Giant Canada/Team Whistler

tracktracktracktrack

2008-07-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Laura, Jenny, and Myself travelled to Seattle this past weekend for some track. The highlights of the weekend were frist time ride team pursuit, and the madison, and seeing winter training partner Kele.
so here are some shots...

blowing my way through white rock

2008-07-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

me and the mayor...
I started out the Tour de White Rock with the mind set to hang on to the leaders as long as i could. I knew before the race that this course is not necessarily the best viking course, with all those hills involved, but i was going to see what i could do. And thats what i did. After the field was whittled down to 15 riders or so, with one jazzy apple up the road, it was a fight. After getting dropped from the small pack nearly every climb on every lap, and with the help of Jess i would make contact with the chasers after every feed zone. On last lap after making contact for the last time, i knew it was going to be good for me. so i set myself up for the sprint finish. Jess was amazing and made sure to keep the pace high. I was a little pinched in but managed to wiggle my way out and sprint to a 3rd place. No way.

White Rock Criterium

2008-07-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

It was a busy week of racing and our team rode hard and we had consistent success. With two races to go legs were definitely starting to feel tired and our team was slightly down in numbers and one of our top sprinters at home sick. The weather was perfect all week and it was the same for the crit. As we lined up against some top teams and riders we played a big role in the race. Moriah set a hard, fast pace and Laura was on top of some key moves making sure that no dangerous attacks went off the front. There was some attrition with the slight hill on the backside dropping some riders, but for the most part the race stayed together and no breaks were successful. I had some confidence issues after a pretty good crash at Delta the weekend before, but was able to get to the front midway during the race to help pull a potentially dangerous attack back to the field. Steph made it into the next break and I thought (and I think a few other people thought) it would stay away, but a strong group of girls pulled it back and it ended up as a bunch sprint. Steph Roorda, after working hard to get into the break, sprinted to 5th place. She was impressive in all the crits and I was really proud of her on sunday in the road race. The hills were relentless and persistence paid off. She was 3rd in the road race. Congrats Steph! Congratulations to the Giant Whistler team. We rode well and had great results. A big thank you to Jeremy for all his time and effort as well as Local Ride for their technical expertise! It was a fun week!! Gotta love bike racing:)

Tour de White Rock Homelife Hill Climb - Moriah MacGregor

2008-07-21T19:52:00.001-07:00

With clear skies and sun pouring down White Rock scores a perfect 10 as a bike race venue. Friday night witnessed the kick off of the 29th annual Tour de White Rock, opened with a leg wrenching 700-meter climb up Buena Vista Avenue. Competitors race 2-up from the base of the 3-part climb, departing at 1-minute intervals; the top 5 times repeat in a head to head battle for the podium. Despite the effort being short, between 2 and 3 minutes, it is imperative to pace oneself in order to be able to handle the up to 16% grades encountered ½ way through.

Giant Canada/ Team Whistler put fourth a healthy showing with Steph Rooda narrowly missing the top 5, followed by solid rides from Shani, Jen, Moriah and Laura. Jenny Trew encountered some bad luck picking up a stomach bug that would keep her out of competition for the rest of the weekend. Jess rested her injured arm, providing support from the sidelines.

With legs opened and spirits high look for the Giant/Team Whistler girls to be tearing it up in the final 2 events of BC Superweek! And don’t forget your sunscreen!!

Giro di Burnaby - by Jenny Trew

2008-07-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Thursday night saw my second night back in Giant colours after a successful weekend at Delta. I was personally pretty pumped to be heading to our local Giro with the girls as we were rather successful here last year and I really like the course: an 8 corner crit with a fast downhill finish. Going into the race I felt we had a really good chance of making the podium and I, for one, was looking forward to honing out my leadout skills for Steph and Lisa - who has returned to super form!
We were really active in the race - definately a force to be reckoned with as we continually threw riders off the front. The most notably attempts were those made by Pickle and Steph, the latter of which was out front for a good amount of time on a very windy and lonely course. I'd also like to give Laura Brown a notable mention for riding as an excellent teammate - most specifically for one point in the race when Gina was going for a flyer but didn't make it much off the front of the pack due to a very strong effort by Downtown.
As the race wound down into the final laps, Lisa and I hovered around the front and she did a good job of sticking to my wheel like glue. The leadouts started relatively early and with four corners to go, Cheerwine decided that they didn't want to be on the front anymore...which left me there! I hesitated for a second, but then I ramped it up and then jumped coming out of the second to last corner (hoping that Lisa was still there!) I accelerated through the final corner as fast as I could and swept it wide so that people could only pass on my left. The first rider to smoke past me on her way to the finish was Kelly Benjamin of Cheerwine - who managed to hold her lead until the finish. She was closely followed by the speedy clump of Gina Grain (Webcor) and Ruth Corset (Jazz Apple) and our very own Lisa Howard, in that order. Lisa did very commendably - considering that the hree on the podium are full time bike racers! Steph also put in a killer sprint to cross the line in 6th (possibly going the fastest!) but she had unfortunately been shuffled back a little earlier in the final lap.
All in all it was another strong day - with lessons to improve upon - for the Giant squad. I love this team!

2008-07-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

GASTOWN

2008-07-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

Lisa came away with her 4th time 5th placing at the Tour de Gastown Wednesday night. Pretty amazing considering a stage of pro riders who will be heading to the Olympics in a few weeks! The Giant locals road incredibly strong throughout the race by chasing down attacks and keeping our sprinters protected. Jess road an amazing race as she was still suffering from the crash at the Delta Crit with a mangled arm.

Of course, once again Ian and Dave treated us like queens and Jeremy and Jenelle were key in directing the race.

Ladner Lehigh Cement Criterium

2008-07-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

As expected the second race of super week was fast and full on!
With 3 wide open corners the pace was high from the gun with only a momentary res bit provided by the tight final corner. The Giant/Whistler girls were keeping it interesting at the front of the pack until 20 minutes in when a particular fluky crash brought down some of the horsepower... but fear not! The remainder of the girls wasted no time moving up and covering the gaps in the pack. The second half of the race was a series of attacks and counterattacks by both Giant and the strong visiting teams ( jazz apple from new Zealand and Cheerwine from the states) with the final lap coming down to a bunch sprint that saw Giant's Lisa Howard on the podium in 3rd place. GOOD JOB GIRLS

SUPERweek has arrived! Tour de Delta Prologue

2008-07-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

BC Superweek kicked off with the Tour de Delta from July 11-13. The Prologue was located in the heart of downtown Delta. There was 43 women from all over - New Zealand's Jazz Apples, Cheerwine Pro Cycling and ValueAct Capital just to name a few. Riders went flying down the start ramp every 30 seconds in attempts to set the fastest time. The course was about 3km long with four corners, one roundabout, and a short uphill finish. No pacing involved in this race folks - you go out hard and in the words of Elmar, you maintain that "I cant stand it speed." Our team had some fantastic results!! Downtown (me) landed on the podium in 2nd place - 0.42 seconds away from the win by Ruth Corset of Jazz Apples. The Viking (Steph Roorda) placed 4th, 4 seconds back from the winning time. We had girls in 6th, 7th, and 8th place (guest riders Moriah Macgregor and Jenny Trew, and our very own Doc Howard respectively). Saturday is the criterium and the Giant/Whistler team was in good standing and looking good.

Yaletown Grand Prix

2008-07-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

It all started with a bird. A pigeon with very good aim that is. Covered in bird shit on Monday while searching for an internet cafe to register for Yaletown the following day, my buddy Mike informed me, "Thats good luck you know". Road racing requires a little luck and I got a whole crap load of that at the Yaletown Grand Prix.

Yaletown was hard from the start, thanks to Jenn who drove the first 4 laps and busted the race apart. At about 20 laps to go Gillian from Total Restoration attacked and I went with her. We got into a good rhythm of pulling 1/2 laps each and agreed to split the primes to maintain cohesiveness. At 8 laps to go I knew we had it and began getting excited. With 2 corners left I attacked, but went to the outside with not quite enough uumph to go first into the last turn which is the position I knew I had to be to take it. Sometimes a break works and sometimes it doesn't. Glad this one did!Back in the bunch sprint, Lisa won the sprint securing third for the team.

A very, very big thanks to Ian for looking after my dog Angus during the race! And to all our support from Team Whistler, Giant, and the Local Ride!! We Giant/ Team Whistler girls are so lucky!!

Banff Stage Race

2008-06-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

Three Giant Girls and one guest rider headed down to Banff for some good competition and a fun road trip. I started the weekend off with slightly lack luster time trial. I didn't feel 100% all weekend, in fact it was a bit of a struggle. But I kept it together, making an attack in the crit which stuck for the majority of the race and my three teammates putting in a great finish to seal our reputation as being an aggressive crit team. I had numerous people coming up to me after the race saying it was great fun to watch because there were attacks and chases and counter attacks. That was fun, I was still suffering though! The morning of the road race there was pouring rain. It was an early morning after a really late crit. The course was 4 laps with 3 significant climbs per lap. The selection was made relatively early. There were eight riders in the break, two pros, Lisa and I as well as two Total Restoration riders. The pace was hard on the climbs and the flats with Tara Whitten driving the pace on the flat and Julie Beveridge on the hills. Again I was not feeling well at the start of the race but climbing well. On the third lap I knew I needed something to eat, but after looking in my jersey I realized I didn't have anything. I made it up the last big climb and thought it would be okay. But my legs seized up a bit on the shorter steeper climb and I thought I was going to stop dead in my tracks on the last kicker! I ended up 6th in the road race, which bumped me up to 4th overall in the GC. All in all it was a fun weekend. I was able to bring my daughter to the race who made friends with everyone in Banff!! A big thank you to Laura's parents as well as the girls on the team, who made it easy to have Scarlett on the trip. Stay tuned for some upcoming crits and then Superweek!!

Banff Stage Race - Stage 1: ITT

2008-06-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Lisa Howard, Jessica Hannah, and myself, along with guest rider Marie-Claude Gagnon, hit the road early Friday morning - Alberta bound! After having traveled about 850km from Vancouver and spending over 10 hours in my van singing along to songs by The New Pornographers and the Lion King soundtrack, we finally arrived in one of the most spectacular places on Earth. We all felt pretty lucky and excited to be racing in a national park at the Banff Bike Fest '08. The racing kicked off Saturday morning with a hilly 21 km ITT, which started in the town of Banff and proceeded to loop around Lake Minnewanka. The scenery of this time trial was as breath taking as the effort...there was a leg/lung burner of a climb up to the lake followed by a ripping, winding fast decent. Wildlife crossings were also present. Despite having driven from sea level to some 1400m the day before, the women of Giant Bicycles/Team Whistler were able to put out some fast times and solid results. Downtown (me) finished the time trial 1:10 behind eventual stage race winner Julie Beverage (Aaron's Women's Pro Cycling Team) and landed in 4th. The Hannibal (Jessica Hannah) placed 6th and Doc (Lisa Howard) placed 8th. The criterium was being held the same day almost 12 hours after the time trial so off to lunch, naps, and butt-kicking prep we went!

Banff Stage Race - Stage 2: Criterium

2008-06-23T20:40:00.001-07:00

The Giant gals went into the crit with their star TTer 'Downtown' Laura Brown in 4th place in the GC, with Jessica 'Hannibal' Hannah within striking distance of 5th place GC, 4 seconds behind Total Restoration's Sarah Stewart.

The team was pumped for a fast crit, and fast it was! With World-Class talents Julie Beveridge (Aaron's Pro Cycling Team) and Tara Whitten (Velocity Cycling Club) on the start line, it was blistering with attack after attack, until the textbook post-prime attack saw Jess Hannah off the front with Sarah Stewart and Heather Kay (ERTC).

Team Giant was sitting pretty while Beveridge and Whitten pulled back the break with about 10 minutes remaining in the race. Another flurry of attacks ensued, notable mention to our guest rider Marie-Claude Gagnon on the attack, as well as Jess Hannah countering her own move (and she claimed to have bad legs).

Finally with 2 laps to go, Jillian Moody (Total Restoration) launched a gutsy move, and I (Lisa Howard) saw an opportunity. I jumped, but only finally caught her with a 1/2 lap remaining. I launched the sprint only to be overtaken by Whitten, who had slipped from the pack. Laura Brown had a wicked sprint and brought it in for 3rd place, followed by M.C. Gagnon in 4th.

A pretty successful day for the Giant Team!

PA- hot child in the city... of philly(+40 C)

2008-06-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

I am spending the month of June in Pennsylvania, in a place called Kutztown. Last week I raced a series or three races called the Commerce Bank Triple Crown.
The first of the three was a 25 mile, 25 lap criterium race in downtown Allentown. I knew the race was going to be fast, and with a short little hill in the course, I needed to focus. So I focused, and finished 20th place and first under 23 rider of the day.
Two days later the second of the three, another 25 mile, 15 lap, 8 corners per lap criterium race in downtown Reading. And with the pavement being so rough, it felt like you were pressing the ejector seat button every 5 seconds, I knew this one was going to be a tough one too. It was fast and I finished a consistent 20th place again, and 3rd under 23 rider of the day.
The final of the three was the Philadelphia Liberty Classic. A 94km road race, 4 laps, 4 time up the infamous Manayank Wall, and one sprint finish. It started fast, we averaged over 41 kph for the first lap, and kept cruisin'. At the start of the third lap I bridged myself across to a break of 8 riders or so, but it didn't seem like the right mix for anyone so we were caught before the fourth lap started by about 30 riders. The fourth time up the Manayunk Wall a few riders opened up a gap and it kept on growing. I had a pretty good feeling we would catch them, so within the last 5km I jumped on the back of a lead out train that would take me right to the finish. In the last kilometer or so we caught all riders in the break but one(the eventual winner finished a mere 6 seconds in front) I saw another U23 rider ahead of me, so I pushed hard and went blazing by her. Then there was the sprint finish. I crossed the line in 9th and first under 23.

BC Cup #5 South Abbotsford

2008-06-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

There were 6 riders lined up for Team Giant Whistler Canada at BC cup #5. I must admit when I first arrived I really wasn't in the mood to race with the weather hovering around 10 degrees and looked like it could rain at anytime. But after a decent warm up and with the weather holding I ended up completely forgetting I was cold, especially after the good temp set up the first climb on the course that had a total of 24 climbs. There were no splits on the first lap and the team was riding well. Heather was at the front and Lisa made an early attack, and from what I heard she continued to make attacks throughout the race. On the second lap Total Restoration made a big move with 3 riders splitting the field and the only two other riders going with them, myself and a rider from Victoria. Leah Goldstein made a break on the third lap and I almost closed the gap but thought my energy would better be spent staying with Sarah Stewart who is in contention for the BC cup overall. With three laps to go I tried to split up the break but it was unsuccessful so I spent the last two laps being patient, which is a challenge for me. The Victoria rider made a small break and the two Total Restoration girls waited for me to chase. But knowing exactly what Jeremy would say, I was patient and finally they started the chase and reeled her back in. The final climb is where it all played out. Gillian set a strong tempo, but in doing so dropped the other two. I was right on her wheel and was able to come around her in the final 100m of the climb to place second. Sarah was fourth. Shani was racing awesome and finished 6th overall winning the pack sprint. The rest of the girls raced strong in the pack, making attacks and keeping up the tempo. That is one of the greatest things about this team. We race our bikes. If we are in the race, you can be sure that there will be tactics, and attacks and counter attacks. That makes racing fun in my opinion.

Also Steph Roorda had some awesome results over the past couple weeks, racing in some big races in the USA. Congrats Steph!! Thanks for the amazing support from our sponsors and Local ride, who definitely made my day less stressful when I got a flat tire on my bike before the race started. You guys are awesome. Thanks to Jeremy, our team director, as well.

Thats all for now, until the next race.....

back in the saddle

2008-05-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

after 4 months devoted to pretty much whatever i felt like( in new zealand) it was quite a shock being dropped right back into real life. In many ways things had changed for the better and a few for the worse , but mainly everything was the same ; i went back to the same job, moved back into the same house , visited the same coffee shops , and waited in line for the same ( still overpriced)ferry to go to another bike race.

while the team still had some of the original members it had acquired a few more marvelous women. i was super stoked to meet all the new girls but kept hullos short so Jeramey could get to the race plan. it was pretty simple , ride hard. ....OK i can handle that. i hoped the bike touring hadn't been to bad for my race fitness. luckily it wasn't, but riding for so long by my self had diminished my pack skills and i was repeatedly in the wrong spot.i would love to report on how the rest of the team was riding but i was pretty concentrated on not ending up eating pavement , though i seem to recollect quite i bit of giant aggression off the front with a valiant effort by the super Shani. In the end we made a few minor mistakes is the final 500m and missed the podium spots we were aiming for, but all in all i think the girls did a good job. i cant wait till i get back in th swing of things and can do a little more to help out the team , it seems to be a great group of women who know how to kick some butt....now thats something i want to be part of

the pickle

A Weekend of Podiums

2008-04-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Giant Bicycles Canada/Team Whistler fans!

