UBER??

So, this weekend I was in my favorite local coffee shop (Perts) and this guy yells over to Mike and I, Hey, its the Uber couple.

My first thought was, Did this guy just call us goobers??..but I was quickly educated that Uber in German means Over...as if we were the over-achiever, over-trainers..not quite clear what he really ment..but it was a funny exchange, non the less.!
So next time you want to get a double take from someone..call them a Uber.

The dictionary says Uber means The ultimate, above all, the best, top, something that nothing is better than. Also Über..I guess that was quite the complement!

Well, Uber and out
Enjoy that off season training!

OFF-SEASON finally

It's funny how all season, I think about how nice it will be to have some time off. And now all I can think is how BORED I am! Jeez, I'm just never happy. I'm working on getting off the couch, for some other form of cross training...I'll let you know what I come up w/!

I heard recently that Martha Walsh from WOW team in El Salvador had a random group ride accident fracturing her jaw in 3 places! Martha is such a wonderful, calm, knowledgeable cyclist....I am so privileged to ride w/ her, I wish her the speediest of recoveries! We need her, more than she knows!

Examples of El Salvadorian Chaos!!

El Salvadorian Chaos, what do I mean???:
 I think the times of the junior races have changed at least 3-4x DAILY….Amara is so gracious, just rolls w/ it. The first day of her racing she had just complied her first stage, was headed home….when she was informed that she had a SECOND race in 40 min!! So, she put on her smile….and pulled off a 2nd place finish!!
 The traffic, well driving is INSANE….honestly we come w/in a inch of death at least 2x per ride…and we have 10 ppl stuffed into this eurovan type bus…sitting on coolers, doubled up in the front seat, all w/o seat belts of course.
 We had COWS on the course 3 times, then dogs, and on coming traffic w/ NO centerline rule….
*Lynn wearing a pink trash bag as a rain coat

 Cars just jump into the caravan, and then pass the pelaton at will….in addition to the oncoming traffic, makes for some tense moments….
 The volcano erupting where the race was to finish on the first RR…which forced the organizers to create a completely new course….and it went off w/o a hitch
 Mudslides on road
 Shrimp delivery guys on motor cycles, w/ these huge plastic shrimps on the back of the moto for advertisement
 The shits
 The race times change multiple time per stage…NEVER have a stage that started as published in the race bible.
 Roundabouts….there’s no organization so it’s life threatening
 Germans w/ NO Shame….
 Pedestrians cross the TT course at will…they see us, but no reguard..Niki almost took out a fancy dancy lady in pink
 Road side 30lbs fish peddler on road side
 Beggar whom we gave a WOW keychain to


 A basket woven Barbie chair…that Kele aspires to fit into for next season
 The prices of local restaurant dinner only $1.35 and w/ dinner you get the runs.
 A/c that doesn’t’ work
 No hot water
 Clothes that cant dry due to the 110% humidity…
 The team posted schedule that changes 15x per day


 Kele always being LATE for every meeting, bus ride to/from race
 Rain for EVERY stage
 KB was almost impaled by a Bull on the first road race
 Flooding streets, due to a tree falling across a river…diverting water down our street….causing massive flooding in our area, canceling our race for the day.
 Losing electricity in the hotel because of the storm, so we they cannot COOK food
 The hotel has ran out of phone cards when we are trapped here in the hotel, and I cannot call to let my family know I’m safe….and I cannot get to the internet café due to the huge rushing, rock filled river in the street.


 Having to scale a fence to get back to the hotel during the flood


 Pasta for every single meal
 Amara getting a trophy, then having it taken back because it was the ‘wrong’ one, only for them to realize several hours later it wasn’t, and returned it!
 4 wheeling in a 2 wheel drive “Jilapie” truck w/ $30,000 worth of bikes on top!
 Nobili having to ride their bikes home from the circuit race as punishment for poor racing (in the pouring rain!!)
 Giving up all our spare food/clothing to aide those affected by this massive flood
 Our team van smelling worse than a men’s hockey locker room!

 Having ONE kit…and NO laundry for rainy, humid, muddy double stage days!!
 Missing my husband’s phone call
 Not able to get cash, because there are NO ATMs, and we cannot drive to a bank! And NO ONE take cards of any kind!!

What it took to cancel the last stage

Day 6: (Tuesday)new stage, uphill TT somewhere between 12-7.5k

So today’s stage has been changed, because of all the mudslides, the roads are not safe or clear..but one area is…where we had the prologue….so we’re doing it again. Perfecto for Nobili, not so perfecto for me!

