Air Force Cycling Classic

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: Air Force Cycling Classic, Day 1 - Clarendon Cup The Course: 50 laps The Field: Pro women The Finish: 7th My teammate Leah Guloien and I represented Team Colavita last weekend at the NCC Air Force Cycling Classic while the rest of the team raced the NCC Tulsa Tough. After so much travel, I was excited to be at home for a few days and racing in familiar territory. The field was an interesting mix, with several solo and pairs of riders from pro teams like Exergy and Vanderkitten, super sprinter Laura Van Gilder, a number of strong regional riders, and a full squad from Team Tibco. Leah and I suspected the biggest challenge would come from trying to stay on top of Tibco’s tactics without burning ourselves out. The race went exactly as anticipated. Tibco launched one attack after another from the start; with six riders, they could afford to burn ...continue reading.

“I heard that you refused to leave the race.”

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic The Course: 5 laps of a 12-mile course, finishing at the top of the Manayunk Wall The Field: Pro women The Finish: Right next to Freddy Rodriguez Oh, Philly. What a day. When the Liberty Classic race was cancelled earlier this year, I was crushed. It was a great race - one of the few UCI events on my schedule with the added bonus of being a 3-hour drive from my house. Then it was revived as the Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic, with a slightly modified course and equal prize money for the women. I was thrilled. When I was at a race press conference last Thursday, it was all I could do to keep from grabbing the microphone to babble about my gratitude and how awesome it was that people had come together to save the race. Instead I grabbed the microphone and babbled ...continue reading.

Nationals

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: USA Cycling Professional National Championships The Course: 63.1 miles, including 2 trips over Lookout Mountain (a steep 3-mile climb) The Field: Pro women The Finish: 32nd Nationals was held over Memorial Day weekend in Chattanooga, TN. I didn't get around to doing a race report and now there's the Philly race to write about, so this will be quick. It was a tough day. I was still dealing with a cold-like virus that left me uncomfortable, and I hadn't managed my work/cycling balance well during the previous week, which meant a lot of unnecessary stress. It wasn't a good combination and it showed in my riding. My mental game was weak and I cracked a bit on the 3-mile climb. I didn't push as hard as I should have and let gaps open that proved too much to close. It wasn't a terrible day and my performance wasn't hugely disappointing, but it ...continue reading.

Time Trials and Tribulations

Posted on by Lindsay
Upon leaving Gatineau last Sunday, the team sent me home with a time trial (TT) bike to build up and practice riding, specifically in preparation for the TT at Nationals this Saturday. Since I’d never ridden a TT bike before, I was eager to set it up as soon as possible and start dialing it in. Because clearly three days of practice was going to be enough for me to CRUSH it at Nationals. The bike was ready on Wednesday. Well, ready is a strong word. The bike was able to roll forward (sort of) and be pedaled (with some effort). Andrew labored intensively to build it but ran into a number of minor issues that had to be set aside in favor of getting me on the bike as quickly as possible. When I set out for the inaugural ride that morning, the shifting was temperamental, the fit was ...continue reading.

Bobsled Time!

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: UCI Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau The Course: 12 laps of a 10km rolling course The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: Laura finished 5th, I finished 9th The night before Gatineau, my mother said goodnight to Jen and me in our shared hotel room and started to offer words of wisdom and inspiration. It was late, the lights were out, I was punchy from nerves, and suddenly I had the urge to call out into the darkness, “Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get up now, it’s bobsled time!” I knew my mother would get the reference, but was thrilled when Jen followed immediately with “COOL RUNNINGS!” I warmed up on the course and practiced taking the full roundabout just before the finish at speed so I knew what to expect come race time. Staging was uneventful – with 74 starters and a smooth 120k ahead, it didn’t feel critical to elbow my ...continue reading.

Oh, Canada: Getting ready for Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau

Posted on by Lindsay
[caption id="attachment_4270" align="alignnone" width="614"] Every professional cyclist has their mom drive them to another country to race, right? Here we are just after crossing the Canadian border. I was stupidly caught off guard by the instant cessation of easy cell phone service, to the point of wanting to squeak in panic, "Wait, can we just go back to America for one more second? I need to tweet."[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4272" align="alignnone" width="614"] Team territory outside the race hotel in Gatineau. It's fun to see how we all play so nicely when we're not actually wearing numbers and bumping elbows.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4273" align="alignnone" width="520"] You don't take your coffee and croissant on a porcelain saucer while eating in a parking lot?[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4271" align="alignnone" width="612"] Trying to be equally prim while waiting to pre-ride.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4279" align="alignnone" width="590"] My first UCI team presentation. We were situated slightly off center at first, so ...continue reading.