As you probably already know, this weekend was RACE THE RIDGE, a grueling stage race put on by our friends and supporters at Local Ride Bike Shop in Maple Ridge. It seems lately that all the races are put on by Local Ride and are in Maple Ridge...

It started out with the most brutal of road race courses, where I'll estimate that at least 1/3 of the total ride time was spent climbing. A real test of fitness!

Our resident climber (and TTer, and crit rider) Jess Hannah did us proud by making the first selection and coming fourth in the bunch sprint, finishing in fifth place behind perpetual soloist and race winner Leah Goldstein. Rounding out the top 5 were Marni Hambleton of ValueAct Capital, Sarah Stewart of Total Restoration and Jean-Ann McKirdy of Rocky Mountain in 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Steph Roorda fought a bitter battle to stay in contact with the front group, and finished a respectable 9th place.

Our sights then turned to the overall. We knew we could have excellent results in the TT and crit, stealing away valuable points from our competitors. Laura Brown rode an amazing TT, finishing only 36 seconds behind Leah Goldstein. Jess Hannah finally remembered how it's done, finishing 3rd only 2 seconds behind Laura Brown. Steph Roorda also rode well, finishing 5th, 24 seconds behind 4th placed Sarah Stewart.

Our awesome TT results made it mathematically possible to win the overall, and secure 2 steps on the podium. With 2 bonus points sprints up for grabs, it was important for us to control, or should I say dominate the crit... and dominate we did!

The pace started high thanks to early attacks by Laura Brown, who selflessly killed herself to force the chase by Total Restoration. As I recall it, Jess Hannah spent the majority of the race off the front (in several installments) picking up 6 bonus points, with Steph Roorda picking up an extra 4. Team Giant/Whistler controlled the race with riders Lisa Howard (!) and Shoshaunna Laxson, launching attacks and following moves left right and centre. The pace was kept high in the final two laps by Steph, Jess, and Lisa who kept it so high that no one could come around them - finishing first second and third! A podium sweep for Giant!

As for the overall... Jess Hannah tied Leah Goldstein of Total Restoration for the win, with 40 points. Unfortunately, ties are broken in favour of the best TT, and Leah ended up on the top step of the podium. Steph Roorda picked up enough points in the crit to secure 3rd spot with 35 points - 3 points ahead of 4th place finished Sarah Stewart.

A great race for the team! I personally was so impressed with how well the team raced together. I would say the best execution of a plan in Giant history. After this I'm quite confident that the BC cup lead is still secure in Steph's hands. Thanks again to our friends at Local Ride for the great race and all the support!

checking out our competition...

Next up: Team Coastal Race May 25th in Surrey - stay tuned!

Walla Walla Crit

2008-04-24T00:18:00.000-07:00

Steph brings it home!

2008-04-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

Viking sprints for QOM at the top of the 3km climb

Jenn after a hard days work for the team.

Walla Walla Stage Race

2008-04-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we travelled to Walla Walla for three days of great team racing, with proven results from lots of hard work together!

Friday's road race, not included in the Sat/Sun stage race, was our opportunity to take risks and hang it out there. We launched attack after attack right from the start and managed to get Jess Hannah in the 6 man break after the first long climb. The winds were brutal and cold, getting up to 80km/hr and Jess was able to break away on a climb from the group for 15 mins before realizing that there was still 10km to go in the driving wind. Jess ended up in 5th place... a great result amoungst some of the strongest riders in the Northwest. Steph won the chase pack sprint, placing 7th with a great lead out from Heather.

The stage race commenced on Saturday with a 10km TT where Laura Brown showed her TT prowess by placing 3rd out of close to 90 starters. Jess was close in at 10th. Though the road race had several obstacles, including two times up a 3 km climb which marked the QOM (queen of the mountain) and finish line, the pack stayed mostly together. Jenn drove the pace at the front for the first 30km working hard for the team. Steph won the QOM sprint the first time over the hill and took 4th at the finish, Heather crossed in 12th. Shani had a great race, showing awesome stamina and power.

The Criterium was ours. Laura took shift number one, driving the pace, making lots of legs hurt. Then it was Jess and Heather taking turns attacking and chasing down anything threatening. With just under one lap to go, Steph saw her opportunity and took it, arriving over the finish line way ahead of the pack. The Queen of the mountain can sprint too... or is it the other way around!!!?

The placings of the weekend were a result of lots of hard work this spring together, great team leadership, direction and support. The 2nd place standing in the TEAM GC is pretty indicative of this.

Correction!

2008-04-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Correction to the Harris Roubaix report:

Lisa Howard - 5th place
Jenelle Cassidy - 7th place

BC Cup Numero Uno

2008-04-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

Objective: To win.

In lieu of the Monument that is Paris-Roubaix, over 40 women set out for 10 laps of the 7km loop consisting of 6 corners and ~3km of hard-packed gravel. Our goal was the stay near the front at all times and be aggressive. Right from the gun, the team set a high, hard pace for the first lap. There were several attacks from the Team Giant/Whistler Canadians. None of them staying away for long. One of the attacks unfortunately ended with a woman down in corner 3, but put in a valiant effort to chase back on (we all wish Jessica Hannah a quick rebound!). With 5 laps to go, our very own Viking (a.k.a. Stephanie Roorda) put in a spicy attack in the gravel section. No other riders in the main pack were willing to put out the effort needed to chase her down. Steph, with her head down and legs turning, she pulled away from the pack and the gap only grew: 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 1 minute. As she was hammering away at the course solo, the rest of us girls were patrolling the front and covering any dangerous chase-attempts. She won with almost a minute and HALF on the main group! Plenty of time to revel in a well-deserved win. Stay tuned for some sweet winning salute pictures. The rest of us set up for the sprint finish in hopes to round out the top 5. Dr. Lisa Howard sprinted hard to the line for 4th place. With our lungs burning and legs cramping, we were all smiles. A job well done!

Mission Accomplished.

Back at it!!!

2008-03-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

It was pretty close to six years since I have been in a bike race and my first race back was spring series #1. What a way to start, lots of crashes. Ah, the joys of bike racing!! Spring series #2 and #3 brought another weekend of good weather but no crashes this time around. I was pretty nervous on the way to the race on Saturday. I didn’t even realize that I drove over a bridge to get to the house I was spending the weekend at, in fact I didn’t even notice it the 2nd time over to the race either!! And my rear wheel kept going flat but thanks to the amazing support of fellow racers and our race director I had a wheel to race on. Saturday was short and flat, with the pack staying mostly as a bunch. The pace was medium for the first 2 or 3 laps and I finally got to the front. Still need to work on better positioning but felt less sketchy than last week. Managed to get the pace going with a few other guys, though no breaks stuck. Lap 9 I was in good position, hoping to lead Lisa out but still lacking aggression to keep up at the front. But all in all I think the Giant Whistler Elite Cycling team had a presence in the race and how it all panned out. The girls in the C race had some great results too! Sunday was an entirely different story, 11 repeats of Armstrong hill!! I think we were all in for some hurting and I was nervous again. The pack stayed together for the first 4 laps. The pace was hard, but didn’t drop many people. On the 5th climb it did get strung out and a gap formed. I managed to bridge the gap to the main pack, and in the process get away from the majority of the women in the race, save one, a pro mountain biker who stuck out the hills with the fast men. I got dropped on the 6th climb again after bridging the gap, caught back to the pack with a small group of guys but unfortunately we caught them at the base of the climb so that was the last time I saw the lead group. I basically went into tt mode for the last few laps and managed to stay ahead of a hard charging pack of women and a few guys. Luckily for me someone made a break from that pack and mentioned I might want to pick it up for the last 300m because there were three women hot in pursuit. All in all it was a good race. Need to work on acceleration but its good to be back racing my bike! Cheers Jessica

EV Spring Series 2 & 3 --- The C's.

2008-03-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

#2 Zero Ave Circuit

Another large turnout for the C group this week. Cloudy skies, cool temperatures and semi-dry roads, no rain.

C group is lined up to do 7 laps of 55 km rolling course. Claire, Jenelle, Shani and I are set to make it hard from the start.

We roll out and make our way to the front, around the first two corners and up the first roller, a Coastal rider attacked. I jumped with him. We established the first break of the day and stay away for almost 3 laps with a 30 sec gap. Four riders started to chase, reeled us back in and bridge what was left of the main field to us.

Laps 3, 4, 5 are riddled with some attacks that don't stick and smack talk about who will contend the sprint. I am feeling good. I am in great position, our group is still together, we round the last corner up the slight uphill to the finish..I jump and sprint, sprint, SPRINT! I start wonder why I don't hear anyone else around me breathing hard??? Wow-- I must be killing them, but then I heard it....DING! DING! DING!! The last lap bell. Doh! Silly me. I think I need to go back to our Learn to Race Clinic and study "The Basics". At least I made it hard for some who thought I was attacking....Ya, that's what I was doing...ATTACKING. Ha!

It's going to be a group sprint. I pull myself together from my unnecessary effort and find my teammates to set up a lead out. We start jostling to get into position as the intensity elevates. Jenelle and Shani are near the front in the last corner and patiently wait till the right second. Shani followed the right wheel and packed in a good sprint to nail a another 3rd place finish for the Giant/Team Whistler girls. Jenelle also in great position duked it out through the field and finished right behind in the top 10. I roll in at back of sprint and I take a lesson learned in Lap Counting 101.

#3 Armstrong Hill
Spring Series training races, more lessons learned.

The numbers are smaller today and there are many people on the line that didn't race yesterday with fresh legs for the dreaded Armstrong Hill Course. Temperatures are cooler with an early start due to the time change. Still, no rain- unbelievable!

Today the C group is 53km and 7 laps for an uphill sprint finish.
Only Shani and I are on the start line today.

On the start line we get a formal apology from a rider who had potty mouth the previous race. Followed by pre-race pow-wow from Austin, re: the usual....yellow line rule, sprinting for 50th place, having our numbers visible etc. Note: Always listen to your race director Austin. We roll out.

We go hard off the start and manage to split the C group up before the hill climb. About 15 of us in this group, we hit Armstrong Hill super hard for 3 laps. On lap 3 all hell breaks loose. I start going backwards but catch back on to find out 5 guys have broke away. I try to get a chase going to catch the dangerous break, hoping we can reel them in and get Shani in there. But efforts are unsuccessful and I crack.

Shani riding super strong, keeps it together and stays with the chasing pack, and finishes the race of attrition in 11th place, which ends up being 10th place. After we find out the rider who earlier had given us the speech, won, but unfortunately had his number hidden under his vest. and is disqualified.

Spring Series 1, river road (imagine a rectangle) B’s

2008-03-05T19:12:00.001-08:00

Circuit 6.2km/Laps 13/Total distance 80.6km
13 laps to go
Start of the race, not to slow, not to fast. The main objective for this part of the race was to get to the front.
12 Laps to go
Still a good pace, not to much happening
Laps 11-8 to go
Pace is faster. Attacks were happening everywhere, which were always followed by a chase and then a counter attack. No one could get away, and the speed was fast.
Laps 7-3 to go
More attacks, and the giant whistlers had great positioning.
Jess makes and attack solo and gets a gap. The gap grows with other giant whistlers trying to slow down the pace.
A major chase was formed of mainly the junior men. They were not going to let jess getaway.
Other B’s joined in and amongst the chasers a major crash happened, which resulted in an ambulance being on the course.
2 laps to go
the group is bunched up, but we are moving at a sweet clip. And somehow we get shuffled to mid pack. Which is to far back.
1 to go
1st Major crash, Downtown Laura Brown goes down.
I get on Lisa’s wheel. Her amazing pack moving skills are shuffling us to the front, up the middle. But we are not moving fast enough in the midst of the massive sketchiness and last lap confusion.
Corner 3, super speedy Heather moves up the inside to take the lead from Lisa through the corner and into the second last straight. Sketchiness continues and I’m still on Lisa’s wheel with the one corner to go. My leg was quivering turning the last corner, but we were near the front, and ready for the sprint.
Then there was carnage. Bike and people in the ditch and all over the road. Brake levers pulled and the sprint happened, up the road.
First race over, on to the next.

Claire's C race extravaganza

2008-03-03T08:44:00.001-08:00

Our first race of 2008 and we have our first podium and 2 in the top 5! It was great day to start our season off as we had some dry weather and great support team support. There was good communication between the girls in the race and we always had a couple of riders at the front ready to cover any breaks. Jen, Shani, Jenelle and I took turns covering some dangerous attacks and as the laps were counted down the pack was still all together. For the last two laps I continued to patrolled the front to try and ensure that no last minute breaks got away and Shani, Jenelle and Jen all maintained good positions up front ready for a great lead out. With half a lap to go Jenelle, Jen and Shani were setting it up but there was some trouble in the final 700m and a few of the lead riders including Shani were taken out in a crash. Jen and Jenelle managed to avoid the crash and finish 5th and 3rd respectively! A podium in the first race of the year. We are off and running.

Learn to Race Clinic

2008-03-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

Road racing is hard; there is no doubt about it. The outcome is not just a measure of who is strongest (though it plays a huge factor) but a mixture of tactics, strategy, team work, preparation and pack handling skills. For a newcomer to the racing scene this can be overwhelming, and initiation into the sport can be intimidating. The Learn to Race clinic, held on Saturday March 1st, one day prior to the 1st event on the BC road racing calender was designed to transition recreational riders into racing.

The clinic was held at the Fort Wine Co., which is located right on the 1st race of the Spring Series. The morning consisted of the Giant/ Team Whistler women presenting on racing basics - How to register, preparation, nutrition and hydration, equipment and apparel, racing, and tactics. Then we moved outside and hit the race course, working on double pace lines, echelons and ended the day with a mock 1 lap race!

The participants seemed to go away happy with the clinic and Jennelle, the clinic organizer recieved an email after the race on Sunday which we thought was postworthy:

"I wanted to say thank you to you and the rest of the girls for your help on Saturday. We enjoyed the race on Sunday and felt very well prepared for what could be a scary situation. In conversation we all agreed that you helped us to take the first step into racing, something I have been wanting to do and at the same time avoiding for a few years now... You all took a chunk of your Saturday to help us and thats special in my books"!
Thanks,
Gordon Reddy

A big thanks to Jennelle for all her hard work organizing this clinic, and to the Fort Wine Co. (www.thefortwineco.com) for hosting. Jenelle and I enjoyed an amazing bottle of blueberry wine tonight after our first race and man was it good!!

This ain't no disco, this ain't no country club either...this is LA!

2008-01-29T23:25:00.000-08:00

World Cup #3 Los Angles
I prepared harder for this race then any other. I visualized, I stretched, I biked, I ate healthy I even stopped partying… I did it all. Did it help? You betcha.

I have poster on my door that says, “If you DIE, you DIE at the FRONT” Basically it means if you are going to go down you should go down swinging. I knew the Points Race qualifier was going to be a tough one. So the plan was to take a chance. Risk it all….off the front.

The race started off very tranquil and my nerves as opposed to dissipating only swelled. I’m not one of those people who like to roll around for a while and then speed it up near the sprint. I’m more of an aggressive rider and the plan was to focus on good positioning in the first sprint and then look for an opportunity to GO! Immediately after the sprint a Lithuanian girl attacked. I saw my chance and went with her, swooping down the track with reckless inhibition I charged around the velodrome just about lapping the field. My plan was working... I thought. My new found ally and I came within half a lap of lapping the field before things started to unravel. One of the favorites of the race, Jamila Machacova of the Czech Republic (eventual winner of the points race final and newly crowned world cup leader) came flying over me and came within a corner of the back of the main field. The field then reacted, picked up the speed, and caught me just before the second sprint.

In the second sprint the pack went gang-busters and I found myself on the wrong end of the pain train. It wasn’t too much longer of oxygen deprived riding that the blue blazer wearing, "commissar" was asking me to vacate the track. My race was over.