The realities of El Salvador
Today our race IS cancelled….but for a sad reason….many people have died over night due to mudslides and flooding. There is a massive state of emergency here in this country…and it’s not safe for us to be outside…and further more there are more important things for the government to focus on today.

On Martha’s suggestion our riders have all given any extra food/clothing to donate to the red cross for people affected by this storm. It’s a small offering, but genuine!

As I watch the news, and see these homes of stick and mud dissolving into the ground and wash away…I realize that was someone’s home…the place that gives them that same feeling I get when I am “home”…my heart goes out to these people. It seems like Mother Nature has been very active this year w/ hurricanes and tropical storms…again we are reminded we are all powerless, and equally vulnerable to her destruction weather in Louisiana, or San Salvador!

We are now off to shop, do laundry, and pack to return home.

Come Hell or High Water, or BOTH...we race!!

Day 4 (Monday): originally 112k rolling RR, but subject to change…as always

Rockin and Rollin in San Salvador
You WONT believe what we woke up to this morning…..a HUGE flood! I’m not kidding….this trip has been such an adventure. We are currently STUCK in the hotel because the street leading out is a RIVER….not a little one, one w/ rocks bouncing down the road…there is rushing water 3 feet deep…the Olyimpic training center tennis corts are now completely flooded, there is a huge waterfall in the sports complex.

On the street, the people are building retaining walls w/ the rocks rolling down the street…to keep the water out of their homes. Men, women, and children are all helping clear rocks, build walls…and watching this display of natures force unfold.

So, I think our race is cancelled today….but you never know. The weather says that it will continue raining thru Friday.

WE RACE: 65k on a speedway, 20 laps is the course
At 11am, we get word that the race organizers have found a back road that is NOT a river….in which we will take one bus…to get out of the flooded area…then we are going to a Car race track (like Nascar race track). Most riders of all teams are opposed to the idea…it just seems quite dangerous, and hube lengths that the organizers are going to continue w/ racing. Here at the hotel we have very limited access to information…like how safe are we?? What is to continued forcast? Is it safe to be on the roads? There have been several mudslides in the area, is that a concern??

So we load up on the bus, and take this CRAZY drive down this horrible dirt/boulder/sand road….with a caravan of 6-8 vans/trucks w/ all the bikes and staff following….but after 30 min of terror/excitement on the dirt we arrive to a highway…then to the race track.

The race turned out to be quite fun, no crazy hills, nice power climbs. Niki was in a break that when she attacked going into lap 3….soon after Miho Oki (Nobili), and Era Lutz (Ger Nat) joined her…and they stayed away for 10 laps! On the last lap, about 1.5k to the finish Sarah T over shot a slick corner, and went down…causing some disruption in the pack….but Niki held on to a 6th, I came in 7th, Kathleen B 9th, Lynn 12, Starr 13th, Lisa, Jenn were close behind…and luckily Sarah (and Alisha) got same time because the crash happened in the last 3k.


Good ride! Today has been one of the most chaotic days of my life…that flood was UNREAL….then to hear we were taking some dirt road out the back side of the hill, and 45min drive to a car race track…was crazy…and then we had 2 diff buses to take…but we made it, and raced well!!

Teamwork

Day 3 (Sunday): 11k TT rolling

W.O.W . Sarah ROCKED, 3rd!!
Today was a TT, 12k (later shortened to 11k, due to pot hole issues)…an out and back….out—downhill/tailwind, and thus back, uphill/headwind. Sarah Tolitson got 3rd today…smoking great finish!!
I followed w/ a 5th place finish, then Lisa M, Martha W, Starr, KB, Niki, and Jen (Niki and Jen rode easy saving themselves for later!!

I was pleased w/ my race for 95% of it, I missed a turn and had to turn around to get back on course…and my gears jammed shifting from big to small ring….so I know I could have shaved a little time off there…it stung a little extra because I was only 2 sec from 3rd….ain’t that a bitch!

“Individual commitment to a team goal is what makes a team work”: second stage:60k, 12laps 5k rolling circuit
The second stage of the day was a circuit race of 12 laps of 5k ea (yet shortened to 10 due to …not sure, don’t care). Of course, it was pouring rain the entire time. The course was like a big oval..we had a round-about at one end and a guy in the middle of thr road w/ a red flag at the other. The profile had said Dead Flat….well, NO….rolling.

