright when running into obstacles...but handling muddy conditions in a race situation on skinny tires had me nervous. A little chat with Mark about lines to choose, when to take advantage of grassy sections left, and the fact that the greasiest spots would likely be rerouted, and I was feeling a little better, but still not that great. I summoned this image.

CVO on his birthday riding laps in the D Street Mansion in a Chewbacca costume. Game face. Got on the trainer, put some Freedom Call on my iPod, followed by some Lightning Bolt, changed from the fleece jersey into the black longsleeve, and I was ready to go.

Not as many women took the line on Sunday, and I got a front row spot. Awesome. I wasn't going to blow the start this time. The whistle blew, and I sprinted into the holeshot 4th wheel. Rafal had warned me right before the start that the first turn was really slick, so I let off the gas just briefly when we hit the mud. Good plan. First two women were down, bikes tangled. Third woman went down trying to avoid them. And suddenly, there I was, riding right through the slop and into first place. Whoa. Calm the butterflies and focus. The first section had lots of muddy turns, and I was nailing them, keeping my position and making it hard for the faster riders to get around me. Once we hit the climbs, though, a few popped around me, especially since the uphills were more straight up Sunday, with switchbacks taken out. My lungs were burning, not able to keep up with what I wanted them to do.

I slid into 3rd, then 4th, then 5th. I wanted a top 10 spot today, and with smart riding, I felt like I could do it.

The flyover was crazy on Sunday, since the bottom was full of deep, sloppy ruts. Audible "oh, holy crap" came out of my mouth the first time, which I think amused my photographer superfans. Sliding through it and into the sharp right hand turn felt awesome, though, and I was happy to stay upright the whole race.

After two laps of battling it out for 7th, I ended up in 8th for the day on Sunday. Top ten achieved, lots learned, and then, with better weather, a great day of spectating. By the time the pros raced, the track was worn in like sweet singletrack. Lucky!

Big thanks to all the Nebraskans out there supporting and cheering, congrats to all who took the line and raced, and major thanks to the the Trek Demo Truck for hooking me up with a sweet, super fast Cronus CX demo bike to ride. It made me feel so much faster, I even wheelied it a few times! (Yeah, not intentionally, but it's so light, I couldn't help it.)

Homegrown IV

2011-09-19T21:58:00.004-05:00

SUBMIT!!! ATTEND!!!

Weekend in the Black Hills

2011-09-06T22:46:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, finishing Gravel Worlds got a nice long recap in these pages, and now I'm going to attempt to do justice to my other pinnacle event of the season, the Dakota 5-o. I had heard so many good things about this race last year that when the registration opened in something like March, I set my alarm and signed up, clinching one of the 600 spots. That click of a button would influence my entire mountain bike season, from buying Black Betty to racing in the Marathon class in the Psycowpath race series all summer. Add in my weekly Women of Wednesday ride, where I lead a group of beginner through experienced women in off-road riding, all the gravel riding, and my daily commute and I felt ready to tackle the finest singletrack the Black Hills had to offer.

Saturday course recon & leg spinning with Casey.

Well, that is until we did a little course recon on Saturday. After a nice long drive with Nathan Swanson and Matt Gersib in caravan with Casey Sheppard and CVO on Friday, we settled in to camp and beers by a beautiful little stream in the Spearfish City Campground. Scott Showen had already been in town a couple of days, securing Fort Lincoln just a bit to the west of Camp Omaha. Yeah, we're like that :)

So Saturday morning comes, we sleep in a bit, aided by the crisp fall air, roll in to a yummy burrito place, and then pack up for a ride. Instead of taking the steep 3 mile gravel climb out of town, we decided to drive to the trailhead to hop straight onto the singletrack. No use burning energy the day before a race on stuff you know how to ride without a problem. Though Casey was running support and not racing, she had her bike along, and since I wanted to be extra sure I didn't overdo it, I was happy to ride with her instead of try to keep up with the boys. She's only been riding since the start of the summer, but she is really putting in the effort and the miles.

So we hopped into the singletrack, and were immediately greeted by something Nebraska trails really don't have. Rocks. Lots of rocks. And steep edges along the track. Take a deep breath. Oh wait, altitude. Excitement about the race was quickly replaced with some major apprehension. Can I really do 50 miles of this? And if I'm feeling like this, what the hell must Casey be thinking? The fellas are way ahead, we're all kitted up, and it's time to put on the gameface, ovary up, and ride this thing!

We took it nice and slow, trying to learn to read the lines over the rocks and trust the bike to do what it's built to. This isn't a road bike, after all -- the tires and suspension (which was new to me at the beginning of the year) are meant to deal with this kind of terrain. After awhile, Casey decided she'd had enough of the climbing and told me to go on so I could round out 5 miles out, giving me 10 for the day. We met up with the rest of the crew, descended back to the cars, and headed back to town to get our race numbers.

Tall-bike powered ice cream churn courtesy of the Spearfish Bike Co-op.

The check-in was really well organized, and it never hurts to have beer from the local brewery on sale to ease in the process. I picked up a pint of Crow Peak porter to accompany my fresh-churned vanilla ice cream. If you've never tried a porter float before, I highly recommend it! When we picked up our packets, we were asked if we wanted to start in Wave 1 or 2, basically a split of people in race mode or in tour mode. I had asked several veterans for their advice on placement, and the consensus was to line up at the back of Wave 1 -- those who intend to finish in under 6 hours. After the day's recon, I was far less confident in this decision, but remembered that part of the reason that wave was suggested to me was that in that position, I'd be likely to spend less time caught in traffic with less skilled riders but still wouldn't be in the way of more skilled ones. Good call. We headed back to camp and made dinner, with everyone gearing up for an early night and an early morning.

CVO, chief firemaster

Showen's hat and jacket are an indication of how chilly it got.

Casey & Sarah Johnson fireside, with Gersib and India in the background.

Bedtime, and sleeping was easy in the crisp air. It was getting out of the sleeping bag at 5:30 when it was 39 degrees out that was the hard part! At least the sun came up fast, and since everyone in the campground was moving, it was easier to get going. Soaked muesli in apple juice and a cup of coffee and I was ready to go.

Dressing for the temperature was a little challenging, since we knew the 3 mile climb out of town and the following 7 miles of slowly climbing singletrack would ensure a pretty quick warm up. Still, I didn't want to be cold while waiting at the starting line, so I threw my Sheclismo jacket on over my summer kit, arm warmers, knee warmers, and trusty wool War Axe Socks. Even though I generally dislike wearing it, I chose to go with the Camelbak for this race, knowing that the technical terrain would have me drinking less if I had to reach for bottles, and knowing that a dropped bottle would either mean lots of lost time or a serious hydration problem. Plus, I could stuff my jacket in it until the first aid station where Casey could pick it up.