Team Training Camp #1

2008-01-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

No wonder Canada produces so many talented strong female riders at the international level. Canadian women are hardcore. It's three hours into a pretty intense ride, PUKING those wet sticky snow flakes the size of toonies and no one is stopping. Ten more minutes, and there is at least two inches of snow to pedal through. Not only the back, but the front tires are skidding out on a climb. It’s not that these women don’t want to stop; the legs are so tired, we’re hungry and cold. It’s just that we know we can make it through, and have put our bodies through much worse. It’s only when our Team Director, Jeremy Storie, pulls the pin that we start squeezing all nine of us with our bikes into the pick-up truck for the ride home. Hadn’t it been for sketchy drivers to worry about, we probably would have kept on going. These gals are tough!

The weather wasn’t all bad for the first Giant Bicycles/ Team Whistler Women’s Cycling Team training camp of 2008. Sunshine and warm weather greeted us for a long Friday ride that took us through the countryside in Langley. On Friday evening we unveiled our beautiful new Giant bikes for the season and motivated each other with our future plans and past adventures. You know you’re in good company when you can relate (sort of) to stories such as riding 300km on only two water bottles and a bar while not passing a single store for food or water, or banter on about the present icons of women’s racing that a group of guys, even racers, just don’t seem to find too enthralling.

Saturday was our hard ride day. The weather held off for most of the ride and we were able to get into a great rhythm and work in a paceline remarkably well considering this weekend was the first outside ride for some members of the team. After two and a half hours of hammering on the flats, we climbed over Mt. Sumas just as the snow started to fly. Oh Canada. Even the weather in the Lower Mainland, where one can ride all winter, can throw a curve (snow) ball at you.

This year, the team is an amalgamation of the Giant Women’s Team and women from Team Whistler (hence the name). Thanks to Tony Routley and Jeremy, this team brings gals from the Mountains, Island, Interior and Lower Mainland of BC together with a common goal… ride hard and strong and contribute to great women’s racing in BC and Canada! Yeehaw, 2008 here we come!

news from kiwi land

2008-01-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

As i sit in the info center i cant help but be happy with my dicision to go and train on the other side of the globe,

for starters it's summer ( read very HOT )and the roads are amazing ( read twisty, hilly nightmares ), in all honesty it is great here , the riding is hard and a litty sketchy but qiute enjoyable most of the time ( in any rate it beats cold and rainy). the people are great and i have a had a few chances to ride with the locals. I am finding it hard to see all the advertisement for races ( it's their race season ) and not being able to participate ( my insurance dosn't cover it ).

Today is my rest day and i will be spending it seeing some of the sights around the town im staying in ( Thames), this should take most of the day as Thames was a gold minning town and is bursting from the seams with history.

well off to see the sights.

cheers

pickle

the pickle checks in

2008-01-24T18:47:00.000-08:00

this is the pickle ( who is hiding out in kiwi land riding her very HEAVY bike up very BIG hills)
i havent been here long enough to get a real idea of the place but so far :
1) the drivers are nuts !
2) the hills are steep !!
3) the sun is a lot stronger ( i have the burns to prove it )
i will write a proper entrty when i have some time , i have a ways to go yet today

6 Day Race

2008-01-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

After being delayed in the Ottawa airport for an hour because of a snowstorm, waiting three more hours on the plane for takeoff, spending 5 and a half hours flying to Vancouver, and then waiting two more hours in the terminal for my luggage which I discovered was not here because the airline had unloaded everyone’s luggage in an effort to conserve fuel, I had reached the point of exhaustion. My mom, dad and I got to our hotel room at 4:30 a.m, and all fell asleep right away.
I woke up early the next morning, after getting a total of about 4 hours sleep. My parents and I spent the day shopping, and by 3:30 p.m. I was fading! In desperation I started phoning and texting everyone I knew on my team trying to figure out who could lend me a kit and a pair of shoes/ pedals because mine were... WHO KNOWS WHERE! I got to the track about 5:30pm and was thrilled to find team mate Jenelle also in the change room and able to lend me a kit. After struggling to get the borrowed pedals on my bike and then layering on 3 pairs of socks to fit the borrowed shoes, I got onto the track for my warmup. I was feeling rusty as I had taken about a week off of riding being back in eastern Canada visiting my boyfriend’s parents for Christmas.
The first race was very eventful. I realized about 30 minutes before the race that everyone I was racing against was using a much larger gear ratio. My coach however saved me and found someone who was willing to lend me a sprocket. I got it on my bike and took it for a test ride, worked great!
The event was a 40 lap scratch race and I had no idea what that meant. I asked Richard, my coach, what that meant. He explained it was like a crit race, the last lap defines the race. Around the half way point I was getting comfortable. I was following my teammates and thought I was positioned well, near to the front. Coming around a corner I realised otherwise. There was someone below me and about three riders above. The three above me were moving down and the one below me was moving up. I got sandwiched in between the racers and flew down onto the track. The shorts Jenelle had loaned me got OWNED and my leg and arm were covered with splinters and roadrash. My head/neck took quite the beating leaving me with little movement hours later. The good news; my helmet was fine! Quickly I jumped back up and shook off the crash. Already first aid was over making sure I was all right and the neutral mechanics were changing my destroyed front wheel. I took the full number of laps to get back in, six, and comfortably started racing again. I finished the race feeling great. I was happy and proud of myself for pushing through the crash.
The second race was an elimination race. Again, I had no idea what that meant. I asked teammate Jenny Trew what that was and she explained that it meant every two laps the last person across the line gets eliminated. I started near to the front and made it down to the final 4, along with Giant riders Jenny and Steph.
The last race was tiring. My lack of sleep was catching up. There was a long time between races and I spent the time spinning and clearing my legs of lactic acid. The last race was a 50 lap points race, which means every 10 laps the first 4 riders are awarded points. By this time I felt like falling asleep. I was so tired and had lost the spunk in my legs. I did my best to finish the race strong and help my teammates do as well as possible.
All in all, I had an awesome time. My coach Richard treated me nothing less that a pro, he coached me all night long and was always there to help me if there was anything I was unsure of. Jeremy, who was hosting the event was also amazing. Even though his hecktic job took his full attention, he always seemed to find a way to have words of encouragment and coaching tips over his P.A for me and other riders as well. I felt very cared for and lucky to have such great support, I am SUPER excited to race on Saturday.

-Shorty

Green Mountain Stage Race

2007-09-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

I have just returned home from beautiful Burlington, Vermont. I was competing at the Green Mountain Stage Race on the composite team, TRIA. The race consisted of four stages, an 8 mile hill climb, a circuit race, a long course road race and a 30 lap criterium. My team consisted of 4 girls including myself and we all worked really well together and achieved some pretty respectable results including the Sprinter's jersey and the team won the criterium. The first stage of the race was not my best. By trying to save money, I booked myself a painful flight that consisted of 3 transfers and long lay overs- saweeet!!! Needless to say, I got very minimal sleep the night before the hill climb and my legs felt extremely heavy and SLOW. The upside to this bad race was that the next day could only be better, and it was much better. I really enjoyed the circuit race. My team did a lot of work at the front and we set a good pace. We also executed two brilliant lead outs and Nicky Wangsgard was able to take all of the sprint points for the day! With the last lap to go, the pace slowed down significantly and I started to get a little antsy. I decided that if I wanted the yellow leaders jersey I had to get away in a solo breakaway or with someone who had less points. At about 8km to go, I attacked off the front and hammered as hard as I could. I held the group off, but apparently as the finish line got closer, the girls started to chase hard. With 500m left, I was swallowed up by the pack and the finish came down to a bunch sprint. I was so sad to see the pack come up on my right, but happy that at least I tried and was very close to being successful. The next day consisted of some serious climbing and a 3 mile dirt road. The dirt road was soo much fun. I hammered to the front and went as fast and hard as I could in such rough terrain on a road bike. I can't wait to do a cyclocross race!! The pack split up at the Queen of the Mountain and there were about 18 girls in the front pack, including myself and my teammate Suz Weldon. As the race progressed, a couple of more girls fell off the pack and then when the final 5km of climbing hit, the pack slowly started to shatter. I hung on for dear life and prayed that I didn't have to get off of my bike and push it up the hill. It was soo steep, I could barely turn the cranks around. In the end, I came across the line in 11th place with my teammate Suz Weldon who took 10th place. The final stage was the criterium and it had two hills and one fast decent. On the 5th lap, my job was to lead Nicky out for the sprints points. When I looked back to see who was on my wheel all I could see was my good friend Alison Testroete, another good sprinter. I decided to just keep pushing the pace and as the line neared, Alison and Nicky both came around me and Nicky took the points. My team made a lot of solid attacks throughout the crit forcing the leaders to chase hard and in the end it payed off and Nicky was able to win the final sprint. I finished with the main pack, but barely had the legs to get across the line let alone sprint for a solid placing. In the end, I was the top Canadian by placing 12th in the GC. It was a great race and a great experience and I can't wait to go back next year with some more fitness and stronger climbing legs!!! Well I better go rest up because there are still more races before my season is over!!!

BC Provincial Track Champs - Rainy Racing

2007-08-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen the rain?! Well, I can certainly say that teammate Jenny Trew and I sure have. This past weekends adventure was all about the BC provincial track championships in Victoria; as well as waiting out the storms that seemed to devour most of our days - but not our spirits!

Between huddling under the tents to stay dry and several multi-hour trips to the coffee shop, Jenny and I dried out the competition. Even after deciding to combine the (lacking) women's field with the junior and master men, in four out of the six races held (sprints, pursuit, scratch race, keirin, points race, and 500m), we were victorious. For the remaining two races, we filled up of what was left on the podium. We were so consistent in our top three places, that people were beginning to call us the "Giant women's track team!"

All in all it was a great weekend full of fast, fun, Giant domination. But most importantly it was excellent preparation for the 2007 national track championships held in Dieppe, NB Sept. 6-9th.

Stayed tuned for some more awesome racing and results!

2007-08-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

well it's over
the season , the summer, the fun, but at least there is time to breath and write a little about the fun in Edmonton.

this year's Western Canada games consisted of 3 races
a 18km flattish time trial in down town Sherwood park,
a 88km flattish road race in the middle of nowhere ( thanks to a last minute course change )
and a 14+ km mt bike race through sludgy clay.

The first race of the week was the ever popular time trial . It takes a certain type of person to really like time trails and i think that it is safe to say that i am not one of them, I did however manage a 7Th place finish which i am going to consider a small victory.

Next up was the road race.....
with a Field of 24 showing up to the cool....cold morning start
it was the largest Field of my own age group i had ever raced.
Right from the gun things went down hill for the Alberta team with a rather loud explosion puncture on the line, to the crash caused my the lead vehicle within 6 minutes of the neutral start. But these mishaps where just the start of the downward slide; with another tire explosion and two more crashes as well as more close calls that i care to remember , the race was really just about staying out of trouble . For once i did manage to stay out of trouble and rolled across the line with a good 30 ft margin on second place.

Last but not least was the mud ( no mountains in sight ) bike race.
The course was built to foil the roadies and that it did , but what the organizers hadn't counted on was the rain and thus the clay mud that made the twisty single track almost impossible for all but the very best of the mountain bikers.
In the end all was well and i got to put my cyclecross skills to the test , finishing 6Th overall after an unsuccessful sprint for 5Th.

id just like to say a big thank you to the organizers , volunteers and coaches that made this years Western Canada games a reality .

with weastern canada games comming to a close last saturday i said goodby to my teparary bc teammates and started the long trip back to victoria

Quick TT note:

2007-08-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Leah and I were the sole Giant representatives out in Squamish on Saturday for the Provincial Individual Time Trial Championships. The goal of the day was to move Leah up in the BC Cup standings to 2nd overall - and to the best of our knowledge - we achieved our goal!

Leah rode a strong race bettering her time from the 2006 Championships by over 2 minutes to place 4th behind the TT specialists of Leah Goldstein, Moriah MacGregor and Erinne Williock (in that order). I was happy enough with my ride for the first time on the course coming in 50 seconds in arrears of Leah in 7th place (4 seconds out of 5th)!

The TT championships mark the end of the BC Cup with Giant having placed 2 riders in the top 5. The provisional final standings are as follows:

1) Leah Goldstein - Symmetrics

2) Leah Guloien - Giant

3) Sarah Stewart - Symmetrics

4) Jenny Trew - Giant

5) Marni Hambleton - Symmetrics

Kelowna's Individual Time Trial

2007-08-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

The third stage of the Fresh Air Experience Fantastic Four was a ~8.2 individual time trial on Saturday evening. After already completing the hill climb on Friday evening and the road race on Saturday morning, everyone was feeling a little drained from the heat and of course the racing. But we prevailed!
This was a point-to-point time trial with two corners and a few small rollers along the way. I knew I had it in me to do really well on this course...8km TTs are my forte! With a blazing tail wind and some dragons to still slay after my national ITT misfortune, I edged out Leah Goldstein (Symmetrics) by just over 7 seconds for the win. Following Goldstein by another 7 seconds was our own Leah Guloien, rounding out the top three. Lisa Howard rolled in with a solid 5th place followed by Jenny Trew in 6th.
Thats four Giant riders in the top 10! Another day, another race, and another podium dominated by Giant! To the criterium we go. Watch out.

weastern canada games road race champion 2007

2007-08-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

well i am very glad that is done and over with , i don't believe that i have ever been quite so nervous about a race.
But all was well in the end with a win in the road race and a 7th place in the time trial and ....a to be dicided in the mountian bike race .
look for a full update and picts saturday night
cheers

Pickle is my hero

2007-08-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Chelsea winning Western Canada Summer Games! That makes her the second Western Canada Games Champion on Team Giant (factoid for those of you: Lisa won in 1999)!

Industrial Park Domination - Fresh Air Experience Criterium

2007-08-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

The last stage of the Fantastic Four in Kelowna saw the Giant Bicycles Canada Team lining up with 5 girls ready to kick some butt. The course was a boring one, an industrial park with nary a corner to shake a stick at, and a 'hill' with a giant headwind.

We knew that our G.C. leader, Leah Guloien, had to put 20 seconds (at least) on Symmetrics' Sarah Stewart in order to move up into 2nd. It turned out to be a little too much to ask, and by mid way through the race we decided to keep it together for a bunch sprint, since the two best sprinters in the pack happened to be wearing Giant's blue and white!

The leadout was textbook! Laura Brown and Leah Guloien selflessly buried themselves into the headwind, putting the hurt to the Symmetrics riders, and anyone else who dared get in their way. Jenny Trew easily took the sprint with Lisa Howard (hooray) coming in for the silver.

The top two steps of the podium was a great way to cap off a spectacular weekend.

Kelowna Hill Climb

2007-08-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Stage One of Fresh Air Experience Fantastic Four was a 3.4 km individual hill climb. The scenic course was just outside of downtown Kelowna on a hill that overlooked Okanogan Lake. As the riders expected we were treated with hot dry weather, something us Vancouverites were yet to experience this summer. The climb itself was a steady climb with a few steep kickers in the middle. Leah Goldstein Symmetrics, as expected won the climb with a time of 10:58, Sarah Stewart Symmetrics finished in 11:35 for second, and local rider Gillian Kornell Total Restoration rounded up the podium in 11:53. Time bonuses for the top three riders in each stage gave these three girls even more of a head start for the remainder stages with 15, 9, and 6 seconds respectively. Giant’s Leah Guloien got the courage to race despite feeling ill and rode to a 5th place finish in 12:08. Another notable ride from Giant was our rising start Pickle (Chelsea Bilsbarrow) who finished 10th with a time of 12:49. Laura Brown and Alena Radomsky added a couple more Giant riders to the top 10 with 6th and 7th place finishes. The hill climb gave an open door for improvement in the next 3 stages where the team’s strengths are, and we were excited to race for podium spots for the remainder of the race.

