2011 Bike Racing Year in Review...

And just like that, aside from some random PIR's till the end of the month, I am done with a season of bike racing that has lasted since February. Really, I am happy to hang up the road bike for a bit and spend my weekends camping, hiking, surfing, and doing other stuff till cross rears it's muddy head in October. Granted, cross races actually start up next weekend, but I need a break. I know it may seem odd, since I spend so much time on the bike, especially in the summer, but my soul doesn't live on the bike. No, my soul plays in the woods, it climbs the mountains and it floats in the icy cold rivers of this land. And... it's been calling and calling and calling all summer long and I can't just keep not answering. Granted, I've satiated it here and there, teased it with a dabbling of camping and surfing over a weekend, but it needs more. I need more. So, with only a few weeks of summer left till the rains come again - I take off into the woods. Well, I still have to go to work and do other things on the edges, but I vow to get outside come the weekend.

2011

All in all though, I just wanted to re-cap on what a great year it has been since I started racing back in February. Actually, let me just recap on what a great year it has been since I joined Ironclad. Yes, yes... this may seem like such a shameless plug for my team, but really... they are quite awesome. I mean, yeah they race bikes well, but more importantly, they are fun, kind and considerate people. They are folks you actually want to spend time around where it doesn't feel like a chore. It's a team in almost every aspect of the word... something that I was solely missing on my former bike racing squad. And when it comes to bikes, it's nice to show up to a race and have people to race with, not just people that you are competing against. You can lay out a plan prior and actually see it come to fruition. Somedays you do the work, some days your teammates are there to help you. In the end, everyone wins.

On that note, I'd just like to thank my teammates for helping me achieve my two main goals of the season:

1) Winning a month at PIR (I actually ended up winning two back to back months)

2) Podiuming at Crit State Champs (I got second in the Cat 3's)

RACES OF NOTE:

April 2: Cherry Blossom Crit, Cat 3, 4th place

This was the largest field I ever face all year, especially with everyone being in the same Category, there were 36 riders in this one and it came down to a close sprint at the line with me just missing out on a podium by a narrow margin for 4th place. I had podiumed the year prior and really wanted to again, especially since this crit is really the only reason I race the Cherry Blossom Stage Race... but oh well.

July 16th, Ironclad Crit, Cat 3, 1st place

Thanks to Ironclad for scoring Cat3's separately. Once again a narrow 4th place across the line over all, but when it comes to scoring... I'll take 1st for the 3's. It was a fun race with Ironclad leading out the charges on all accounts.

July 30th, Gresham Crit, Sr Women, 3rd place

I've normally hated this race, I have no idea why, but this year it was pretty kind to me. I think because prior I hadn't raced the Franz Crit and now I really do have an appreciation for flat courses. Anyways, early on Bri and Emily got in a break so it was just up to the rest of us to see who'd take the sprint across the line for 3rd. And really, I like these kind of races... the bunch sprint at the end. It keeps it exciting. So, needless to say I played my cards right and came up with the bunch win. Woo!

August 13th, OBRA (Oregon State Championship) Crit, Cat 3, 2nd place.

This was another race where Bri just went for a break off the front with one other person and it came down to a bunch sprint for the remaining places. Anna did a lot of work up front leading me out but Emily had an amazing punch around the last corner and beat me to the line for first. Once again, I was the fourth across the line overall, but when scored separately for Cat3's, I got 2nd, achieving my goal of podiuming at States. check.

And then there is PIR:

8/15: Monday PIR, 3rd

7/25: Monday PIR, 2nd

7/18: Monday PIR, 1st

7/11: Monday PIR, 1st

6/27: Monday PIR, 1st

6/20: Monday PIR, 4th

6/13: Monday PIR, 2nd

6/6: Monday PIR, 3rd

2012

Another goal I had for 2011 was to upgrade to Cat 2, which I think I could do at this point, the jury is still out... but I think I'll hang in there as a Cat 3 through the 2012 spring season since I really have no desire to race the longer milage road race season as a Cat 2 (Cat 3's will race 50 miles, Cat 2's will race 70+). I mean really, I'm just in for the crits which mostly, Cat 3's race with the 1/2's... so there is no difference, but it's nice to know for planning purposes. As well, I can do more to help my other Cat 3 teammates on the road than I can our Cat 2's, and we have some newer Cat 3's that I look forward to protecting and working for come spring. Basically, when it comes to the spring season, I will try my best to work my ass off for you till I get popped off on a hill, get lost, and have some lumberjack take me back to my car.

I think I'll also make it a goal to work on more tactical things and aspects of the sport for 2012 and perhaps, overcome my wariness of doing any race that has an incline in it. I had also wanted to make it out to the track a little more this year, but my need to spend time outdoors and desire to see my friends, family and loved ones on occasion, outweighed the track when it was all said and done. So, maybe next year I'll make it a point to make it to more track events and figure out how to do Madisons.

However, till then I have some camping to do, some cross races to get muddy in, some snowboarding, and some traveling to middle earth... they'll be plenty of time for racing bikes later.