I lined up next to a few other women who seemed to be employing the same hang-out-at-the-back-of-Wave-1 strategy, and after a little bit of waiting, we were off! A huge field of riders snaking through town and up out of it to the clang of cowbells and the cheers of onlookers bundled in their sleeping bags. Brr! As we went up the gravel, I met Kelly MacWilliams, a super rad woman from Minneapolis who was riding a Day-Glo singlespeed Independent. Hard woman, no doubt, and really nice to boot. I was happy to see her smiling face throughout the day.

We entered the singletrack, and things stopped almost immediately. Though a little bit of a letdown, it gave me the opportunity to grab a couple shot blocks, since I was already feeling the need to eat. We rolled through a good bit of stop and go, coming through a few early walking sections due more to the fact that they weren't rideable with no momentum to get up them. Eventually, though, things evened out a bit, and I felt great following lines through the stuff that had kind of scared the crap out of me the day before.

After the long climb I'd done Saturday, we got into sections beyond what I'd ridden and there was this series of creek crossings down in a valley. More new experiences. I watched the guys in front of me (rocking the Cars-R-Coffins kits) go right through the water and figured the worst that could happen was that I'd fall in the water, right? Worse yet, I could chicken out and let a bunch of people pass me and then get wet feet from walking through it. So I rode across. That was super fun! We crossed another and another, and the woman who had been right on my tail wasn't behind me anymore. In fact, with a few flat pasture sections, I was gaining on people. And my mountain bike, all muddy, looked like a real mountain bike!

Before I knew it, I could hear cowbells and cheering -- the first aid station, 12 miles in. There was a huge crowd, and I spotted Casey in the Cycle Works rasta jacket right away. She and another aid worker got me a banana, a gel, refilled my water and sent me on my way with a huge hug. Then, in what may be the biggest ego boosting highlight of the day, I overheard a guy standing there taking pictures say "that's a crosser" as I remounted my bike. Hell yeah I am! With the weather and the cowbells, I was darn near fooled into thinking I was at a cross race for a moment. Back to singletrack business.

After that aid station, we had some big open pastures to go through, and I felt much more at home, even though the cows alongside these trails had pine trees and aspens to hang out in instead of cottonwoods and cedars. After a bit, we came on a section dubbed Cardiac Climb, and while my 1x10 got me more than halfway up, at a certain point my legs were burning and I had to get off and walk. Luckily, I was in good company, as only one person rode by me. This was steep. After it leveled out a bit, we got on a fire road and headed downhill, and somewhere along the way, following in the dust of a couple guys, we all missed a turn. About a mile and another big steep walking climb later, the singletrack disappeared, and these two guys and another woman I'd been leapfrogging with since just before the aid station and I realized we must be off course.

[INSERT SLOUGH OF PROFANITY HERE]

Back down we went, then back up, across a pasture, and back up the fire road to meet an oncoming field of riders (including Kelly Mac) turning off the road and onto another section of singletrack. At least 20 minutes and a bunch of field position lost there, plus an almost certain goodbye to my ambitious 6 hour goal. I tried to use my frustration productively, but at this point, I was definitely stuck behind riders who were slower than I was, and I wasn't feeling confident about passing on the rocky terrain unless they were moving over. I knew an aid station was coming up and figured I'd just cool my jets behind some folks, but then it was further than I thought (duh, when you take a detour, your bike computer isn't accurate anymore) and I just kind of fumed unproductively, turning the pedals and hoping not to make a stupid mistake.

I pulled in to the second aid station, and as I told Casey and Melissa from Minnesota that I'd gotten lost, they confirmed that I had in fact lost quite a bit of time. Bummer. I'd really never had an idea of where I was in the standings, but whatever it had been, now it was worse. Refocus, re-prioritize, and remember I'm only 22 miles in to a 50 (or now 52?) mile race.

I rolled out and on through another series of beautiful terrain, reminding myself how absolutely beautiful it was and how fortunate I was to get to spend the day riding in this gorgeous country. Both CVO and Rafal were strong proponents of the "just riding around" theory, and I really took that to heart as things got wicked technical! We were riding through pastures again, but these were like pastures on steroids or something. More little creek crossings, tight blind corners, twisty roller coasters around rocks, and little cattle guards to cross kept me on my toes and slightly terrified -- it was a little like riding at Platte River State Park, I'd try to tell myself, but oh-so-much less room for error. I think this was the part where I started telling folks who came up on me that I was a chicken sh*t descender. After this went on for quite awhile, I started getting tired and a little demoralized. Something hit where I just felt like I might burst into tears. Maybe it was the constant fear that I would fall on my face way out in a field? I don't know. Anyway, I rolled into the third aid station in serious need of moral support, and Casey and Melissa delivered. Coconut water, a little shoulder rub, and a lot of encouragement later, and they told me they'd skip the fourth aid station and catch me at the Bacon Station, the last stop before the finish.

I pushed on, more climbs up ahead. At this point, I was actually relishing the climbs, knowing exactly what to do with them and being pleasantly surprised that I was stronger on all but the very steepest ones than I'd expected to be. All the time spent on the 1x10 this year had me trained to push a harder gear than those with granny gear options, so I found myself motoring past folks slowly spinning their way uphill. And after these climbs, there was a sweet reward, a super long stretch of downhill fire road to the next aid station. Now, with my little detour earlier in the day, I was super nervous about missing another turn, so I was keeping my eyes constantly scanning for the little pink ribbons marking the trail, slowing down to make sure I was still on track. Kind of a bummer again, since this was something I felt good doing, though arguably not in anywhere close to that capacity. We simply don't have downhills that go on for that long. At one point, I'm pretty sure I laughed out loud as I looked down and saw my speedometer hit 35mph. On a road bike, that's cool, but on a mountain bike on a dirt road in the forest, that's crazy.

As I rolled in to the fourth aid station, I saw the familiar Elkhorn Valley Cycling kit, and waved to Buddy Houts, one of our local junior racers. It looked like he was getting loaded up into a car, and since this kid is really strong, I knew something bad must've happened. He cheered me on, and it wasn't until the finish that I found out he'd busted his rim. Even worse, his teammate and our other junior Cole Skiba had succumbed to a bad crash himself, hitting his shoulder and ending his race, too. To top it off, they'd been holding on to 1st and 2nd place in the junior division. Next year, guys!

Leaving aid station number four, I saw Kelly Mac again, all smiles. Singlespeeders are awesome. I feel like the 1x10 is a baby step in that direction...

Onward, upward, pedal over pedal. Next up was the Bacon Station, a tradition of bacon and beer handups. I couldn't wait. I had to go through some more gnarly steep hiking and some really loamy forest first, and this was another section of reminding myself just how amazingly different this was from home. It was like videos I'd watched. Cool. I was in a funny group of folks at this point, all people I'd pass going uphill and who'd catch me going down. Occasionally, we'd catch a glimpse out through the trees at the hills across the valley. So gorgeous.