Back to the Track at the FSA Grand Prix

2007-07-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

After a good stint at BC Superweek, I headed down solo to Seattle this weekend to check out some track racing and start getting ready for Track Nationals which are to be held in Dieppe, New Brunswick at the beginning of September. We had a bit of an adventure getting down to the States as the border proved to be a lengthy obstacle, but we did eventually make it down to the Group Health (Marymoor) Velodrome in time.
My first (and only) race for Friday night was a 40 lap points race with point sprints every 5 laps. I started off strong, but I kept making silly mistakes and despite seeming to hold my own well on the sprints, I ended up 7th. This was partly due to tactical error on my part as for some reason I seem to have forgotten how to race on the funny oval tracks-like things, but it was also that there were a number of rather speedy sprinter types hanging around including a girl I met in Australia a few years ago. It was funny to run into two girls that I had met on the other side of the world, but as they are super good people, it was nice to see them. The racing wrapped up around 12:30am and we were nicely settled into our beds by 2am....I don't know if I remember the last time I was up until 2am! Luckily we didn't start the next session until 7pm the following evening.
Session 2 promised fun in the form of the miss-and-out to be followed by a 20 lap scratch race. For those unfamiliar with track racing, a miss-and-out is where they eliminate the final rider across the line each lap until only 3 riders remain - then the three riders sprint it out for top honours. I was impressed at the size of the women's field - coming it at 17 competitors, which made for a longer race. I enjoy the event, and the level of skill in the women's pack was high - which was neat to see. There were a few girls who were being a little unnecessarily rough (in my opinion), but that may have been a slight miscalculation on their part as getting pushed around doesn't intimidate me so much as anger me...regardless, I was happy to make it down to the final three with two Australian compatriots - Laura McCaughy and Monique Hanley. Unfortunately for me, they both bested me to the line and I picked up 3rd.
Going into the final race - the scratch race, I was hoping that the girls would be aggressive over the 20 lap race. The organizers had sweetened the pot by offering $3 for the first across the line each lap and $2 for the second placed rider. I tried to exercise a bit of patience to start off, but about 7 laps in Annette Hansen took off and it appeared that no one was going to chase her. I bridged the small gap as I felt Annette would be a good breakaway buddy. Soon enough we were working well together and it looked like the pack was going to let us get away. Unfortunately Laura McCaughy and Erica Allar (both of Salamandar Racing) were not keen on letting us go and they bridged up to us with about 7 laps to go. On the same lap as they made contact the announcer called a $15 prime for the first across the line. Since we had the top sprinter in the field out front with us, I wasn't interested in keeping the break going and so I went for the prime and took it. Shortly thereafter the remainder of the field caught up and from then on in it was a sit and wait for the end type of race. I was keeping my eye on the super-sprinter and with 1.5 laps to go I was positioned really well. Unfortunately with 1 to go I let myself get boxed in and I was at the mercy of those around me as to when the sprint was to start. Once the speed picked up, I was out and around, but it was too late as there was only 100m remaining to the line. I came close to the podium, but my earlier breakaway companion nipped me by a few inches to take 3rd behind the duo from Salamader Racing.
Overall it was a great weekend. It was nice to spend a little time outside and see the sun (although today was supposed to be my beach day and I woke up this morning to RAIN again). It was particularly good for me to become reaquainted with the track and the subtleties that aren't as present on the road. I'm looking forward to a bit of a rest - but I'm stoked to head up to Kelowna with the team this weekend for Fantastic 4!

Giant attacks Delta's rainy criterium

2007-07-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

Just when we thought Gastown was the rainiest it can get in July, a the rain warning issued by Environment Canada materialized and the streets of Ladner were sopping by the time the Women's Criterium got rolling. Hometown girl and Giant Team member Claire Cameron was called to the line, along with our top hill-climb finisher Leah Guloien.

We knew that we had the numbers and the skill to win the race, and we started out on the attack from the gun. Multiple splits got away and were brought back, including one particularly dangerous one containing Steph Roorda (Giant) Sarah Stewart (Symmetrics), and a Jazz Apple girl (I don't know them so well yet). It looked like it might stick, but the Trek Red Truck and BH Bicycles teams brought it back.

The Giant Bicycles Team showed itself to be the most dominant team, scooping up almost all the primes in the process. Hometown girl Claire Cameron showed her sprinting prowesse - winning every prime she contested!

With two laps to go, our selfless Alena Radomsky launched a glorious attack, forcing the chase from Jazz Apple and Symmetrics. Jazz Apple's Rushlee Buchanan blazed to the front for the last lap, with Leah Goldstein (Symmetrics) hot on her wheel. Rushlee showed her formidable speed, acting essentially as her own lead out and winning the field sprint - with Giant's Jenny Trew and Lisa Howard in second and third place.

Two steps of the podium was a considerable improvement from our previous criterium showings, but left us hungry for a win.

photo c/o Greg Descantes

hills are for climbing

2007-07-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

DELTA HILL CLIMB ( STAGE ONE ) 7PM JULY 20 2007

well once again we race in the rain

Though at least this time it was only a brief exposure to the wicked weather,

that's the great thing about hill climbs the faster you climb the less time you spend in the rain.

Though no one spent less time in the rain than Malindills Maclean ( jazz apple ) next was our own Leah Guloien followed by Alison Shanks ( jazz apple ).

Jenny Trew proved that she too was a formidable foe climbing her way into 6 th place with a 700m time of 1:35. GOOD JOB GIRLS

The Best Birthday Present Ever!!!

2007-07-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Ahh yes, today is Monday July 23rd which means that I am officially 26 years old and I must say that my last weekend as a 25 year old was pretty awesome. This last weekend the Team Giant girls have been very busy racing in the Tour de Delta which consists of a hill climb, criterium and a road race. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate, however, on the flip side, us BC/Alberta girls know how to ride in the rain and know how to take advantage of the girls that don't!!! Our biggest competitors, the Jazz Apple Team, seemed to be a little freaked out by the rain and the slippery conditions. The criterium was by far the worst racing conditions of all three races. The race ended late and the drive home was long and dark and wet outside and all I could think about was food and sleep. In other words, I arrived home, ate some yams and hit the sheets with dirt still in my hair. I figured I was getting up at 5:30am to get dirty and wet again so what was the point in taking a shower. Okay, by now I am sure most of you think I am disgusting, but I would like you all to know that my new ritual is not showering the night before a race and if you continue to read on you will find out that it works- haha! During the team meeting before the road race, our team manager, Jeremy Storie, discussed the logistics of the race including who had the most points and what we needed to do in order to win the overall and the road race. Jenny and I had the most points on our team, so it was up to one of us to win the race. Rushlee Buchanan on Team Jazz Apple had the most points overall and following close behind was myself, teammate Jenny and Leah Goldstein on Team Symmetrics. All of the Team Giant girls were aware of who to watch and if any break was to get away we needed to make sure that break included myself, Jenny or both of us. I had spoken with Leah Goldstein before the race and she was determined to get away from the field in a small break and wanted me to be with her. I knew this would be a good move as long as I could stay with her on the climbs and outsprint her in the end. As we had discussed, not long after the start, the field had strung out and a small group of seven riders including myself, Jenny, Leah Goldstein and the leader in the omnium points had formed. Unfortunately, everyone wasn't cooperating and taking their fair share of pulls so Leah and I decided to set the tempo hard up the climb in hopes of dropping as many people as we could. Unfortunately, we were unable to drop the omnium points leader and soon one of her teammates chased back on to form a group of four. Fortunately for Leah and I, the leader's teammate went over the yellow line TWICE and was disqualified. I hate to say it, but when I saw her get pulled, I knew my chances of winning this race improved dramatically. The omnium leader started suffering on the climb and Leah and I took advantage by setting the tempo harder and eventually we dropped her. For the last 4 laps, Leah and I worked really well together. We kept the pace steady and I followed her up the climb every time watching her every move. My climbing legs were on and I felt super strong throughout the entire race. On the final corner, I was on Leah's wheel listening to Jeremy's instructions on the radio. As soon as he told me to go, I got out of the saddle and hammered as hard as I could right through the finish line, ignoring Jeremy's instructions for me to settle and put my arms up in the air because I had just won the race. It was a great feeling to win this race and as a result I also won the Tour de Delta overall. It was a very successful day for the Giant girls. I was very proud of how my team worked together this weekend. The team effort in the criterium and the road race was amazing and I think with each race it is only going to get better.

Coming Together

2007-07-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

At the Giro di Burnaby, it all came together - almost... After a number of team efforts that were almost there - Thursday night was a race of beauty for the Giant team. We were constant aggressors of the race - although we did not succeed in breaking up the pack over the 20 laps of the 1.85km course. The race was fast and the weather held for us to have a dry one as we ripped around the streets in Burnaby.
I, for one, found it very cool that they were able to shut down Hastings Street for a number of blocks to showcase the sport of cycling. I'm very familiar with that stretch of road as it lies between my house and the Burnaby Velodrome - so to be able to race on it was very cool. The highlight of my evening was going after a $200 prime against Gina Grain (expresscopy.com). It came down to a bike throw between the two of us, but I came up victorious by 0.004s - they had to go to the finish camera and it took half a lap to determine the winner - I didn't even find out until we were in the tent at the end of the race!
Despite a fantabulous race - we have yet to get the finish dialed in. We were however given a clinic by the Jazz Apple squad on how to do a lead out. With 1 to go the whole team got to the front and strung it out - I was moving up, but didn't realize it was the final lap until I was well around the final corner. Luckily I was well positioned, and was able to come across the line in 4th with Lisa hot on my heels in 5th. The top three were a repeat from the previous night's field sprint with Shelley Olds (PROMAN/Paradigm) topping the podium, Malindills Mclean (Jazz Apple) in second and Grain in 3rd. I want a Giant rider on the podium here at Superweek! This weekend is our time to shine :P

Criterium: White Rock

2007-07-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

The first criterium kicked off in sunny White Rock on Saturday evening. Being a new member of the team I felt quite nervous. However the experience of all the other girls quickly calmed me down and gave me the security I needed. I have to say I was feeling like a rock star rolling up to the start line with the screaming fans, the radio in my ear, and not to mention the sweet kit.

The race consisted of 30 laps, with 4 corners and a small hill each time around. With riders making consecutive attacks the pace was fast and the hill was taking it’s toll on the riders. At 18 laps to go one girl escaped. It was Rushlee Buchanan from the kiwi team, Jazz Apple. With the main pack not committed to chasing her down, she maintained a 30 second lead for the remainder of the race and won. Unfortunately after massive attacks made by the Giant girls earlier in the race, no one had the legs for the final sprint.
The race didn’t go according to plan and the team was disappointed. But this is only the beginning. And hopefully next time my rock star radio will actually be working.

Hill Repeats AKA White Rock RR

2007-07-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

What would be more fun for a team whose riders are all sprinters, except for one climber and one sort of unclassified rider who has horsepower if used correctly, than to do a 80km road race with 16 significant climbs. The White Rock Road Race is the toughest hilliest course on the BC Cup Circuit. A figue 8 course loops around the spectacular water front of White Rock, each loop includes two climbs, false flats, two descents, and a very short flat section. The other unique feature is that the men's and women's fields actually get to cross paths on the same road after the men come flying down a descent into two 90 degree corners. I don't know how all the other women feel, but I personally have a moment when 80 or so men are going over 50km/hr 1 foot away from me in the opposite direction.
The team took the line ready to help Leah get into the top group. The field had some big names from Expresscopy.com and Jazz Apple (New Zealand), that included the National Champions from both Canada and New Zealand, as well as Leah Golstein Symmetrics Cycling who dominates on the climbs in any race in North America. The first climb was aggressive as the QOM points started on the first climb of each loop and continued that way for the rest of the race. The significant move went on the second lap through the feed zone and included Leah Golstein Symmetrics, Rushlee Buchanan Jazz Apple,Shelly Olds PROMAN/Paradigm, Erinne Willock and Alison Testroete Expresscopy.com, Leah narrowly missed the move and righ away Jenny and Alena (me) went to the front with Leah to chase. This was the beginning of the most painful cycling experience of my life. The Chase group gradually shed riders and somewhere around lap 3 or 4 Leah and myself were left with a group of about 10 riders who were content to let us do all the work as most of the riders had a teammate in the break. Leah drove hard the entire time frustrated because she missed the break and wanting to give it all she had to get there, I pulled through and helped her as much as physically possible, while all the other riders had a free ride and watched us suffer. About lap 5 killed me I was dropped from this group 3 times and chased back on, the whole time thinking about how much our only climber really needed a teammate and if Thomas Voeckler got dropped 8 times in the mountains of the 2005 Tour de France and chased back on so could I. At this time I had established a fan club of people who probably felt sorry for me and I had more cheers than any other bike race every before, including people in the feed zone and the guys in the follow car, thanks to all of you who helped me reach my max HR 3 times in 2 hours, I almost died. At this time Leah is still driving the pace hard and it is starting to have its effects on her, Jenny, Claire, and Stephaine all managed to chase back on with a few others and reached us on lap 7. I had recovered enough from the last effort to roll to the bottom of the first lap 7 climb and explode. I fell off the back of the group, rode sideways, almost off the road, the follow car asked if I was okay, then managed to ride switchback style up the climb at about 5 km/hr. The main group finished off the race and Jenny took 4th in the bunch sprint for 9th overall. The next two races are Crits and I can't wait!

Bumpy Roads At Road Nationals (July 10) RR

2007-07-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday July 10 the Giant Girls Jenny, Leah, Alena (me), Laura, and our guest rider for BC Super Week Steph Roorda took to the heat and rough roads for the 127km road race. The first 100km of the race had some small rolling hills and two longer climbs before the final kilometers in the town of St. Georges Quebec where a 3 lap circuit with a 1.6 km gruelling climb made the final decisions of the race. The race started out steady and eventually lead to a few attacks where Steph, Jenny, and myself were patrolling the front with the goal of keeping Leah fresh for the final circuit. Laura had a few mechanical problems which were fixed and she was back at the front for the later half of the first 100km. Steph and myself found ourselves off the front with Emily Roy who eventually maintained a solo break until the final circuit, we were called back to the pack to keep our legs fresh for later efforts. There was little action until the first main climb where the race leaders from Expresscopy.com pushed the pace up the climb, most of the riders stayed on, and the Giant girls were active at the front watching for any significant moves. After the feed zone at 75km when most of the field was feeling the heat the attacks started to become more significant. The team had one goal of keeping Leah at the front and protected until the final circuits. All was successful until the eventual winners Gina Grain Expresscopy.com, Marni Hambleton Symmetrics, and Moriah MacGregor AE Sport Development, broke away from the field. Despite a few attempts to organize a chase the peleton did not catch the break and went into the final circuit chasing. Expresscopy went to the front at the first climb and the field quickly split, Leah was in the final top selection going up the first climb, and the remainder of the team was sitting in the middle of the second group. Leah put in a huge effort to stay with the top Canadian girls and ended up 14th. The rest of the team finished off the race as hard as they could and came in mid field with small groups. Laura and Steph finished 5th and 7th in Espoir, good results for the U23's! Overall another day of excellent team work and we are on to great things.

Tough Luck at the Nationals Crit (July 6th)

2007-07-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days that has to be chalked up to experience. We had the horsepower and the teamwork to be in contention for the win, but luck just didn't cooperate. We went into the race without knowing what to expect. The night before we went over who would be a threat and Jeremy pretty much called how the race was going to go down. It was a wide open course with a decent sized hill in it that turned up the finish straight into a MASSIVE headwind and then back down and around - we were up for 35 laps - 42km and we were feeling confident on the line.
Over the opening laps we paraded around the course for awhile and Jeremy made the call to start attacking, so we did. Leah made a great attack and was joined by a powerhouse from Ontario and eventual winner Merryl Collins (La Bicicletta) and they were up the road. I was somewhat surprised that people just let the two of them off the front, but I wasn't complaining. Soon enough Alex Wrubleski (Colavita Cooking Light) started attacking everytime over the top of the false flat and down around the corner. I watched vigilantly and soon enough we brought the top two girls back, but realized that we were down to only 7 girls including Leah and myself, Alex, Merryl, Laura Yoisten (Webcor), Joelle Numainville and Alison Testeroete (both expresscopy.com). It was actually a perfect situation with 2 girls out of 7. It was rolling around fairly hard and then we went through the bottom corner and the two girls in front of Leah and I went down and we were gapped. In hindsight we should have taken a lap, but we didn't and Leah and I were left in no man's land. The two who crashed got given too many laps (and were later relegated to 4th and 5th) and in a couple of laps Leah and I were absorbed into the pack. Eventually the pack was close to 40 seconds up the road so Jeremy had us try to bring it down. So first Alena gave it everything for a lap before I took over, and over 3.5 laps we reduced the gap to 10 seconds - it was awesome. But Alena and I were pretty done after that.Leah stayed strong in the chase group (despite frustration) and won the field sprint for 6th. Also, our Laura is still having difficulties with the injuries sustained at Yaletown, but we'll have her up and running in no time flat!It was a hard day, but we rode strong and we rode well as a team. We are now focusing on kicking butt in the TT (sauf moi - french for "except me") and then the roadrace.

A Sunday of Pain and Success

2007-07-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

After spending Saturday racing in Victoria in the sun I was a little worried about how i was going to be feeling for the Future Heros Crit on Sunday. My warm up was slow and my legs felt very tired and heavy. Jenelle and I were the only two Giant riders at the race and for the first time we were out numbered by a few other teams. I was hoping that i would get my legs to come around during the race so i opted to sit near the front and try opening up the legs a little by closing down some of the early attacks. Jenelle and i switched covering everything that tried to go up the road and when the prime lap rolled around we found ourselves in the perfect position. Jenelle took the prime and as soon as she rolled across the line i counter attacked and took Stephanie with me. Our break didn't last long, which was the theme of the rest of the race with a few more attempts by a few other riders to get away. When it became clear that it was going to be a bunch sprint i started thinking about where i wanted to position myself for that final sprint. There was a significant head wind so i knew that it would have to be left very late. Coming around the final corner Stephanie started to take it long and i sat on her wheel with Stacey Spencer right on my wheel. With 50m to go i started to come around Steph and took my first win of the season. It felt great!

A Sunny Weekend

2007-07-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

While a lot of our team was out east at road nationals i stayed at home and raced locally.

Saturday was the second race in the BC Cup Track Series and i headed out for a day in the sun at the outdoor velodrome in victoria. Racing is a little different in Victoria than at Burnaby. I am not use to having to deal with the wind when racing on the track and this weekend there was some major winds, especially in the afternoon, which caused speeds to be slower and tactics to change. The most exciting race of the weekend for me was the mixed madison. The madison is an exciting race because there are partners trying to do exchanges, sprints every few laps and trying to time everything requires you to think while racing at max speed. I had a partner who was 100lbs heavier than i was so when he slung me in it was such a rush of speed!!! When the day was done i had ridden 3 madison races, a points race, a scratch race and a tempo race. I came out on top and was the overall B Omnium winner!! What a great day at the track.

Firing on all cylinders

2007-07-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Check the girls driving it! This is a picture of the break at Yaletown where we were able to capture 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th - a pretty darn good showing if I do say so myself. It was an action packed day where we unfortunately lost Laura B. to a crash about two laps in. The two of us (Laura and Jenny) decided to take the second corner rather quickly as we were capitalizing on a small gap and ended up visiting the fence. Laura took the brunt of the crash, but she's a fighter and will be ready to rock on Friday when we take on the Nationals field.
So back to the race. Shortly after I took my free lap, Team Giant started animating the race. In what would be indicative of how she rode all day, Leah laid down a killer attack going up the short steep hill on the backside of the course and splintered the group. Fairly quickly we found the six of us (Leah, Lisa and myself from Giant, the Symmetrics duo of Marni Hambleton and Sarah Stewart, and Expresscopy's Gina Grain) off the front with a comfortable lead that would reach a maximum of around 40 seconds near the end of the race. The Giant girls (lead by Leah) ended up initiating a great deal of the work, but we also came away with the first prime as I jumped Gina at the top of the hill (a move that I would see repeated 3 more times in the race, 2 primes and the win - why did I have to show her the move?!?) As you might be able to tell from the gimaces on the faces of all the girls in the break, we were working hard out there, but we were unable to shake our three breakaway companions.
As the race was coming into the final 4-5 laps, Alena made a brave and bold move from the main pack where she and Claire had done an exceptional job of patrolling and controlling the other racers. Alena managed to jump her group and solo the remaining laps for 7th place - while we were jockying with the others out front. The girls got the lead out going with 1 lap to go and I thought we were golden. I knew that Gina would try to jump us wide going into the 2nd last turn, but at the time (with the lack of oxygen) was a bit at a loss as to how to stop it. She did indeed jump where I thought (next time I'm going to have to anticipate that better) and got a good gap going into the downhill section. Coming out of the final turn it is essentially three strong pedal strokes and the finish line. Gina took the win, with myself in second and Marni in third. Also a notable mention to Claire who showed the main field how it's done by taking the sprint for 8th.
All in all, I think it was a great day for the Giant girls and a super warm up for the hometown racing we will be doing in the next month. The crowds at Yaletown were awesome and I can't wait for Nationals and Superweek!

ATOMIC BC CUP

2007-06-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hey Giant Giant Fans,

It's fallen on my shoulders to report the ins and outs of the Atomic BC Cup Road Race (June 10). This is normally one of my very favorite courses, and I've podiumed on it twice (but never that illusive win rrgh). Sadly, though, the legs were a little rusty after some time off the bike for exam period, which finished June 6th.

Nonetheless, the entire Giant team had high hopes going into another road race tailor made for our resident climber, Leah Guloien. The course is mostly rolling, with one more significant climb right before the start finish, but is consistently difficult, and rewards the fittest riders.

Before the race, it looked as though we would be racing in a downpour - it was coming down HARD. But, somehow, the Cycling Gods smiled on us, and the skies cleared just in time to start our 60km race through the country roads of Abbotsford.

It started out so well - on the second lap Leah was in the break, the rest of us were in the pack, and working to get another Giant rider up to the break (or reshuffle the deck, whichever came first). Then as we rounded a corner on the back side of the course, who did we see? Leah, on the side of the road, with a flat. Claire selflessly gave her a wheel, and waited for the most incompetent wheel car ever to figure out whether she needed a front or rear wheel (you kind of have to expect this in local races). Needless to say, we no longer had a girl in the break, and there were only three of us left in the pack.

By the last two laps, the breakaway had lost its third rider, Sarah Stewart (Wedgewood), and we drilled it to catch her, but, as she later told me, when you're riding with the fear of being caught you can go faster than you expected. It also didn't help us that she's a triathelete, and well suited to time-trialing.

We managed to salvage a pretty disappointing day with our new addition, Laura Brown, taking the bunch sprint for fourth. I, on the other hand, was just lucky to finish with the bunch (not usually my attitude). I was in a world of hurt... but after this weekend's training camp, things are coming around - Watch out!

Results:

1	218	Marni	Hambleton	Symmetrics
2	210	Leah	Goldstein	Symmetrics
3	230	Sarah	Stewart	Wedgewood
4	211	Laura	Brown	Team Giant
5	220	Danielle	Kenny	H&R Block

Leah at Nature Valley

2007-06-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Well I am back from my first NRC (North American Racing Circuit???) race and my legs are feeling it. The race was called the Nature Valley Grand Prix and it consisted of 3 criteriums, if you can call the last race a crit, one time trial and two road races. I attended Nature Valley as part of a composite team that was called Team Group Health. It consisted of a great group of girls which made my first NRC experience all that much better. The first race was a criterium and there were 116 riders that started the race. I was fortunate enough to get a call-up allowing me to have a pretty good starting position. I learned a lot of different things at this race, but the thing that is permanently embedded in my head is that starting position is VITAL!!! Two of my teammates didn't make the time cut and were blown off the back in the first race, and they were not the only ones. The group split up very quickly and I was able to hang on for a very fast ride and finished in the main pack. I was glad I survived the race and wasn't taken out on one of the many fast and sketchy corners. Actually, there weren't that many sketchy riders, but there were a lot of very aggressive riders that were constantly wanting to move up in the pack (something I need to work on). The next day was the road race and it was quite flat until the finishing circuit of 5 laps. Until the finishing circuit, the majority of the group stayed together and as soon as we entered the circuit the pace picked up significantly. Kristin Armstrong from Team Lipton set a fast pace along with some of the other top riders and I tried to just concentrate on moving forward and staying there. On the last lap, everyone starting to get more aggressive and it was very fast going up the last little hill to the finish. In the end, I came in 27th and I knew I had to keep focussing on my positioning and finding some good wheels to stay on for the upcoming races. It was good to start learning who some of the top riders were and put a face to a name. The next day was the time trial in the morning and the criterium in the evening. The time trial was only 8km, but it was 8km of pain and my time showed that. Note to self, need to work on my time trialing. The criterium was once again very fast and there were tons of spectators out cheering us on. I stayed in the main pack and held my position. My teammate Nicki Wangsgard had a great race and ended up coming in second place! It was pretty great and our team was very excited. I had to take some credit for her second place finish though because I gave a homeless man ten dollars before the race and said this will bring us good luck, and it did. Gotta love karma! The next day was the 86 mile road race and I was looking forward to some climbing. Once again there were finishing circuits and it wasn't until entering these circuits did the group begin to split up. The first time up the climb Kristin Armstrong, Alex Wrubleski and some other solid climbers set a very fast pace and I was stuck behind some riders that were unable to respond to these girls and their fast legs. I came around as many people as I could and I started to put the hammer down bringing some people with me. I quickly realized that about 4 out of the 5 girls I was with had a teammate in the lead group and they had no intentions of working with me to close the gap. Luckily there was one girl, Katie Mactier from Team ValueAct, that wanted to work and close the gap as badly as I did. Unfortunately, the girls ahead of us were too strong and soon enoug another group behind us caught on and we formed a much bigger group of women including my teammate Nicki Wangsgard. I had a very frustrating blonde moment towards the end of this race and thought we were on the last lap when we had one more lap to go. In other words, I was pulling hard at the front, thinking I was helping lead my teammate out to the finish line, but really I was just pulling girls around and helping to close the gap to the leaders. When it came down to the ACTUAL last lap, I was feeling pretty cooked and ended up coming in 35th in the pack and was 1minute and 28 seconds behind the leaders. Not my smartest race, but definately a good learning experience. Finally, the last criterium and the last race of the Nature Valley Grand Prix was here! I must admit I was pretty nervous going into this race. People kept telling me horror stories about this steep hill that shredded the field apart on the first lap. My nervousness was further amplified when we showed up a little later than expected and my teammates and I were unable to preride the course. I was freaking out internally, but then I chugged back my redbull, warmed up on the trainer, and told myself that this hill was nothing! And in the end, the hill hurt really bad, but it was nothing compared to some of the climbs we have in our very own BC Cup races. I was really happy with my last stage and I ended up coming in 16th place which bumped me up to 17th in the General Classification which was 4 minutes and 17 seconds off of the leader, Kristin Armstrong. So that was the racing part of my trip to Minnesota. On my down time, I got the opportunity to get to know some really great girls and eat a lot of food and drink a lot of GU2O!!!! I mean A LOT of GU2O!!! Oh ya and I am pretty sure that the guy I had been talking to in the elevator almost every day was the mens GC winner, Ivan Stevic. How cool is that! Nature Valley was a great race and a great experience and hopefully I can bring the things I learned to the women's Giant Team and we can continue to represent on the BC Cup series. Next on the schedule- Yaletown Crit!!!

2007-06-24T21:10:00.001-07:00

Giant CRASH

2007-06-24T18:19:00.001-07:00

We had an excellent weekend of training but then on the way home.....my bike flew off the top of the car while driving on hwy #1 and landed across 4 lanes of traffic!!! The damage i have found so far is two dented and beat up shifters, a messed up saddle, a cracked rear wheel and well...take a look at the pictures

A Solo Trip Down South

2007-05-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

While the team was busy contending the SFU Kremese last weekend, I took a trip down south starting in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday and ending in Somerville, New Jersey on Monday. The plan was to contest 3 NRC (National Racing Calendar - USA) criteriums, in four days, situated approximately 800km from first venue to last. I was guest riding with Vitesse, a US team, the sole other rider being Nicky Wangsgard, an accomplished sprinter from down south. I wasn't sure what to expect going into the races as it was my first big US race of the year, but I was pleasantly surprised. On Friday night, I soon became comfortable in the pack and took a go at an attack - the big teams weren't all that interested and let me go - unfortunately no one was interested and I hung out in front by myself for a couple of laps and then was reeled in. While it didn't really seem like much, being able to be aggressive let me get my feet underneath me and really set the tone for a successful weekend of racing. As the race wound down I was feeling the heat (36 degrees + every day - which is REALLY hot when the race I did the weekend before finished in 11 degrees and pissing rain!) and when they called a "gambler's prime" with one to go, I decided to go for it. Unfortunately I was taken at the line by Catherine Powers (Aaron's Furniture Professional Cycling Team), but it positioned me well (albeit at a heart rate of 203) for the final lap where I just held on for dear life and finished in 12th position - but Nicky got 3rd!
Immediately after the race we jumped in the van for a 6 hour excusion up to Baltimore ending at 3am- lovely city by the way...wouldn't recommend walking around after dark.... Our race on Saturday was a large loop through a city park that didn't really boast corners so much as two chicanes and a 100m short incline to the finish line. Cheerwine was firing on all cylinders after a 1,2 placing the day before by Laura Van Guilder and Kelly Benjamin, but there were numerous other big teams in contention as 90 girls took to the line. The race was again aggressive without anything threatening getting away - mostly as the course did not lend itself to that type of racing. About halfway through a prime was called and as we rounded the final turn I could feel that the enthusiasm was a little lacklustre. I drew even with the front of the pack and realized that no one was watching me, so I decided to go for it. Again, it was Catherine Powers of Aarons that challenged me for the prime, but this time I took the better of her - at the time I wasn't sure what the prime was for - but I am now the owner of Aveda hair products...so that was fun! After the prime, four of us distanced ourselves from the pack being myself, Catherine, Sarah Uhl (Cheerwine) and a Targettraining rider - the numbers were decent and I thought we might have a chance. Unfortunately I was also cooked from the sprint and we were gobbled up pretty quick. Coming through with one lap to go, I was in great position - about 5th wheel in a strung out pack. As we rounded the bend to the bottom of the course you could hear the mass confusion of the leadout trains desperately trying to get organized. Nothing seemed to work and the pack swarmed with about 800m to go. I tried to keep my cool and followed wheels through the chicane (although one cantankerous lady decided to push me into the gravel - on purpose - with abou 400m to go). My experience from the lap earlier told me that the right hand side of the sprint would open up so I followed wheels and in fact the road did open up and I sprinted home to 8th place. Van Guilder took the win ahead of Kate Bates (current World Points Race Champion - T-Mobile) and Theresa Cliff-Ryan (current US crit Champ - Verducci Breakaway).
Going into the final day - the Tour of Somerville - I was pretty happy with how things had been going. I was excited for another day of fun racing and it didn't disappoint. In the early stages, I found myself out front in a small group contesting primes. I wasn't there necessarily on purpose, but I followed wheels and ended up out front. On the first one I was outgunned, but I ended up taking a mid-point prime (I found out later it was a points prime...) which allowed me to become acquainted with the LONG (800m) finishing straight. Things continued to be aggressive with another 90 girls showing up to race on the US holiday Monday and with 3 laps to go, I decided to sit in and rest up the legs. On the final lap, the field started to get antsy. I knew that it was going to be a finish of patience, but I was happy to be in front of a small crash that occured about 900m out from the finish about 3/4 of the way back in the pack. As we came onto the final straight I was trying to fight for a wheel, but apparently not being all the successful as my friend Kelly Benjamin (Cheerwine) very kindly suggested to me that I might want to find a wheel. I followed her up to the front and quickly moved behind the front girl in the Colavita train as to stay on the outside of the pack. With about 300m to go I heard "Go Jenny" from behind assuming that it was Nicky wanting me to lead her out. I jumped and got on top of the gear. I looked over to my left and could see Kate Bates out of the corner of my eye just before Cliff-Ryan shot by. I stood up to punch it again in a bigger gear and sadly enough was waiting for people to come by. To my left I could see that Bates wasn't really taking any ground out of me and when I passed the crosswalk about 10m from the finish, I couldn't believe that I was still out in the wind. I crossed the line in pure amazement - I had just podiumed at an NRC! After spinning around for about half a lap with wide eyes muttering things to myself, things started to register - unfortunately I needed to be at the airport ASAP! I politely asked the podium people to get it done as fast as possible and went to pack up my bicycle. The podium was super cool and I'm still waiting to get pictures...
The whole experience was great - as you might be able to tell by my lack of ability to make this concise. It was really great to see what we are doing is preparing for the next level. I really do feel that I was able to better read the race due to the way that we have been racing and without a doubt the fitness that I've gained has been invaluable as well. The only thing missing on Monday was my team! I wish that you all could have been down there to celebrate with me - this team ROCKS! Thanks for all your support girls - I mean it when I say I couldn't have done it without you!

The Final Fix

2007-05-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

The last of the Quebec based Canada Cup races came and went last Saturday. For this race, I’ll start at the beginning of the week because it was by far the favourite location and race for most.

Mont Tremblant Quebec is located approximately 2 hours outside of Montreal...no idea what direction! It’s kinda like a Whistler of the East. My crew arrived Sunday afternoon after watching the downhill at Bromont. After a delicious dinner of beef fajitias we fell asleep, happy and contented to be in Tremblant.