Then the Bacon Station appeared, improv reggae tunes wafting through the trees, and I was ready for a PBR. Mmmmm, delicious beer.

No bacon for this happy vegetarian. Just a PBR and a smile..."only" 12 miles to the finish!

At this point, I knew I was going to finish, and with a smile on my face. The worst of the climbs were done, the mood was awesome at that stop, and Casey took my picture with an "only 12 miles to the finish" caption. I think I said something along the lines of "that's like one way through Wilderness," and totally cracked myself up with how much harder it would actually be.

I left confident, though, and had overheard a couple other riders talking about the upcoming ridge and amazing view. About that ridge. Holy cow, that was some scary, gnarly stuff. I ended up walking a bunch of little rocky switchbacks just because I felt like I might fall on my face if I stayed on the bike. Having one faceplant already this year had me very adamant about not adding another, especially here and now. So I walked and enjoyed the scenery, apologizing for my newbie Nebraskanness to riders coming up behind me.

"Look Back!"

At the end of the ridge, the race organizers had placed a little sign that just said "Look Back!" The photo above, and pretty much the only one I stopped to take, was the view. Absolutely breathtaking, all the more so because I'd accomplished it all on my own humanpower. I took a minute, then got back on the bike and down to business. We had a few descents and one little climb, then a long climb up a gravel road, where I again passed several folks pushing their bikes who'd passed me earlier. I smiled and thanked them as they spit out chagrined cheers of "good job" and "keep it up" -- thanks for the prep, Gravel Worlds!

Then, before we knew it, we were back on the first few miles of singletrack of the day, but this time in reverse. And downhill. WOOOOOOOO! Almost there! I flipped through the turns and over the rocks, recognizing things here and there to know I was getting closer. Then came the gravel roads back in to Spearfish, and I absolutely let loose. After spending the majority of the day in my lowest three gears, I went all the way to the smallest cog and spun out at top speed down the road, passing a few people and grinning like mad. I had done it!

As I came down the pavement into the last turn, there was Ryan Feagan, cheering "Lincoln, Nebraska, represent!!" on the side of the street. I threw up some devil horns, rounded the corner, and tried to keep my cranking momentum through the false flat to the finish. I high-fived some little girls. Yes, chicks can race bikes. I crossed the finish line at 6 hours, 52 minutes, putting me 8th in my age division and 36th for women overall. Mission accomplished.

I can't possibly thank everyone adequately, so if you feel like you might've helped, you probably did. But thanks do go to my teammates on Sheclismo for helping build a supportive women's scene in Lincoln, Joyride/Specialized for the bike, Casey for her outstanding aid station presence, and all the veteran riders from Lincoln and Omaha who've offered advice, support, encouragement, and challenges over the last 16 months. It's hard to believe that it's only been that short of a time ago that I first rode singletrack.

Gravel Worlds Addendum

2011-08-22T21:08:00.003-05:00

My shoes, this morning.

Gravel Worlds 2011

2011-08-21T20:04:00.008-05:00

Sheesh, for a professional photographer, I sure didn't take many photos yesterday. This is definitely attributable to the task at hand, the completion of the Gravel World Championships. If you haven't heard of this, read up. Completing the Pirate Cycling League's Gravel Worlds has been one of my biggest goals of the year. And even though I was in the last group of riders to finish, I wasn't one of the 1/3 of the starters that didn't make it the whole way. Read on for my attempts at a recap!

Early morning, Fletcher full of blinkies heading East.

Headlights and sun on the horizon. Must've been a trip to come upon this sea of 116 cyclists at 6 on a Saturday morning!

After a hot streak that dried out the roads around town to beautiful riding shape, early August in southeastern Nebraska took an unseasonably cool turn. Add a little heat back in, and we had massive thunderstorms the two days before the race. What's that mean? Wet gravel. With added humidity in the air at start time, the roads were power-sucking and soft. Though not technically hard to ride, they sapped more energy than I'm used to expending to keep the pace I wanted to keep. Silver lining? White rock sections early in the day were much more forgiving, as the soft ground gave way for the rocks.

First hike of the day. Oh, County Road B. We became quite familiar, eh?

While the soft gravel may have been ok, the Minimum Maintenance Roads (MMRs) were not. Though we had ridden on a couple dirt sections that had one rideable line before this one, Road B wasn't rideable in the slightest if you were interested in going more than a couple hundred feet. Gravel endurance superstar Janna Vavra (first ever female finisher of TransIowa) offered me this advice Friday night: "If you see people walking up ahead, get off and start walking. If your tires are starting to pick up mud, start walking."

Portage! That's not a very happy face, is it?

And so shoulder my bike I did, dumping off any bits of weight-adding mud I could first. This went on for about 2 miles, with a couple places where pushing the bike in the grass on the side of the road was possible. After riding mostly solo, though, my long legs gave me a chance to catch up with some other riders!

Trying to find bits of grass worth pushing the bike along.

In this area north of Lincoln, the mud is of a pseudo-clay composition. Every bit on your bike made it that much heavier. People who didn't stop soon enough were pulling huge chunks off their bikes.
As we came to the end of this MMR, PCL Pirate Schmidty was directing people to the grassy side of the road to thoroughly scrape off their bikes. As people hit the gravel, he said, he'd witnessed 3 people fall victim to seized, bent or snapped derailleurs at the bottom of the hill.

Kevin Wilkins having to call it a day, snapped derailleur in hand at Valparaiso.

One of the victims was Kevin Wilkins, who was very disappointed to fall from the front of the group to having to call for a ride home. Several people went for makeshift single-speed conversions at this point (and at a point between Valparaiso and Malcolm). Thanks to Janna's advice, a lot of walking, and a very vigilant eye on the cleanliness of my derailleur pulleys, chain, and brakes, however, I stayed geared the whole way!

From the first checkpoint in Valparaiso (38 miles in), I rode solo to the second checkpoint in Malcolm (67 miles). I passed a few more single-speed conversions in progress, walking or riding in the grass in the ditch -- which, while good cyclocross practice, was extraordinarily sapping. 'Cross races are only 45 minutes, and this was an all-day kind of thing!

One great memory from this stretch that I wish I would have stopped to record was a windmill that was making the exact squeaking sound from the opening sequence of Once Upon A Time in the West, one of my favorite films.

I rolled in to Malcolm to a big crowd gathered outside the General Store, leaned up against the wall in the shade and gorging on all sorts of vittles, beers, and sodas. The sun was out, it was starting to get warm, and we were almost halfway through. With my parents' oasis just 10 miles away (and at the formal halfway point), I downed some chips and a Sioux City Sarsaparilla and made my way to the farm with Clint, Russell, and my vet, Mark Falloon.