I woke up early the next morning as I slept on the pull out couch and it was PRETTTYYY uncomfortable! So my ride started at around 7:20AM. It was such a cool ride, I just kept riding this old road out to a little village outside of Tremblant, climbing up different ski hill “braps” on my way. The next day I rode to the top of the Tremblant ski mountain which was AMAZING. It was such a good climb. STEEP and lasted for about an hour. I followed the service road u and all along the road there were millions of trails BUT they were banned to cyclists as the residence there didn't want the mountain to accommodate cyclists!?! The top of the mountain was amazing, so high and sunny. The hills seemed to roll out in front of me like throw rugs. I took a billion pictures!

Wednesday the course finally opened for the one time a year cyclists were allowed to ride Tremblant trails and I took full advantage. I trained really hard on the trails to try and get a good feel for the course. It was sooooo cool. It started on a climb, logging road climb, and then ducked into a technical single track up hill. I had done tons of training runs on the course with the Manitoba girls and I felt confidant going into the race...not to mention the triple brew coffee I was fed before the race. Literally I was shaking. It was INSANE. I’m making it a race ritual! So anyways, Me and crazy frenchie (Adrienne Pichette) got the whole shot at the start of the race despite my shitty starting position (due to the Bromont disaster) and I followed her wheel off the start until the single track where she started to fumble. I passed her for a little while, but basically Adrienne lead the entire race. Second lap came around and I was right with Adrienne still, I got so excited! Given’er up the climb she seemed to be fading, but we remained tight. When the downhill came along I wanted to just soar. But, to my surprise I didn't have any front brakes. The entire brake pad system had FALLEN OUT! I was screwed. I did what I could with a back brake only, but basically lost a lot of time and confidence going down. I got passed by another crazy french girl on the third lap downhill and finished third. I was so ridiculously stoked! It was soooo much fun! Definitely one of the best races of my life.

After the race my boyfriend, Eric, and his parents took me out for an amazing, fancy dinner at the Fairmont hotel. It was WICKED. Sipping on New Zealand white wine, feasting on lobster and an amazing asian buffet we left full and with a successful glow.

BC Cup #3 SFU

2007-05-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Another BC Cup race under our belts! This was a great course, spectator friendly, a couple of good climbs and a nice descent that was just long enough to allow the stragglers to catch back on. Unfortunately Team Giant didn't have there best race due to some sickness and unexpected asthma attacks, however, we still managed to give it our all and took third spot on the podium. The race started with a neutral descent which kept the group all together before the climbing began. I (Leah) set a steady pace the first lap trying to test out the field and see who had their climbing legs. Most of the pack stayed together. It wasn't until the next lap that the group was shattered. Claire attacked on the second lap up the climb and Leah Goldstein and Allison Testroete chased her down forming a gap from the main group. Unfortunately, I wasn't positioned very well and got boxed in as I watched the two girls get away. Claire came back into the chase pack and I started to chase the two girls down. Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to be happy to sit on my wheel and let me do all the work. Finally, two girls decided to start to take a pull, but it was too late. Leah Goldstein was out of sight, however, Allison fell back into the chase pack that included me and Claire. I made a couple of attempts to initiate a break, however, the descent kept bringing people back together. On the last lap, the group was somewhat diminished and my main competitors, Allison and Marnie, were at my side as we were closely approaching the finish line. Thanks to Jeremy, I was given directions up the last short climb towards the finish line. I was out front and feeling confident that second was in the bag, however, Allison came shooting past me at the line and left me to take third. It was a learning experience at its best, next time I will remember to shift to the BIG RING!!! Overall, it was a good race and a good learning experience. I am very excited for next weekend- Provincials!!! The Giant girls will be out in good form and ready to do what they do best- RACE!

Enumclaw RR

2007-05-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

The final stage of the weekend featured a road race that topped off the teams success from the crit. The course included one 3 km climb that we rode each of the 4 laps, and one hot spot sprint for points. The nature of an omnium race based on points required us to grab as many points as possible, which included keeping as many Giant girls up at the front until the sprint second lap. Jenelle was feeling sick so she decided to go from the gun as hard as possible, and put us in a great position to watch the other riders work at the front, while she managed to get 55 seconds away from the pack. The pace up the first climb was high, where we eventually caught Jenelle, and our newly found crit rider, GC contender Leah easily matched the fastest riders over the climb. The team worked hard to bring it back together in order to keep our sprinters in contention for the valuable points. Unfortunatly there was a slight mistake in the direction of the course, which I would like to add the T-Mobile womens' team made a wrong turn in stage 2 (Team TT) of Tour de l'Aude this year, mistakes happen. Leah and myself ended up at the front only to watch Stacy Spencer and Kelly Murden sprint for the points. I had a small moment of feeling very small (figuratively speaking of course), and as though there was nothing I could have done other than watch these two sprinters ride much faster than I was. I was relieved to see the group back together and find the Giant sprinters back with us where upon I was motivated once again, someday perhaps i'll be able to sprint, i'm still working on it. The next time up the hill the tempo picked up and one again Leah was able to match the pace of Leah Goldstien (Symmetrics), Alison Testrote (Expresscopy), and Suz Weldon (Wines of Washington) and these girls slipped away from the bunch. Suz Weldon eventually returned to the main group and left the 3 woman break to take up the podium. Leah finished 3rd. The rest of the race continued with relitively little action other than being neutralized a few times for the men...The pace up the climbs split up the group a bit, but everyone was brought back together for a final sprint finish. I did what I like to do near the end, go to the front and hammer, keep my fingers crossed that no one attacks and that I see Jenny fly by me on the way to a victory. Claire was there keeping the pace high and marking riders. We rode the final kilo, speed picking up, and went into the last corner with 200 m to go, wide open sprint, and Jenny beat out Laura Brown and Kelly Murden for the bunch sprint which put her in 3rd. I ended up 10th and Claire 12th.
Overall, successful with a lot more to learn, and in the right direction.
The final note...it was pooring rain and I have a GIANT bruise on my hip and elbow from my less than elegant crit crash.

Bromont Disaster

2007-05-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

So Bromont was a complete disaster. We got there on the Monday evening after Baie St Paul, leaving us plenty of time to pre-ride and get to know the course. First arriving, the hotel owners warned us the weather looked pretty bad for the week, but no one really listened as it was 22 degrees outside and SUNNY. We woke up Tuesday morning to pouring rain, wind and 2 degree temperatures. I went for a ride, but it was bitter and very unmotivating. Wednesday was no better, and Wednesday is usually like a mock race day, which means I was go out on to the course and hammer out a ideal race, in this case 3 laps. I got to the end of lap one and felt like screaming I was so cold and uncomfortable, I rode back to the motel after only an hour of riding. Thursday was also prettty disgusting out, although a little bit better so I went out and got the mock race in. By the time our race started Saturday it was actually kinda clear, cold, but clear non the less. To tell you the truth I went into the race not knowing how everything went together. The race commisaires had changed the course all around Friday, my rest day, so I didn't get a chance to pre-ride it again after they made the changes. It started on a flat to climb, so everyone hammered hard to get to the hill first. I was in second, sitting close on the crazy french girls wheel. I felt awesome. So excited and full of adrenaline. She was suffering out front and kept yelling at me in french something I couldn't make out...probably to take the lead for a while, but I'm not going to lie, I didn't, I just kept sitting there. At the top of the climb I felt awful. I kept getting head rushes and finally just threw up. After that little fiasco, I fully blacked out for a second and so then fell down a part of the downhill, flatting my front tire. By this time I was sitting about fourth, but we were in a tight pack. I struggled to change my flat as my hands were so shaky. I fixed it pretty fast and jumped back on. Not even 10 minuted later I flatted again, it was sooo annoying, but in appempt to fix it I ran out of CO2 and couldn't finish the race.

Presently I am sitting in our Tremblant hotel, sipping soy milk and cleaning ma bicyclette. The trails here are amazing, I am crazy about this course. It's going to be a fun weekend!

Leah's First Win! With many more to come...

2007-05-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon was GIANT TIME yet again down in Enumclaw, Washington. The team took our test run from the Tuesday nighter earlier in the week where we placed 1,2 and applied it against a much stronger field and came out victorious. The Enumclaw crit was the second stage of a three stage omnium points race and we were firing on all cylinders after a somewhat lacklustre TT had left our team's strategy direction wide open.
Right from the gun, the race proved to be interesting with the eventual ominium leader Kele Murdin (Team Ultralink) going down in the first corner of the race. The course is a technical figure eight (fun!) and the ante was upped by scattered showers that eventually turned into torrential rain. Off the bat, I moved to the front in an attempt to keep the pace high. Half a lap in, I realized that Stacey Spencer (Colavita) had decided to let me get a gap, so I decided to start working it and punched it out of the corners for the next few laps. In my stint off the front (I think it was between 4-6 laps) I managed to get up to a 9 second gap and two primes - one useful ($50) and one ridiculous ("handmade" jewlery - let me know if you want it!), but eventually I was eaten back up.
The meat of the race was then punctuated by numerous primes (of which I managed to come 2nd in 2 - but of course 2nd in primes doesn't mean anything!) and a wreck - yet again in corner one - this one claiming our very own Alena. She hit the ground and slid out, but luckily nothing that would stay with her other than road rash and she was able to come back strong for Sunday's roadrace.
With about three laps to go, after a prime had been called, the heavens decided to really open up. Leah and myself were near the front and Jeremy made the call to have Leah go for it as she was our GC hope going into the next day. As appears to be customary in NW racing, the girls watched her ride away and only about a lap later realized that this was potentially VERY dangerous with such an engine out front. Leah hammered and rode the crit course like it was nobody's business while Claire and I marked wheels near the front. The Symmetrics duo of Leah Goldstein and Marni Hambleton made a couple of efforts to bring her back, but without the cooperation of the pack, Leah's lead grew to 10+ seconds in the dying laps of the race.
With just under one lap to go for the field, it became apparent to me (and probably everyone else) that she was going to stay away - which was incredible, but made my job clear. I positioned myself behind Alison Testeroete's (Expresscopy.com) who was on Murdin's wheel. We shot out of the final chicane and jammed the last 200m, but I came up a little short on Testeroete - however giving Giant 1 and 3 - not a bad day at the office!
A couple of notes on the race:
1) Leah, I bet you didn't think that you're first win would be in a crit! How awesome is she and how great is the team that we managed to get our GC rider to win the crit???
2) Pickle rocked out in her first 1-3 crit and fought to stay with the front group - you are a star!
3) Awesome work girls - I'm really, REALLY proud of us!

Baie St Paul Canada Cup #1

2007-05-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

Our first Canada Cup race of the season commenced at 12:00 noon Sunday May 13th. Here all of elite men and women, and junior men and women started. I was so nervous at the start, but I kept repeating in my head to have fun and relax. It was just a race. Starting out was wicked. I got so excited. A crazy french girl gav’er off the start and I stuck on her wheel. The course was really cool. Not really like any other I had been on. It was very flowy and didn’t have any real climbs. Up down, up down.... for 20km. Myself and three other girls switched positions for the first 2 laps, but on our final lap I put the hammer down and tried to stay with the crazy french girl. I ran out of water really close to the beginning of the lap, so it’s kind of a fuzzy scene. I got super dehydrated and pretty delirious. I raced like mad though. I wanted to catch crazy frenchie SOOO much. I didn’t end up catching her though, I finished a little less than a minute back, second place of the junior women. It was AWESOME. I was SOO stoked on my final results.

The Rat Race

2007-05-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was my first cross country marathon bike race. It was held in Roberts Creek on the Sunshin-ing Coast. Waking up to rain wasn't exactly my idea of a good time, but as we neared the race start, the clouds disappeared and the skies smiled down. Today was a good day I decided.

The race commenced shortly after 10:30AM. With a gun to signal go and 2 logging trucks creating a scary, loud tunnel we were off on our 48 km pain filled bike ride. Starting the race out feeling awesome, I sprinted up close to the front. This race was on home turf and everyone I knew and loved was there watching and cheering. It was awesome. I felt so appreciated. The first 12 km was a massive, vertical climb up a local favourite, Pumpkin Patch..note to self, ride DOWN Pumpkin Patch. No, it was tough, but I had spent countless hours going over lines and repeating the hill so I knew exactly how I wanted the race to go. I got to the hill and didn't feel great, which was a little discouraging, but it takes time to warm up and I needed to respect that of my body. After a while of climbing and breathing hard, my body felt warm. I was then having fun. The climb just kept ascending, it was like a never ending nightmare of mud and slick rock. When we finally did reach the top, again, there was a huge crowd of loved ones cheering me on.
Getting to the decent I wanted to make up some time. I was sitting about 10th over all woman and wasn't really to content with that placing. I sprinted as hard as I could down the hill, basically having no control at all. My arms were like jello and the trails were so rutted out and muddy that my eyes were closed. The whole way down I screamed I had no brakes so people would move HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH. It was cool. When I finally reached the bottom of the first decent there was a feed station, my mom was happily waiting with my friends and brother. STOKED to have such an amazing support team mountain biking, and with a new bottle of gatoraded-water. I started to ascend one more time. The climbing in that was ruthless. JEEZZEEEE.....
Then some more stuff happened, in which I would explain but it basically is the same as above and that would just bore you. So I will skip to the ending....
The last decent was approaching and I was sitting 5th woman. I knew at the bottom of this decent I had a little uphill sprint and then the finish line. I went hard along the downhill and nearing the uphill road I saw my dad. Just seeing his face light up wanted to make me cry. I hadn't really been getting along with him lately and to see him proud of me and appreciating what I was doing was the best part of the race for sure. "GO SHORTYYYYY" he screamed and I sprinted like mad to that finish line.
I finished 5th woman and first junior, but best of all, had a SUPER fun race. I was feeling like lately all my races were based on contending other people. I went into this race in a different mind frame. I wanted to race this race for myself, not for others. It was so good. I did things because I wanted and didn't base my decisions on what would please other people.
Thank you Rod and Tanya, you guys are awesome Race organisers. The Rat Race 2007 was a huge success and we were lucky to benefit from all your hard work.

bye bye cat 4

2007-05-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Well i must say it was rather fun while it lasted but alas i must join the big girls in their game.
this weekend signaled the end of cat 4 riding for me, but not to worry i went out with a bang.

After arriving to the Saturday rr with just enough time to sign on , get changed and warm up ( thanks to a directionally challenged driver ) the two giant "kids" lined up to score some BC team points and cause some pain ( for both ourselves and our competitors ). Within the first quarter lap we were accomplishing our goal. Without and conscious effort on the team's part the pack had fragmented into several smaller clumps with the front group only registering 6 ( some credit must however go to the new, but fast Megan Rathwell for pulling the unwilling group up the first long climb ) by the time we got to the top of the WALL OF DOOM the lead pack was down to 4 with Megan Rathwell powering off the front. After some shared effort with one of the local ride girls and some yo-yoing I Finaly caught up with her just before the end of the lap, only to have her slip away again when we reached the WALL. But a certain spectator wasn't about to let me loose her and followed me yelling for me to ride faster ( i was pretty sure that wasn't possible but a scary guy in a large truck is pretty good motivation ) with about 7 km to go i caught her and sat on her wheel waiting for her to make me pull or for her to attack , but neither happened and it came down to a sprint for first , after her power housing the course i had the legs and took the win by several bike lenghts.

Sunday morning came far to early and i dawned my skin suit at 7:30 am and started warming up for what was to be my hilliest time trial yet, now i must admit that time trials are not my favourite form of punishment but this one was much less horrible and i ended up 3rd ( which ment that i needed to win the crit to keep the overall )

As Sunday afternoon rolled around i was excited about the technical but flat crit that i was about to embark on. After umpteen times around the course i lined up front and center , ready. the pace was moderate from the gun and picked up a bit for a few of the laps but nothing that would really shatter the group. because of my solo status and the nasty headwind i sat out of the wind in second place for 90 percent of the race watching for anything dangerous but nothing really presented itself and it wasn't until the prime lap that the speed picked up again with Liz from local ride making a serious effort for the three points , but after some good cornering i had a gap and sprinted for the line and took the points. When i crossed the line and looked back i realized that i had quite a gap and made an effort to stay away but the group pulled me back and i took my second wheel spot back with no opposition . In the final lap Rachel Canning and i jumped and seceded in acquiring a small gap which we kept to the line.

well im going to miss not being the poor sucker suffering off the back but my dues must be paid and im down with suffering as long as i learn somthing aling the way.
bye bye cat 4

The Ridge Crit

2007-04-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

The crit course in Haney was one of the coolest courses that I've seen - sharp corners, with half the course really wide, then funneling into a very skinny U-shaped 180 degree corner with a park in the middle for interactive spectatorship!