Mark pulling me South to the Farm on W 98th.

Mark and I had ridden together earlier in the day (he picked great mountain bike lines I could follow on the first dirt roads), but then his pace was faster than I wanted to keep. I was glad to reunite with him for the 10 mile stretch to the oasis. He just rode Leadville last weekend, and I think the altitude was still in his lungs! In addition to being my vet, Mark was also a student of my dad's back in the day, so my parents were all excited to see him when we got to the farm.

My folks knocked it out of the park. Two varieties of homemade pickles, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloupe, and pears from the garden, cucumber water, sodas, beers, and a sprayer hose to clean off dirty bikes. Can't believe Clint was the first to take advantage of that one! Hung out in the shade for a bit and then headed on with Conrad, Carl, and Matt Wills.

Conrad, Carl, and Matt, heading west for the Denton Wall.

The sun was definitely out at this point, and I knew there were some tough climbs ahead. Nothing like we'd had earlier in the day along Ashland road (in what's dubbed the Bohemian Alps, for all the Czech settlers in the area), but one in particular was the steepest climb of the day at 12% grade. Nicknamed the Denton Wall, the thing comes up out of a flat and really does look like a wall. Ouch. Carl and Matt were riding together all day, and while I was near them in the hills, once we got past that, they kept trucking. I was also having some gastro-intestinal issues at that point (not eating normal food for hours while putting your body through this much work is pretty tough on the GI tract), so I was looking for good trees rather than paying attention to the road. This slowed me down considerably, but I knew there was a secret checkpoint oasis in the future...

Clint at the Krull House.

My parents are friends with a fellow named Matt Steinhausen (appropriately, Stone House, auf Deutsch) who owns and is restoring one of the oldest houses in Lancaster County. Named the Krull House after its original resident, Frederick Krull, this beautiful limestone home sits tucked away in the trees off SW 2nd near Roca Road. Skip from War Axe Bicycles was there with scratch-off cards -- I won a pair of War Axe socks! -- beers, and generally good conversation with friends. Several folks who had ridden earlier were hanging out, and more decided that 102 miles was enough and were chilling before getting picked up.

Thank goodness for this!

Yes, that's an honest-to-goodness outhouse, and boy did I need it! It's true, the seats are really smooth from all the people sitting on them over the years. :)

Playful black cat on the side of the road underneath the Jamaica Trail, taken for c-rad.

Onward to Hickman ("Official" checkpoint #3, Mile 115.4), where I was hoping for some more substantial food, having eaten mostly Clif shotblocks, chips, nuts, and some pickles. The roads leading to Hickman weren't too challenging, but the distance was beginning to set in. That, and the back of my left knee was starting to feel really sore. More frustrating for locals, we knew leaving Krull House that we were being sent in the opposite direction of town for a good chunk of miles before turning back toward Hickman. Arrrrgh!

Oak rocking the Long Haul Trucker with a triple crank. Way to spin!

Oak, Scott, and Wes -- who rode his Surly Big Dummy cargo bike the whole way, dude is a machine -- caught me a few miles outside of Hickman and we rolled in to the gas station together. All the pizzas looked meaty, and as it was getting late, I didn't want to wait around for one without, so I grabbed a couple chunks of cheddar cheese and some peanuts and hoped for the best. Lots of folks were making the decision to get a ride or ride on, and with the sun going down behind a big and ominous cloud to the south, it wasn't a good time to chill out.

Also awesome in Hickman was the fact that Kit and Amy had come out and Kit had his bike stand set up doing neutral support for riders, cleaning chains and checking derailleurs. So nice! Amy gave me a big hug, surprised to see me there, and I headed off to the road to move on, thinking I might try to hang with the Wes/Scott/Oak crew. Kim Carveth and Scott Ideen were about to leave too, though, and as I was pulling out, Kim (whom I had been playing leapfrog with all day) asked if I wanted to finish together. I gave her one of the most definitive "Yes" answers I've ever given. Since we'd seen each other all day, it seemed like a really good decision, plus I liked the symbolism of finishing together. Hardcore cycling women rule!

She, Scott, and I pushed eastward into a bit of a headwind, and I quickly realized that I needed to hang on the back to keep up with their pace. Not a problem; we were in this together. When we turned on to a beautiful narrow gravel road -- 19oth/County Line Road -- I remembered riding this last year, when I was first starting to ride with the PCL crew. And I remembered it turned to dirt. Hoping that maybe there was a chance that they didn't get as much rain south of town as north, or that the sunny part of the day had dried things out a bit, I didn't say anything about the oncoming change.

Kim patches a flat on the side of the County Line Road/S. 190th MMR

And it was still totally muddy. At least this time, there was ample grass on the sides, so we didn't really have to shoulder our bikes, but at times, the sides were banked pretty steeply, meaning that feet were on one level and the bike was on another. My shoes were about 3 times as heavy as usual, with mud all filled in to the gaps in my sandals. Pretty gnarly. The hills on this road were pretty steep, too, and it wasn't possible to see where it ended. Kim picked up a flat, likely from the thorn of one of the locust trees on the side of the road. Meanwhile, Scott, who was riding a vintage Panasonic road bike, was having to make multiple stops to clear the mud from his brakes. The sun was going down fast, and we just kept hiking. From our cue sheets, this could be up to 4 miles long. Not fun at 2 mph.

As Kim changed tires, I took a moment to remember the beauty, a little flower stuck to my caked tire.

No photos from here to the finish. After the MMR oh-so-graciously gave way to white rock (never thought I'd be welcoming white rock), we stopped to clean everything off and get ready to ride again. Lo and behold, here come Lucas Orth and Brandon Wachal, who I hadn't seen since Brandon had fallen victim to unexpected single-speed conversion way back before Valpo. They stopped to clean their bikes, and we headed on into the dusk.

As we turned on our lights, I thanked the Bike Gods I'd decided to team up with folks. My rear light had stopped working, making riding gravel and MMRs -- or any roads on a Saturday night, for that matter -- completely unsafe. My front light worked, though, so we decided I'd ride in the front and lead the way, using my mountain bike instinct to find the best line, with Kim and Scott following. Thankfully, we only had a couple short stretches of MMR left, but flying down gravel rollers in the dark is pretty intimidating, too.

At that point, I was so bound to finish that I was riding downhill as fast as I could handle, letting the other two catch me on the climbs. We had one more oasis before the finish, and I convinced the other two that if they were still open, we should stop, at least to let Corey and Troy know that we were on our way to the finish. We stopped, slammed a little food (cold cheese pizza and a beer!), and talked with Schmidty about who we knew was still on course. Since we'd seen Brandon and Lucas recently and they were riding strong, we knew they'd be contenders to finish. Sure enough, a couple minutes later, they rolled up. Kim asked if they wanted to join us to the finish, and the 5 of us rolled out together, 10 miles to go.

Here was another local advantage: the street names were familiar at this point! We'd been just north of Van Dorn, now came A (where a car passed us and stopped, weirdly and at risk of dooring us, and I actually offered her help), then O, then Holdrege, then Adams, and then Havelock. Last turn! We knew we had a little more dirt, but it was all pretty packed down, so as long as you kept the line, it was really nice riding.

I was giddy, hooting and hollering about seeing the lights of Lincoln. Since the start/finish was really on the edge of town, it was dark and gravel until the last 50 yards or so. We saw headlights, and there were Corey and Troy, and my amazing housemates Diane and Liz (who rode 77 miles of the course and another 15 to get home!) waiting to pick me up. So awesome! Big hugs and high fives to the sweaty bikers, and jerseys to Kim, winner of the Masters' (50+ years old) Women Division and Scott, the winner of the Lanterne Rouge, a jersey awarded to the last place finisher of a race.

Huge, huge thanks to all of the PCL crew who helped put on the race. The oases were great, the secret checkpoint was awesome, and there were often folks along the way to monitor the progress of all the riders. Even bigger thanks to Schmidty and his uncle for hanging out late enough for us to come through, and for Corey and Troy being there at the finish. With huge time gaps, it couldn't have been fun to be waiting at the finish, but it made a big, big, deal for those of us who really cared about finishing.

Rarely do race organizers put out so much support and goodwill for the not-so-elite racers at an event. And really, that's what makes something like Gravel Worlds so special. Elite riders always have support and advantages, but this race isn't really about that. It's about pushing your body to the limit and having a crazy adventure on a bunch of minimally traveled roads, seeing the world from a different perspective, taking the impassable route and slogging through it because the cue sheet told you to, chatting with curious locals in the small town convenience stores where you buy your checkpoint Powerball tickets, waving to equally curious farmers along the route, and riding bikes with friends new and old who've come from across the country to explore with you.

2011-08-15T15:04:00.001-05:00

My Week #121

2011-08-15T07:30:00.001-05:00

My Week #121 (August 8 - 14) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

The storm knocked the trees down! When We Stop Counting finally premieres in Omaha! Surprise lilies! Unicycle! Bike Kitchen!

evening gravel

2011-08-09T10:46:00.001-05:00

went out for some easy gravel with mr t last night. gravel worlds is less than 2 weeks away!

Gravel Worlds 2011

2011-07-31T22:25:00.001-05:00

Gravel Worlds 2011 from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Gravel Worlds is an approximately 150-mile gravel endurance race starting and ending in Lincoln, Nebraska, on August 20, 2011, and hosted by the Pirate Cycling League. For more information or to register, visit http://piratecyclingleague.blogspot.com
Video shot and edited by Elisabeth Reinkordt with music by the DK'd Willies, featuring Darin Schlake on vocals.

gravel for dinner

2011-07-26T10:31:00.001-05:00

headed out to the farm last night for dinner with the family & friends from barcelona. gravel worlds is coming up fast, and they'll be an oasis again this year...

My Week #118

2011-07-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

My Week #118 (July 18 - 24) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Guess what? It's still hot. Basement Tour watching, sweltering rides and commutes, and a fantastically executed surprise birthday party for Matt Wills.

My Week #117

2011-07-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

My Week #117 (July 11 - 17) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Feeling hot, hot, hot. Fire alarm testing ruins a morning. Employee of the Year. Midnight in Paris. Brent's back, and calls me out on still doing this.

My Week #116

2011-07-11T07:39:00.001-05:00

My Week #116 (July 4 - 10) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Forgotten memory cards, forgotten camera...the heat is getting to me.

Good Vibes

2011-07-09T06:39:00.002-05:00

Brought 7 women with mountain bikes to Omaha Thursday night. Loving having more rad ladies to tear it up with.

Extreme misogyny or hardcore feminism

2011-07-06T14:11:00.001-05:00

You decide.

You know what's awesome?

2011-07-06T09:08:00.001-05:00

This girl is riding a mountain bike now.

My Week #112

2011-06-12T23:21:00.000-05:00

My Week #112 (June 6 - 12) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Good week! Clearly, the Fox Hole 100 is the pinnacle of it all.

Clouds

2011-06-02T09:49:00.001-05:00

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My Week #110

2011-05-30T14:32:00.001-05:00

My Week #110 (May 23 - 29) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Rainstorms! Three nights in a row watching Carlos, drama in my backyard, a nice wedding, Ryan catches me struggling to start the lawnmower, and Scottapalooza with The Betties.

On my way to work Friday

2011-05-23T07:43:00.001-05:00

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My Week #109

2011-05-23T07:41:00.001-05:00

My Week #109 (May 16 - 22) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Looks like it's training season. And raining season.

Bling Dental

2011-05-11T08:03:00.001-05:00

Really? This sounds really scary, Groupon. Scary, and contradictory.

Summer's on

2011-05-10T17:30:00.001-05:00

Getting ready to head to crit practice in the heat.

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Saturday dinner

2011-04-16T21:00:00.002-05:00

Thanks, Blue Orchid

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You can, too

2011-04-16T14:08:00.000-05:00

via OneEyed Z

New adventures

2011-04-10T00:28:00.001-05:00

Carrying a projection screen by bike. Not really sure if sideways or sticking out the top was better.

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Goodbye, audio cassettes

2011-04-05T10:21:00.001-05:00

While I do have a soft spot for vintage technology, one of my key frustrations at work has been the fact that I have to engineer the broadcast of monthly state board meetings on nearly 20 year old equipment.
No more. Today, the board approved my renovation proposal. 21st century, here we come!

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My Week #102

2011-04-04T22:35:00.001-05:00

My Week #102 (March 28 - April 3) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Sick, sick, sick. Then Clint's Karaoke Hustle/cruise, Sheclismo at the Roller Derby, and a weekend of racing where I left my camera in the car. Thanks to Ryan for the one shot of me racing where he heeds my concern for more water during the marathon and forgets to turn off the camera.

Good Job, Google

2011-04-01T07:49:00.002-05:00

Falling in Love...

2011-03-21T21:17:00.003-05:00

...with a bike and some singletrack in Wilderness. Knowing I'd be leaving town and not riding my new bike for a week, I opted to take her out in the Park after work. What a perfect place to be. I saw at least 10 deer at very close range, enjoyed lots of solace at either slow and meditative or fast and challenging paces, crossed paths with a few other friends on bikes, and generally put myself in a great mood.
We're so lucky to have this tucked right in to the city.

2nd Annual Scrabble Hustle

2011-03-19T10:24:00.003-05:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/29933586"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;A ride mapped on 03/19/2011&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Lincoln, NE"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Lincoln, NE&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

I came in 3rd place in the Scrabble Hustle last night.