Bill Pickle, aka Chelsea Bilsbarrow, dominated the Cat 4 women and won all three stages this weekend, including the prime...she showed them no mercy!! Congrats Pickle, and welcome to Cat 3:)

Our team numbers dwindled from 8 to 4 on Sunday for the crit, with just Leah, Claire and myself left to defend Leah's overall lead for the stage race. Claire and I could feel the pressure before the race, it was perfect, just the pressure that we needed!

Claire did a great job covering any attacks at the front, while I marked other potential racers that could take points for the overall (especially Leah's good friend Jean-Anne!). We were on every attack that was lauched, and never let one go...
As the race went on to half way, BH lauched an attack every lap, obviously trying to tire out the rest of us to get there sprinter Laura Brown the win.
With the prime lap called, I moved to the front of the pack into the last two corners, with Claire leading Leah up on the outside - the perfect lead out! We came around the corner with Claire leading where she enable me to take the prime with Leah in second holding off Laura Brown in 3rd.
With only 5 minutes to go, the pace slowed and it was obvious that it would be a pack sprint for the finish. Jean-Anne lauched one more try for a breakaway, but we hooked her back in...
The bell lap saw myself and Leah sitting in 5th and 6th for the final corner where we were able to outsprint 2 riders for a 3rd (Leah) and 4th finish, respectively keeping Leah in 1st Overall for the Stage Race!!

Thanks for a great race ladies!

BC Cup #2 Race the Ridge

2007-04-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we now have two BC Cup races under our belt and our team still has the leader's jersey. The road race on Saturday was the kind of course you could see on a World Cup circuit, it was extremely tough both physically and mentally. The race started out with the sun shining so I knew things were looking up for BC racing. The race started out at a moderate pace set by Trek and Symmetrics. The group stayed together nicely as a cohesive unit for about half a lap, and then came "the Wall." Leah Goldstein from Symmetrics was up front setting a solid pace with Marni Hambledon (Symmetrics) tight to her wheel, following her was Allison Testroete (Expresscopy.com), and following her was Jenny Trew (Giant), and after weaving my way through the pack, I was following Jenny. As the hill became more gradual, Symmetrics continued to drive the pace and Allison started to open a gap. I decided to come around Allison and jumped on Marni's wheel. Unfortunately, Jenny was unable to get on and missed out by a pedal stroke- Next time Jenny, next time!!! Then the fun began for me (Leah Guloien), Leah Goldstein continued to drive the pace on the flats and made sure I was taking equal amounts of pulls as her as Marni sat on my wheel. Eventually, I could no longer respond to her attacks and soon enough she was out of sight leaving Marni and I behind. For the remainer of the race, Marni and I worked together holding off the chase group that consisted of about 8 girls including Jenny Trew (Giant) and my good friend Jeananne McKirdy (Rocky Mountain Bicycles). As the finish line neared, Marni was on my wheel and I started to slow down the pace in hopes she would come around me so I could jump on her wheel. Soon enough, she jumped around me and I got on her wheel but in the end I was unable get her at the line. Needless to say, Symmetrics placed 1, 2 and I took third. On the other hand, our team sprinter, Jenny Trew, walked away from the pack in a group sprint and took fourth. Overall, it was a successful day for the Giant girls taking 3rd and fourth.

Tour de Walla Walla - Criterium (almost) Domination

2007-04-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Fans,

After a very successful road race, our team of self-declared crit-riders lined up to the start of the 40 minute L-shaped criterium in downtown Walla Walla looking to put the hurt to our competition (namely the Wines of Washington team, but you should all talk to Jenny about that). It was raining lightly, but after this past winter, it didn't phase us a bit.

From the gun, our constant attacking left the field strung out, and even resident pro Mara Abbott (Webcor Builders) found herself in a spot of bother, dangling off the back of the field. Much like the rest of the weekend, we found ourselves to be the only team willing to attack, with Wines of Washington's domestique pulling things back for the race leader, Suz Weldon. Kele Murdin (Ultralink) was also aggressive - following our many attacks - and threatened to get away a couple of times with both Jenny and Alena, but it was not to be.

The Giant Team scooped up all available primes before setting up for the finish. Alena buried herself keeping the pace high to avoid last minute escapes but unfortunately Kele jumped us a split second too early, and we were unable to close the gap, finishing a disappointing second and third. Alena surprised everyone by finishing fifth, even after such a huge effort in the final laps.

More surprisingly still, was the lack of sprint representation by the local girls. I was sure that they would have taken advantage of our tired legs from our constant aggression, but I guess they were too tired/intimidated/slow (take your pick).

While in general it was a sucessful crit, we learned a lot, and we're ready to take it to the BC Girls next weekend at Race the Ridge.

I'd like to end this post with the best compliment a team of women racers can receive:

"You raced like men" - Jeremy Storie

Walla Walla TT

2007-04-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning the Jenny, Lisa, and myslef (Alena), started the Tour of Walla Walla with a 12 km TT. The out and back course consisted of a gradual uphill on the way out, which lead everyone to feel kind of slow and sluggish, and the way back to be suprisingly fast and for the most part a lot more fun. Although, I don't Time Trials are generally supposed to be considered "fun", the way back was actually kind of fun. I think however I could have made it a little less "fun" and perhaps more "fast". Lisa was the top Giant rider of the day in 8th place 1 minute back, Jenny followed in 13th 1:31 back, and myself in 16th 1:41 back. After the time trial we were looking forward to showing what we could do as a team in the road race, which proved to be very "fun", in that strange kind of, I like to hurt and make other people hurt kind of way.

Kellog Hollow Road Race

2007-04-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

After an 8 hour drive and what was thought to be an innocent burrito, Leah was doomed to tummy ache land, and I (Alena) was the only Giant rider to race in Friday's road race. Although I like to deem myslef as independent, I felt a tad lonely and kind of missed the usual banter and perhpas loud voices of some of my teammates. The course as Jeremy said "does not look hard, it is hard", was a hilly, but short 60 km road race somewhere near Walla Walla. The race started off neutral for about 3 km, then quickely headed for a descent and technical off camber corner to begin the climbing. The group stayed together for most of the first major climb, Mara Abbott (Webcore Builders) picked up the pace and procedded to make her first move. A few girls managed to stick with her, and unfortunatly my legs did not quite have the speed to match the pace. The rest of the race was made up of attacks and chases and a continuous attempt to get closer to the 5 girls infront of us. We finished the race with a sprint for 6, where my positioning was little bit less than ideal and I ended up in 10th. Overall, not a bad race, and I left feeling like there was lots of room for improvement, but that I had the legs to keep it going all weekend.

The Giant Show

2007-04-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Despite losing a few members at the last minute, I think it's safe to say that the Giant team came away with a successful weekend of racing down in Walla Walla, Washington. I won't lie, I'm tired and I would totally prefer to be out on my bike, but instead I'm at work (procrastinating) and thinking about the weekend. We originally thought that we were going to be heading down with a beefy team, but lost Claire on Wednesday (luckily we found her - ha ha, I'm funny - and tired can't you tell?) as she had a work commitment, and poor Leah came all the way down (8 hour drive) only to come down with a yucky tummy flu and become well acquainted with various sleeping areas (we missed her out on the road) - so we were down to the trio of Alena, Lisa and myself. That having been said, despite the smaller numbers, we definitely made an impression on the race.
So I've chosen to give a quick recap of Saturday's Roadrace. The course was 100km in length and started out with a 3km neutral climb. But let's be honest, a climb's a climb - Lisa even pointed out that her heart rate was 172 going up it - so it wasn't all that easy. The next climb was of similiar length at about km 20, but it rolled easier (and we stopped for a pee break near the bottom which made the ascent generally easier - unless you are me and the very last person to get the bibs back up and have to chase a little). The pack stayed in tact and the three of us did a little animation, but nothing really stuck. There was a sprint in town for a $25 dollar prime that I took going into the base of the climb - so that was fun.
The second time up the big hill (first time racing) was at tempo until the final few hundred meters when the QOM points factored in. At this point, I would like to mention that I, Jenny Trew, ended up 5th in the QOM competition - rather happy with myself ;) I digress, but the group made it back together and Lisa decided that it was time to make it a race. She attacked and despite multiple NRC podiums last year - everyone just let her go. She was away for 30km or so and when she got back Alena and I took at stab at it, before Lisa went again and I heard a girl in the pack mutter "REALLY?", but this time she was pulled back and on the next rotation of attacks, Alena got away. Again, the pack didn't really react and she was out front for the next 35 minutes - we put the radios to good use trying to motivate her, but alas the pack was too eager to get to the base of the climb in a clump and we gobbled her up about 200m up the pitch.
With both of the other girls having had their cracks at long breakaways, the 3km finishing climb was all me - talk about responsibility! :P We started hard, but manageable as the pack dwindled with attrition up to about the halfway mark when the attacks started. It was stop and start and I managed to stay with the front group until about 1200m to go. At that point, Mara Abbot of Webcor Builders (of Oak Glen fame) attacked and took a few girls with her, I was able to close the gap with about 1km to go, but at that point it was all I could do to hold the pace I was going. Note: 200m going up a climb is much longer than say, on the track. That having been said, I was able to hold on to 5th place, only 28 seconds behind Mara - not so shabby if I do say so myself. The ride bumped me up to 8th in the GC after a somewhat lacklustre TT performance - it's an interesting world where I come 13th in the TT and 5th in the summit finish...I just don't know... But the Giant girls definitely put on a show!

The Beast

2007-04-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

So I definitely haven't really updated anyone on the mountain biking scene so far. Basically, I have only done a few warm up races. (same idea as Spring Series, only with JUST highschool kids) and it has been a LOT of fun. I just love being outside in the forest, getting to hammer and not having to stress or worry about being a rooky or making a mistake that could pretty much end a life.
I pre-rode the Rat Race a week ago and had a stupidly painful crash on "the beast" aka my Anthem(a beast... BAHAHAHAHAHA). I was so scared I scrached her! I was launching off this little jump, but instead slid and flipped...hit a tree up-side down and slid down the whole thing. QUITE the adventure....until I saw my bum and woke up the next morning and couldn't move the neck. OH WELL though, what can I expect when I act like a hack and do stupid things like try and jump my 7000$ cross country bike on free-ride trails. So Im off to the mainland tomorrow to do another race.... Pretty much summing my life to the day.

jet fuel ??

2007-04-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

well id love to write the race from my perspective and mabey one day i will but for now im gonna post some picts because if i dont the jet might get mad and we all know she is fast enough to chase anyone down so im just postoing picts and leaving it at that

Giant Women go 1 for 1 at the BC Cup

2007-04-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

Well it appears that the hard training races we put in last month during the Spring Series paid off. Yesterday, the team took to the line at Harris Roubaix ready to show that we are the strongest team in BC, and I think we accomplished our goal. We were short Kath on the line (ha ha!), which is too bad because I'm sure she would have enjoyed the gravel chunk every lap - what with being a mountain biker and all!
The race was fairly aggressive from the get go and a Giant rider was never far from the action. Unfortunately on lap 2 Alena suffered the unfortunate fate of a flat and there was a resulting split in the field that ate up Jenelle and Claire as well - so we were down to four in the front group. No matter, we were able to continue to throw girls off the front - the most notable of which was Leah Guloien who attacked at a perfect time after the field had been stretched out for awhile and only Leah Golstein was able to follow. The two girls were out in front of the pack for most of a lap, but the flat terrain foiled them and the front group was all together with 1 to go. At that point, I knew that it was going to be a sprint (as did the rest of the field) and I started to get excited. The sprint went from the corner - I was the third wheel around and after a bit of a "is anyone else going to go?" lag - I took it for a drag race and managed to beat out Laura Brown of Integrale and Alison Testeroete of Expresscopy.
I'm very stoked to be the new BC Cup leader (and I get a jersey!!!) and proud of my team for providing such great support during our first real test. That having been said - the real hero of the day award goes to Chelsea for kicking ass and taking names in the front group - she even ventured an attack in the last lap - HOW COOL IS THAT?
Also a big thanks to Sean for coming out to cheer us on - we wouldn't be looking nearly so stylin' if it wasn't for you!

Mountain Biking

2007-04-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

So just a quick re-cap of my day....

MOUNTAIN BIKE RACES ARE DA BOMB!

The Last ROAD RACE of the Spring Series- B Group

2007-04-02T17:14:00.001-07:00

Well, the last Spring Series Road Race has come and gone. It was a very cold morning, however, the rain held off and as the race began things started to heat up. It was a very impressive field of people that showed up for the last road race, not only because of the numbers, but also because of the significant amount of women in the field. I can't wait to race with the Giant girls in an ALL womens field, it is going to be great. Okay, back to the race. The race started off at a good pace and there was an early break that went at about the 3rd to fourth lap. The break was initiated by our one and only Jenny Trew and six other riders including my good old dad, Nels Guloien. The seven riders worked together in hopes of holding the chase group off. As for the rest of us, myself (Leah), Alena, Lisa and Claire remained in the chase group and watched and waited to see if any groups were going to try and bridge up. Lisa marked her territory near the front of the pack while the rest of us did "intervals" within the pack. After about five laps on their own, the lead group started to fatigue and the chase group started to pick up the pace and eventually closed the gap. Once again, the group was back together. A couple of other attempts were made to get away later on in the race, however, the group stayed aggressive and closed any gaps immediately. With one lap to go, the pack started to get antsy and the yellow line rule was disregared on several occassions- oops. On the last corner to the finish line, Jenny was sitting well positioned in fourth place, however, some back luck came her way and she got tangled up in a crash and was unable to show off her dominating sprint. On the flip side, she was able to walk away with some pretty shades of blue on her leg. Myself and Alena finished in the top half of the pack, while Claire and Lisa stopped to make sure Jenny was okay. Overall, it was another day well spent on the bike and I can't wait for the BC Cup Series to begin. See you all at the races. Leah

The Final Duo: A Crit and TT

2007-04-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday April 2 was a much anticipated day as it marked race numbers 9 and 10 of the Spring Series. The Giant girls went into the final 2 events of the 3 race stage race, with smiles and determination to finish off the series with aggressive riding and lots of action. The team leaders Jenny and Lisa have shown fantastic leadership and experience though out the series upon which the rest of the team is continually learning from. The message from them on the last day was simple, "you are not racing if you are not at the front - get there, stay there, anticipate moves, and react". The B race crit began on that note with Jenelle, Alena (me), Clair, Leah, Lisa, and Jenny racing. After a brief hail storm and some rain, we started the 60 minute crit. The team had riders in the front marking moves from the beginning. It took me a few laps to get myself together and to the front, which as it would seem should be a simple thing to do, however a few pedal strokes in the wind can do some damage to the legs, and that really adds up near the end of the race, as I would soon feel through out my continual effort to "get there and stay there". Myself, Leah, Claire, and Jenelle, had the jobs of marking moves from the front, in order for Lisa and Jenny to have enough in their legs for the sprint finish, which had some moments of effectiveness and a few other moments to keep learning from. A crash in the middle of the race unfortunately took Claire as a victim, but she escaped with no injuries. The race stayed together for a sprint finish where Lisa lead Jenny out for a 7th place. The team finished the race on a positive note in terms of the experience we had gained though out the series from learning how to ride together and the potential we have to keep that learning curve up.

The final race was a 12 km ITT. After the team spent some quality time together, eating, relaxing, and organizing TT equipment, we were ready to finish the series! Jenny and Leah were excited to try out their new super hot Giant Time Trial bikes. Most of the girls were feeling totally cooked after the previous 2 races and the past month of racing. We had some comments such as "my HR doesn't seem to be much higher when I'm going hard", "but my bike is so hot". Needless to say on the short, flat, and windy TT Leah ripped it up with a fast time, and the other girls followed behind putting their best effort forward. Myself and Jenny had the same comment "I went really hard...". It was a very satisfying finish to know there was no more work that could been produced from the legs of the Giant girls. We look forward to the season!

the last of the first

2007-04-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

well i suppose that all good things must come to an end.
This weekend signaled the end to the ever popular spring series and what a fantastic weekend it was ( even if i did spend a small portion of it on the ground ). With a wonderfully flattish road course Saturday , a short and sweet crit Sunday morning and a perfectly frustrating tt complete with gusting cross winds Sunday afternoon.
To spice the weekend up a little for the "kids" on the team there where Weastern Canada games team points to be had ( Kathrine seamed to have a good time racking them up ).
All in all the weekend went fairly well for the c giant girls , more so for the one of us who avoided kissing pavement though :)
so I'm sure I'm speaking for all the girls when i say a big thank you to all the escape velocity and devo riders, coaches, and parents who worked so hard to put on a great bunch of races
THANK YOU

Western Canada Games Victoria Training Camp March 2007

2007-03-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

So I have never had a professional massage, not even a good pretend one... Well.. that is until last Friday. I had worked really hard last week. Mach chicken to be exact. Hill repeats, V02 max tests, LSD, you know.. the regular overload week. When it got to the weekend, my back was in so much pain that I could hardly walk erectly. When my mom and I got to my grandparents, and they saw how much pain I was in, they showed me the most magic chair EVER. It’s called a Niagra Chair. It vibrates and has this rolly thing that goes up and down your back creating a massage. It also has built in heating pads to heat your sore spots. I probably laid in that chair for a grand total of about 3 hours that day.

On Saturday, Chelsea and I departed from Langely moments after completing our third Spring Series race. Staggering towards the car drenched, I couldn’t keep from smiling. We had both worked really hard in the race and despite the horrible weather and competitive male field, we had both finished in good positions.

The wind shield wipers were on full as we drove down the highway towards the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. Pulling into the ferry terminal 10 minutes after it’s departure was kind of a bummer, but it gave us a good opportunity to test one another's patience. I did homework for 4-ish hours and she watched The Matrix on her IPod.

Saturday night was my first experience in a Thrifty Foods. Personally, I think its kind of over rated. I mean, it’s a good grocery store, don’t get my wrong. But there are definitely others just as good! I was fortunate enough to be given a bed at my friend Kjersten’s house for the camp. Before going to sleep Saturday night, we watched Borat...pretty big gong show!

Sunday morning I woke up late...7:30am. Out of sorts, I made some oatmeal and yogurt, did some socials homework, and then set out on my Sunday recovery ride. Not knowing Victoria, I found a pretty round about route to UVic. I later took the bus up to meet a friend and it took all of 10 minutes including stops.. I rode for like an hour and a half before I could find it. That evening my brothers girlfriend brought me to a yoga class downtown. It was WEIRDDDD. We only did 6 poses in the entire hour and a half class, and the whole time the instructor was going off about some war going on inside me. I fell asleep in the mediation part, and then ate a muffin she brought in her picnic basket...can you say hippy!!

I was so excited Monday morning to finally start the camp. Kjersten and I left her house WAY to early and arrived at the hostel with an hour to spare. We ended up sitting inside and getting cold instead of chilling at her house warm and NOT in spandex. Our ride was AMAZINGLY FUN. It was only a recovery ride, but everyone got to meet everyone and it’s quite amusing riding in a pack with mountain bikers.

Tuesday was the first day of serious intensity. Our first test was a hill climb. The conditions were ridiculous, but then again, what's not in cycling?! The hill was 10 minutes long, with a 10% grade. Personally, I didn’t have the greatest trial. We sat around too long before our start, so when I actually got on the hill my feet were so cold that they felt like they were breaking off when I stood up or moved them at all. Chelsea was amazing though, she freekin' hammered up that hill like no body’s business. I was trying so hard to catch her, but that “grr” just wasn’t enough. The next test was a team time trial. Chelsea and I both shined in that test (if I do say so myself). Chelsea, Steve and I dropped the rest of our group and had a sufficient pace line going. We put the hammer down for the entire 6 km loop and caught the group in front of us. I was so proud of the Giant Girls!

Wednesday was a mix of intensity and recovery. We rode out in a pack focusing our energy on a good tempo. When we got out to.....?..... We started our individual time trial. Our starting positions were based on Tuesday’s results, and therefore I was to start second to last of the girls. I was feeling good that day. I flew down the road, my heart rate never dropping below 199. Personally, I find it really hard to time trial. Coming from a discipline of the sport where if you want a break, you hammer for a little while, and then you are safe to take one to not being able to ever break is hard and weird. Basically, I scare myself into riding harder. I tell myself I’m loosing and then I tend to ride faster and faster. It’s hard for me to keep motivated though, sometimes breaks just seem sooo good! We rode back pretty slowly and I dinged out 10 minutes before the hostel so I could go for another ride with my friends Sophie and Brooke. We had SO much fun, but when I got back I was CRAZYYY tired. I had put about 7 hours in the bike seat including a little race...lets just say I slept well that night.

All in all, I had a blast in Victoria! Thanks for being such a great friend and team mate Chels, it means a lot to me to have someone I can always count on!

Hill climb result Victoria training camp March 2007

1 Chelsea Bilsbarrow 11:54
2 Katherine Short 12:33
3 Kjersten Lone 14:27
4 Rachel Canning 14:30
5 Lauren Hughes 15:20
6 Micayla Gatto 15:53
7 Camille Nonis 16:05
8 Kyla Geisbrecht 16:45

1 Owen Harrison 9:16
2 Matt Potma 9:36
3 Jeff Clarkson 9:45
4 Graeme Bant 9:52
5 Evan Flater 10:05
6 Jason Manning 10:17
7 Cody Campbell 10:18
8 Sean Stanhope 10:24
9 Mike Rothengatter 10:27
10 Hans Froese 10:32
11 Tyler Allison 10:33
12 Ellis Jordon 10:38
13 Kevin Thorpe 10:40
14 Evan Guthrie 10:47
15 Erik Mulder 10:50
16 Jesse Horn 10:52
17 Sebastion Sleep 10:58
18 Kurtis Vallee 11:08
19 Nicholas Bird 11:24
20 Corey Hess 11:30
21 Philip Cairns 11:43

Time Trial result Victoria training camp March 2007

1 Katherine Short 14:11
2 Chelsea Bilsbarrow 14:16
3 Kjersten Lone 14:17
4 Rachel Canning 15:13
5 Micayla Gatto 15:16
6 Kyla Geisbrecht 15:27
7 Lauren Hughes 15:42
8 Camille Nonis 15:48

1 Matt Potma 12:32
2 Cody Campbell 12:42
3 Owen Harrison 12:51
4 Kevin Thorpe 13:07
4 Graeme Bant 13:07
6 Jason Manning 13:15
7 Mike Rothengatter 13:18
8 Erik Mulder 13:45
9 Evan Guthrie 13:49
10 Jesse Horn 13:50
11 Hans Froese 13:52
12 Ellis Jordon 13:58
13 Sean Stanhope 14:00
14 Kurtis Vallee 14:10
14 Corey Hess 14:10
16 Nicholas Bird 14:14
17 Philip Cairns 14:18
18 Tyler Allison 14:20
19 Sebastion Sleep 14:32

Sun Sun Sun

2007-03-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

The sun finally came out for Sunday's bike racing action! The Zero Avenue course around Aldergrove Park gave the Giant team a challenging day, but we came out in the end with more smiles and success. The B race included Claire (recently back from knee surgery), Lisa, Jenny, Jenelle, and myself (Alena). Most of the team is feeling the last three weeks of racing in their legs, with the exception of myself who was delighted to get some quality riding and relaxing in Mexico for the last week. The Giant girls started out strong on the 120km course, which included 17 laps of relatively flat terrain with one short steep climb, and a section of strong head winds. The demanding course continually swallowed riders as the day went on. Jenny, Lisa, and Alena were consistently marking the front and active through out the race. With about 7 laps to
go 6 riders broke away. Unfortunately, the Giant team missed out on putting a rider in the break, but remained active at the front of the chase group. The last few laps saw Jenny and Alena riding solid with the main group as the 120km came to a close. The final 200m included the strenuous short steep climb and Jenny positioned herself well at the front and came through in the pack sprint well with in the top 10 for a top 15 finish overall. Alena finished with the rest of the shattered main pack up the final climb. Overall, it was a good day for the team!

Saturday March 24: A River Of Water

2007-03-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

There was a small turn out for Saturdays Atomic road course, this may have been due to the all too familiar weather we have been having and the fact that a few of our team members were trying to escape this relentless rain by travelling to foreign coutries to do some training in the SUN!

Besides the three hills we had to contend with every lap the course had a few unexpected obstacles. There was a section of pavement that was missing which required avoiding some pot holes and flying gravel and there was also a river of water crossing our path on the long down hill section. All of this made the driving rain seem a little less obvious as we were too busy thinking about what was coming up next.

Jenny had a great day. She was involed in an early break which caused a huge break up in the group and left many a riders behind. Sadly, it included Jenelle and myself (claire) and we were forced to finish the race in TT mode chasing other dropped riders and digging deep to find something to keep us going. Jenny, taking Jeremys advice, was patient on the final sprint up the climb and waited until the perfect moment to launch her sprint. Again, another top finish for the Jet.

Wet, wet, wet.

2007-03-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the popular band (recall the song "Love is all around"), I'm talking about Saturday's race, and inauguration of the new 40th avenue course.

Team Giants colours, sadly, were a little hard to see under the water-soaked plastic rain capes, but ask anyone in the B men's peleton, and you'll hear that we were a force to be reckoned with.

The race started out a little lack-lustre, but despite the weather, the pace quickened and the few rollers on the otherwise fast course took their toll on everyone's legs. Myself (Lisa), Jenelle, Claire (back in the B ranks after a post-knee-surgery-sabbatical with the C group), and our ever-quick team star Jenny T, all took our turns covering the mini-splits and attacks that threatened to get away, but the "We all win if we finish in a big group" mentality won once again, and our sprint star Jenny managed another top-5 taking 5th in the bunch sprint.

After all was said and done, the wetness wasn't so bad, and the weather even cleared up for Sunday's race. My smallest three toes on my right foot finally did thaw out - after an hour of heating myself in front of the fire.

Sunday; Bradner Course

2007-03-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, Jenny is officially my hero!! Third place on a decently hilly course against the boys...can't say that she's not a climber anymore!

It was just Jenny and I to show for the team today, and a good showing it was.
The weather was much better than yesterday, it didn't rain until after the race at least. The B race started off with a bang...we passed the A's on the second lap of the race, and the pace was fairly relentless up the hills and false flats...lap after lap. Even with the fast pace, the pack impressively stayed intact pretty much to the end - well, sans moi! I fell off the back on lap 5 (twice!!) and got back on for lap 4 and about 75% of lap 3 (counting down from 10 laps), then waited (while I put out the smoke and fire in my legs..) at the finish line to watch Jenny sprint in to take 3rd. Yay! It was very exciting.
Learned so much today, starting to move around the pack much better than before. I can't WAIT until I'm strong enough to help with the finishes!!

See you at the races next weekend, and 'Good luck and have fun' to Chelsea (Pickle) and Kath (Shorty) at the ID Camp for the Canada Summer Games in Victoria this weekend. I know you ladies will be awesome!

Jenelle

Rivers of Water

2007-03-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say that even though the rain didn't let up today at all and i am still finding grains of sand in my ears hours after the race, i had an awesome day racing. What a great effort everyone put in today and i felt really comfortable out there for my first B race of the year. Hey Pickle and Shorty how did your race go?

2007-03-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2007-03-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

The second weekend of Spring Series saw the double up for the women of Giant - with the "classic" (and only one that I've done) Zero Ave course, followed by the daunting Armstrong course on Sunday (the down, across, up, across course).

Saturday started out with some questionable weather, but the actual rain held off until moments before we jumped into our cars post-race. The roster for the Bs had Alena, Lisa, Jenelle and myself, while Kath and Claire were representing in the Cs. The B race was less agressive than last week's River Road course, quite possibly due to the pain that was to be inflicted by the hill repeats of the following day. We marked everything really well as a team, but in the end, nothing was able to make it more than a few hundred meters off the front anyway. Jenelle made a move early on and brought a tag along with her out front, but unfortunately her compatriot decided that he was too out of shape and was not able to pull and the break was pulled in rather quickly.

As the race went on, the wind picked up and it became rather evident that it was going to be a day for the bunch sprinters. With a lap to go, Lisa came and found me and we began to think about the finish. Jeremy had given us some good advice - namely that the lead in to the finish is REALLY long, so we were good and prepared. With a few kilometers to go, Lisa started her assault on the front with me in tow. At first I hesitated a little, as I really have never been lead out before, but I put my faith in Dr. Howard (hee hee) and had her wind me through the bunch to take the final corner at 200m in about 6-7th spot. I lost her wheel coming out of the corner (something we can work on, as Lisa believes she needs to take the corner faster, which means I really need to pick it up!) and as I came out of the corner I put my head down and chased the back wheel of the dudes in front with everything I had (which was somewhat reminiscent of the training sets I was doing on the track earlier in the week!). With a good punch out of the corner I managed to nip across the line in 4th (scared to death that I would get a yellow line violation!) for a good showing for Giant. One that was only solidified by the girls in the C field who were showing the boys how to race and managed to get an all Giant breakaway off the front - only to be caught in the final 400m...too bad, but a great experience to Kath and an exceptional return to racing for Claire only weeks after knee surgery.

Alas, a sprint finish was not to be had on Sunday - which was a day of which epic tales are told. We dwindled in numbers somewhat with only Alena, Jenelle and myself taking to the line, but we had plenty of rain to keep us company. I must say, I was impressed with the gusto of the bicycle racers in the lower mainland as I have not seen a day that gross for a good long time! After being entertained by Jenelle and Cody Campbell trash talking a la Talledega Nights on the start line, we descended the back of Armstrong in which can only be described as the most frightening descent of my life. For some unknown reason I had decided that my capette would be enough to shelter my eyes from the rain - but man was I wrong! I spent the descent blinking as fast as I possibly could and I actually had to close my eyes a couple of times (at which point I prayed I would not crash!). I did make it to the bottom in one piece (had you told me earlier that it was the descent that would scare me I would have laughed!) and moved forward to get ready for the climb. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Armstrong - the hill is broken up into 3 bits. There is the first REALLY quite steep part (where I wanted my 27 cog), then a little repriese before another jut up, then a sweep to the left and up another 200m in more of a false flat. Believe it or not, it's the last one that usually tuckers the legs. Jenelle had a mishap on the first climb - and was relieved to know that for once that "I think I have a flat feeling" was correct and not just a sign of failing legs. She was able to find herself a pump and a tube and jump back in on the second lap (after freezing half to death - apparently we don't climb that hill as fast as I think we do!) From there it was the patented BC race of attrition. My selection came down much differently than I had expected....after the 5th lap I had been gapped over the top of the crest by about 15m from the front group (I was the last girl in the front group which gave me a good sense of glee) and I was chasing hard with a few of my closest buddies to get back on. Unfortunately as I was pulling through, the guy pulling off decided to pull off into me and we tangled handlebars and went down. It was one of those pleasant falls - the kind like a good mud slide tackle in soccer - and I was up quick enough to see the group about 300m ahead of me and know that with the wind picking up, I was never going to get back on. The dude I crashed with was also kind enough to teach me just how much profanity could be yelled in a 30 second block - quite a talent if I do say so myself.

So the crew finished off the race in the traditional 1s and 2s format of struggling up the hill - but we all finish it and were happy to retreat to warm, damp clothes in the car, as that was the best that we could hope for.

Definitely a successful first full weekend on the bike and I'm stoked to get out there and do some more practising to make us the most cohesive team around!

A Podium, We'll Take It!

2007-03-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

The first Spring Series at River Road went down in style for the Giant girls (just FYI, there is NO good way to say that - so get it out of your system now, we are the GIANT women's team). First off, after the supremely successful Learn to Race on Saturday - we got our new stellar kits (thanks to Sean for a killer design and Brian for the delivery). So we got to show up all matchy-matchy and really looking like a team. And we didn't disappoint!

The race was fairly agressive with multiple different breaks off the front throughout the beginning of the race. It became obvious fairly early on that the Bs were going to watch Cody Campbell (dEVo) like a hawk and the only way that we were going to assure sucess was to get someone up the road. Lisa Howard made a good effort in a break early on and made a valient attempt to bridge to a break about halfway through (especially as she's been at med school since September!) I followed a wheel for Lisa's attempted breakaway counter and I was away with one other guy. I did as much as I could, but a few earlier efforts had left my legs a little less chipper. As we were brought back about a lap later, another attack went while the pack was strung out. I had had a bit of time to recover as we waited to be caught, so I went with the counter for fun - and very quickly we had a large gap. The group was working, but it took a bridge by Cody to get things really jazzed up. I would love to say that I was a powerhouse in the group, but in reality - Cody and Jonathan Page coaxed me through and kept me on for the last of the 5 laps that we were away. In the final few laps I was counting down and setting mini-goals - "just 4 more straights left Jenny!" But I made it and followed the wheels in the final sprint. Cody jumped with 400m to go and used up his bullets and Jonathan got a centre line violation - so I ended up 3rd in our group of 5!
That having been said, I couldn't have done it without some stellar work by the girls back in the group who tested out the front - and agitated a few. Our team is awesome!

2007-03-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

The First Race Clinic!!

2007-03-06T22:41:00.000-08:00