At the Bison Trail start, I had a D. At the Sunken Gardens stop, after quickly and successfully spelling "segue," I picked up a Z. At 11th and C, after successfully hopscotching up some stairs in cleats, I picked up an N. Plan A foiled. I snagged a Y at 8th and Van Dorn, then the crucial E at Irvingdale Pool. With a sprint to the finish, I was the third racer to arrive, affording me the all-important triple letter bonus on my Z for the word ZED, 33 points.
Clint had the lead with a first finisher bonus triple word on QUIZ, 63 points.
Ryan, the second finisher, held on fourth place overall with a double word score on ETCH, 18 points.
Coming in in the middle of the pack of racers with the night's only bingo was Brandon, who played VAGINAL for 61 points -- 11 for the word and 50 bonus points for the bingo -- landing him in 2nd place.

Great race, Dan Kroll.

Happy Friday!

2011-03-18T18:18:00.001-05:00

Brought the new ride to Branched Oak for her maiden voyage. Lovely!

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Signs of Spring

2011-03-15T17:21:00.001-05:00

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New aquisition

2011-03-15T11:13:00.001-05:00

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Stalker Alert!!!

2011-03-13T13:50:00.002-05:00

Hello new bike

2011-03-12T15:39:00.001-06:00

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Marketing

2011-03-12T08:34:00.001-06:00

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Adventures in Grammar

2011-03-11T12:37:00.001-06:00

At a gallup office in omaha..

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My Week #97 (February 21 - 27) on Vimeo

2011-02-28T22:30:00.000-06:00

My Week #97 (February 21 - 27) on Vimeo

My Week #97 (February 21 - 27) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

The highlight? Liz Tylander's dance lesson.

My Week 95

2011-02-14T07:43:00.001-06:00

My Week #95 (February 7 - 13) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

From frigid to springlike. Gotta love Nebraska.

Getting out

2011-02-12T20:41:00.004-06:00

Boy, do I love the winter thaw!

After my disappointing end to 'cross season and a longer-than-expected recovery period, I had a lot of trouble getting myself back in gear to put in base miles outside. The fact that we'd had plenty of snow and ice (generally things I really enjoy...well, at least the snow...) kept me gun shy about another crash, and the longer I was gone from group rides, the more I knew I'd fall behind frustrated after wasting a bunch of energy trying to keep up at the start.

No more. Today, Kat, Ryan and I opted for a later start time and a goal of 50-60 gravel miles at a pace we could all maintain for the duration. We rolled out a little before 11 and headed into a SW wind, Cortland in mind for a first stop.

We found gravel roads in beautiful condition, with options for packed smooth middles, a little pea gravel in between tracks, or churningly difficult wet shoulders. Kat needed that slowing power later in the ride when her front brake cable snapped, leaving her relegated to stopping with a pretty worn out back brake. Scary!

Ryan, riding singlespeed, kept a nice crisp pace for us whenever we started slacking. After worrying his gearing would be too low, he ended the ride thinking this will be his Gravel Worlds gear for this year. (Sorry nerds, I don't know the gear ratio and he's not here right now.)

With temperatures fluctuating from the low 40s to the mid 50s, plus a wind cold enough to make wind chill a factor, clothing decisions were a little challenging. I stayed pretty comfy with a silkweight capilene baselayer, wool jersey, wind vest (detachable sleeves came off pretty fast), neck gaiter, wool cap, glove liners and shell gloves, and cozy Craft running tights over my bibs. Wool socks in my winter shoes were toasty!

After exploring uncharted (to us) gravel east of Cortland en route to Hickman, we ended up back at home with 59.59 miles. Nice way to kick off the outdoor training year, and it felt great to do something more on roads where you didn't have to worry about just staying upright on 1-3 inches of pure ice. Bring on the Spring!

In other news, I was able to make this likeness of Hunter S. Thompson during a work professional development activity in which a team of us were given 16 items of which we could choose 6 to keep after surviving a plane crash in the Australian desert. We chose none of these, though we spent a good deal of time considering the Jameson. With 6 of us, though, it wouldn't have gone very far.

Snowy Commute Home

2011-01-11T08:21:00.003-06:00

I got a helmet cam! Time lapse photography with a photo every 5 seconds made for a nice documenting of my commute home on a snowy January evening. I love how the shutter stays open longer as it gets dark. Music by the lovely Snowblink.

Rolling Movie Marathon

2011-01-05T20:39:00.002-06:00

Winter. Cold. Dark. Movies! Watched in the last week:

Inception
The Warriors
SNL Best of Will Ferrell
The Messenger
Pan's Labyrinth
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Let The Right One In
Big Man Japan
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

I think I'm forgetting one...

January begins

2011-01-03T21:49:00.001-06:00

A beautiful short film documenting the New York Christmas Blizzard, followed by Roger Ebert's effusive praise.

"Man in a Blizzard," by Jamie Stuart - Roger Ebert's Journal

Now, where's our snow? I'm tired of this ice that doesn't lend itself to anything fun.

Sheclismo's First Jerseys

2010-12-09T18:21:00.000-06:00

It's Just Fairness, Y'all

2010-12-08T20:51:00.002-06:00

Screening this Thursday

2010-12-06T07:33:00.002-06:00

Haven't had a chance to see When We Stop Counting yet? It will be screening on Thursday the 9th at Indigo Bridge Bookstore at 7 PM.

While I'm on the subject, Brent and I are trying to raise funds to get the film broadcast-ready. If you can spare some extra, please consider donating at this link.

To Be A Superfan

2010-11-26T07:52:00.002-06:00

I'm all packed up to head to Iowa City for Jingle Cross. All year, I've been looking forward to this weekend -- the closest really big race and a chance to line up with a bunch of women in a sport I've really come to love.

Well, I won't be lining up. A crash in last weekend's Lincoln CX left me with a fractured thumb and the inability to grip handlebars -- not exactly OK for 'cross racing. This past week has involved a lot of psychological pain and frustration on top of the physical as I've watched the gnarly bruises develop.

So, this weekend, I'm shifting gears. Trying to take inspiration from CVO, Liz and others, I'm transforming into superfan mode. Best of luck to my Sheclismo teammates Sydney, Kat, and Kimberley, to our honorary member Ryan the singlespeedo, and to all the other Nebraska riders taking the course. I wish I were out there with you, but I'll be happy to heckle you or hand you a drink, too.

My Week #83 (November 15 - 21) on Vimeo

2010-11-22T22:12:00.000-06:00

My Week #83 (November 15 - 21) on Vimeo

My Week #83 (November 15 - 21) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Late fall sets in.

Chip fracture.

2010-11-22T20:51:00.002-06:00

My Week #82 (November 8 - 14) on Vimeo

2010-11-15T08:01:00.000-06:00

My Week #82 (November 8 - 14) on Vimeo

My Week #82 (November 8 - 14) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

It's definitely fall. I love my housemates.

Abandoned Flags

2010-11-08T16:06:00.000-06:00

A little long and a little too heavy on the tracking shots, but it's set to one of my favorite Godspeed songs and with a pretty incredible location, so who cares, really?

via After The Storm - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

My Week #81 (November 1 - 7) on Vimeo

2010-11-07T23:45:00.000-06:00

My Week #81 (November 1 - 7) on Vimeo

My Week #81 (November 1 - 7) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Brent leaves, we vote, I rearrange, I go down in history as (one of?) the only model(s) to put clothes ON on the catwalk, I rehabilitate in Wilderness with Liz, and we celebrate my aunt's birthday.

My Week #78 (October 11 - 17) on Vimeo

2010-10-18T22:55:00.000-05:00

My Week #78 (October 11 - 17) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Cat, lots of work, conspiracy theories, late at work, beer ride, Popeye the cat, and a return to cyclocross at the Boulevard Cup in Kansas City.

My Week #78 (October 11 - 17) on Vimeo

Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center

2010-10-11T23:16:00.001-05:00

Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center

FREE SCREENING: WHEN WE STOP COUNTING
Tuesday, October 26 - 7:00 p.m.

This screening is free and open to the public.

It is in our best interest to educate all children. But what happens when a small town’s school system suddenly becomes 50% minority? Crete Public Schools, in Crete, Nebraska, has an answer. When We Stop Counting follows six Hispanic high school students, living their personal struggles and triumphs while bearing the pressure of their parents’ backbreaking sacrifice in hopes of achieving the American Dream.

Administrators, faculty and scholars examine how schools serve both students and the community, while students themselves record their own footage of experiences at school, at home, at work and at play. When We Stop Counting humanizes the issues of education, immigration, and most importantly, our future.

Shot, directed and produced by:
Brent Meier, El Centro de las Américas
Elisabeth Reinkordt, Nebraska Department of Education

Premiere of When We Stop Counting

2010-10-08T08:51:00.003-05:00

Facebook | Premiere of When We Stop Counting

Please join us at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center on October 26th at 7 PM for the premiere of When We Stop Counting.

Students and directors Brent Meier and Elisabeth Reinkordt will be answering questions following the screening.

The film will also be premiering in Crete at Doane College's Heckman Auditorium on Thursday, October 28th, also at 7 PM.

Trailer

2010-10-04T23:40:00.003-05:00

A year and a half in the making...

"Three Bullets" by Kill County on Vimeo

2010-10-03T20:48:00.000-05:00

"Three Bullets" by Kill County on Vimeo

"Three Bullets" by Kill County from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Music video for Kill County's song "Three Bullets." Written and performed by Andy "Ringo" Witkowski and Josh Holstein. Shot, directed, and edited by Elisabeth Reinkordt. The Man played by Patrick Sands.

Hear Nebraska - Homegrown Film Fest puts local music videos on the big screen for Lincoln Calling

2010-09-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hear Nebraska - Homegrown Film Fest puts local music videos on the big screen for Lincoln Calling

Thanks, all. This was really great.

My Week #75 (September 20 - 26) on Vimeo

2010-09-27T07:22:00.000-05:00

My Week #75 (September 20 - 26) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Editing, premiering the trailer, more cx practice, WWASH, fall Saturday spent working, and my brother's rally cross race followed by a Kill County show on Sunday.

My Week #75 (September 20 - 26) on Vimeo

Bacon Danger

2010-09-20T07:16:00.002-05:00

For the first time all year, I made it on the Bacon Ride. Look how angry that power is.

It was potentially the last one of the year, so Lincoln and Omaha groups set out to meet at Platte for a bacon show-down. Gersib represented for the Lincoln crew, taking on Omaha's Rafal. This face indicates he won. 13 pieces of bacon, plus sausages, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and who knows what else.

The MoPac east of Eagle looked just like the Pacific Northwest. It was misty, chilly, covered in leaves, and very pretty. Welcome, Fall!

Women New To Cycling in NYC

2010-09-19T15:22:00.001-05:00

Women In Motion: New Lady Riders Reflect on NYC Cycling on Vimeo

Women In Motion: New Lady Riders Reflect on NYC Cycling from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

This is a great, great video. So powerful. While finding veteran female cyclists would have been easy, finding those new to it makes encouraging others who haven't taken the plunge far more likely!

Yes, Starlings! Yes!: Book Proposal for Broadway Books

2010-09-14T23:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, Starlings! Yes!: Book Proposal for Broadway Books

Mathias, I love you.

My Week #72 (August 30 - September 5) on Vimeo

2010-09-06T15:12:00.000-05:00

My Week #72 (August 30 - September 5) on Vimeo

My Week #72 (August 30 - September 5) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Housemate bike commute, Cuba, press-grabbing board meetings, cross practice, rainstorms, exploring the old fairgrounds, Monkey Wrench's grand opening, Liz's birthday, Sheclismo's first group ride, Ryan's new Fisticuff's test ride, football season opener, Wilderness trail maintenance, and singletrack at Branched Oak.

Bien Rica

2010-09-06T13:35:00.005-05:00

In addition to meals, in the last two days, the members of my house have made yogurt, cucumber lemonade, multiple varieties of hummus, gazpacho, dried apples, and more.

I think we've settled on an appropriate name for the house: Casa Bien Rica. Stop by for food sometime.

Sheclismo First Ride

2010-09-04T15:22:00.003-05:00

There is an exciting little development in my cycling life. It involves the beginnings of an all-women's cycling team. We're called Sheclismo. It's an Italian bike pun. Yeah, I had a hand in that.

This morning, we had our first group ride. Though it was billed as a road ride, enough of us were into 'cross that we made a stop at Van Dorn Park to ride the course there.

After that, we hit a bit of gravel and then the road. Sydney did a fantastic job explaining exactly what we should be doing, where we should ride, what to do if we couldn't keep up, and how to work best with changes in wind direction.

Unlike some group rides I've been on with guys, where you're trying to figure out these techniques being shouted at you while you're riding and still trying to keep up, we'd stop on the side of the road to discuss. Here, Sydney found some pebbles to make a diagram of echelon formation and how the riders move.

Another cyclist passed by while we were doing this, asking if we needed any help. "Nope," we said, and "see you soon," we thought, knowing the speed we'd pick up if doing this properly.

There was a stretch along Roca Road where we were in a crosswind, constantly rotating, and I've never felt so good riding with others. We were flying, working together, communicating verbally and non-verbally -- as we pulled in to Roca, all with smiles on our faces, Sydney said she'd never seen a group pick things up this fast.

Though several people had to peel off earlier, Sydney, Kat, Liz and I went out through Bennett. Even though I've been doing this for a year and change now, I think I learned more today than in all that time combined. More importantly, I think I learned things I can retain, and I left with a fantastically positive feeling about it all.

Viva Sheclismo!

In The Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don't Give A Shit? | The Onion - America's Finest News Source | Onion News Network

2010-08-30T21:56:00.000-05:00

In The Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don't Give A Shit? | The Onion - America's Finest News Source | Onion News Network

In The Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don't Give A Shit?

My Week #71 (August 23 - 29) on Vimeo

2010-08-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

My Week #71 (August 23 - 29) on Vimeo

My Week #71 (August 23 - 29) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Exploring overgrown Wilderness, lots of work on the Kill County video, a press conference in the bowels of NET, a brief visit with folks assembling wedding programs, a night of camping to finish the music video shoot, and a weekend of housecleaning.

Adventures in Word Verification

2010-08-26T17:44:00.000-05:00

Miniature Art on the Tip of Pencil by Dalton Ghetti

2010-08-22T09:40:00.002-05:00

Miniature Art on the Tip of Pencil by Dalton Ghetti

These are beyond amazing.

Fabulous Mash-up

2010-08-22T09:35:00.000-05:00

Wow, think I'm going to have to get this...

App Of The Day - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Overboard, perhaps

2010-08-20T08:35:00.003-05:00

I think this may be a little beyond "naked"

Marcel the Shell

2010-08-17T17:20:00.001-05:00

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

Love it

2010-08-16T19:37:00.001-05:00

And I'm supposed to do what now?

2010-08-12T17:45:00.002-05:00

I've been putting off yard work because it's so hot out. Today I have time. Hmmph.

In other news,

Now that would make good television

2010-08-06T08:08:00.001-05:00

"The only person qualified to interview Sarah Palin on national television is Judge Judy. She has experience with blizzards of lies and non-sequiturs."
-Andrew Sullivan

My Week #67 (July 26 - August 1) on Vimeo

2010-08-03T07:46:00.000-05:00

My Week #67 (July 26 - August 1) on Vimeo

My Week #67 (July 26 - August 1) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

This week was really just a lead-up to a lovely weekend in Philadelphia.

Gravel Worlds Video Recon

2010-07-29T07:55:00.004-05:00

The Good Life Gravel Adventure/Gravel Worlds is only a few weeks away. Sunday, I went out with some of the crew to shoot video promoting the event.

Sometimes, you find lounging furniture. Is this a dump or a hangout spot?

Or just stadium seating for wheelie contests?

Gravel grinders are all about where the pavement ends.

The weather was perfect, and shadows were a perfect length, too.

Curvy little bits of gravel close to town, shade and sun.

The PCL looks nice and intimidating in this silhouette.

At the top of the Denton Wall. 11% grade on this climb.

Fob climbs the wall. I swear there's no way to capture how steep this is in a photo. Get out and ride it yourself!

My Week #66 (July 19 - 25) on Vimeo

2010-07-25T22:56:00.000-05:00

My Week #66 (July 19 - 25) on Vimeo

My Week #66 (July 19 - 25) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Scrabble, editing, soccer, TdF, Tilly, FAC in Havelock, and gravel, gravel, gravel.

MICMACS

2010-07-25T19:56:00.000-05:00

MICMACS | A Film By Jean–Pierre Jeunet, the director of Amelie is playing at The Ross right now. It's really great! My whole family went to see it this afternoon, and we were all laughing. I'd consider that a testament.

20 inch Mountain Bike

2010-07-24T19:26:00.001-05:00

This is certainly the strangest looking Mountain Bike I've ever seen.

20 inch Mountain Bike

Cows & Cows & Cows

2010-07-24T18:13:00.001-05:00

Perhaps I find this particularly hilarious because I grew up with them...

Mental Health Break - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

My Week #65 (July 12 - 18) on Vimeo

2010-07-19T07:19:00.000-05:00

My Week #65 (July 12 - 18) on Vimeo

My Week #65 (July 12 - 18) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Rain brings toads; Mom picks flowers; the Department finally gets the new logo approved; it's really hot and my Dad gets the new gutters installed on my house just in time for a downpour; there is a hustle; I combat houseflies; we become Champions; Butler and the Gentlemen release a CD; the big men of the road enter the Pyrenees.

The Lichen + Screen Ink + MLGI

2010-07-14T17:14:00.000-05:00

The Hyphae Series - Screen Ink. from the lichen on Vimeo.

My Week #64 (July 5 - 11) on Vimeo

2010-07-12T18:03:00.000-05:00

My Week #64 (July 5 - 11) on Vimeo

My Week #64 (July 5 - 11) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Did I mention I ride bicycles?

My Week #63 (June 28 - July 4) on Vimeo

2010-07-06T22:08:00.000-05:00

My Week #63 (June 28 - July 4) on Vimeo

My Week #63 (June 28 - July 4) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Riding, purifying, cracker pushing, sports watching, puppifying, vuvuzelaing and independence-celebrating.

Read the whole sign

2010-07-06T22:06:00.001-05:00

Colbert Bait - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Obama's Weekly Video Addresses Becoming Increasingly Avant-Garde | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

2010-07-03T19:10:00.000-05:00

Obama's Weekly Video Addresses Becoming Increasingly Avant-Garde | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Weekly Address: Jobs Creation from White House Weekly Address on Vimeo.

Some Laws

2010-07-01T07:11:00.000-05:00

Via AHTBM:

"In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, written by a US man, and posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's
Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that
knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend
the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that
Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination ... End of
debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other
elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male
and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A
friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not
Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned
in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a
fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is
in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem
is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it
creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my
neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I
smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath.
Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally
obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is
an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than
homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there
'degrees' of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if
I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading
glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some
wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the
hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by
Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig
makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing
garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester
blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really
necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town
together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to
death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep
with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy
considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and
unchanging.

Your adoring fan.
James M. Kauffman,
Ed.D. Professor Emeritus,
Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education
University of Virginia

PS (It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadian)"

Best Portrait

2010-07-01T06:50:00.003-05:00

This photo sums me up in so many ways. Thanks to the nice stranger who was there to step in as I tried self-portraiture after riding 100 miles.

jet lev

2010-06-30T08:08:00.000-05:00

rad dudes

Thanks, Bro

2010-06-21T07:56:00.002-05:00

My brother sends me semi-weekly e-mails full of bike-related photos. It's really great.

Gravel Grinders: Rough, Life-changing Bike Races - Into the GOOD Wide Open - GOOD

2010-06-20T10:27:00.000-05:00

Gravel Grinders: Rough, Life-changing Bike Races - Into the GOOD Wide Open - GOOD

Way to represent, Lincoln.