Most embarrassing moment of the entire race:
So there are sprint laps on lap 2, 4, 6…but the are on the opposite side of the road (divided by a median) from the S/F…and as was explained to us, it was in the second lap….well, what happened was we totally lead out Niki and she won BUT it wasn’t a sprint lap..the give away was the bell ringing as she crossed the line….no wonder no one challenged us! I’m sure Nobili was VERY impressed w/ our lead out!

So, as planned I countered a teammates move….and got a small gap on the field. Like so many times before, I just kept going, as Nicole taught me. I knew the field did not want to race hard, the conditions were horrible, the road was full of holes, turtles, cross walks. So after a lonely 1.5 laps, and taking the ACTUAL sprint I was joined by Miho Oki (Nobili), and Larrissa something (Germ nat team)….Miho wouldn’t work due to having the yellow jersey on her team, and being a sprinter…so Larrissa and I worked HARD together…we had 6 laps to go. Because the course was an oval, we could see the pack on several parts of the course….we had between 22sec-1min gap on the field. Then a chase group formed of 3 Nobili, 1 Germ Nat team, and 2 of my teammates (our two highest GC riders). They caught us w/ 1.5 laps to go. We kept the pace high, and tried to sprint at the finish…ending w/ Sarah 5th , me 7th, and Lisa 10th. But the good news was Sarah and Lisa moved up in GC because we had 1min on the field which contained other top GC riders (Alisha, unfortunately lost out).

In the end, we have Sarah in 3rd GC, and I was given the Combativa jersey (most aggressive)….which was cool! I’d also like to acknowledge my team who blocked, and were completely committed to the team goal….today’s success was a combination of all efforts….

the Running of the Bulls

Day 2 (Saturday): originally 108k very hilly….then it became a 60k flat, then last 12-15mi climbing

“Volcano-nada, we race!!”…
Ok, so did I mention CHAOS?? Today we wake up to reports that the Volcano in Santa Anna (which happens to be the finish of today’s course) has Erupcionado (2 people died!)….and the news is all in Spanish. Being the most comfortable w/ Spanish (which isn’t saying much)….the team has me try to translate the breaking news reports. So, I don’t know if any of you have ever paused on Univision during their news reports…but they are a mite SPEEDY, and w/ all the tenchinical words about Volcanos, Government security, scientists monitoring, I was a LITTLE at a loss….the ultimate result was the race was moved to instead of going north, to heading south! It was amazing to see how they were able to create a new route w/in hours, and w/ NO delay in start time! ONLY IN EL SALVADOR!

Running of the bulls
The race was basically ~40mi..the first 25 flat w/ 2 sprints. Our team used the first sprint to figure out the lead out for Niki, our designated sprinter. On the second sprint, we had the biggest, and longest lead out…and she ended up 2nd…which was awesome…everyone helped, it was a great show of teamwork, ESPECIALLY for a composite team on their first mass start race…WOW it was awesome (joke, Wines Of Wash..spells WOW!)

The last 20 mi was all up hill (ok maybe more like 12mi). And it was everyone for themselves! Sarah T ended up 5th, Lisa 15th, Martha 18th, Lynn 20th. Star 21st. me 26th, followed by Niki, Kathleen, and Jen! Overall good day, I was very impressed w/ the teams commitment to the sprints, and cohesiveness!

After the race, it was yet another eventful drive home in out minibus…with the usual 3-4 near death experiences. But we made it home.

At the podium presentation, we found out Niki had won the most aggressive jersey (Combativa, I think they call it)…so that was awesome!! It’s funny she’s probably the most mellow of the entire group…and she’s got the most aggressive award….only in El Salvador!!!

Alisha, is now in 4th…I’m sure she’ll do well in GC, she’s riding so well…she’s a great TT ist, and I hope she makes the podium….I sure know she has what it takes!!

Embrace the Chaos

Day 1: (Friday) Uphill 4k Prologue
Embrace the Chaos:

I arrive about 11am to the Olympic training center of El Salvador…everyone is in the dorms, which look more like a hotel. I meet up w/ the Director and get settled. I am getting my first taste of the level of chaos here. The schedules keep changing (and there are LOTS of them on this team) . Our director says he has only a few things he is picky and one of them is being on time to meetings…yea, I learned this one the hard way….In the first day I managed to be late for a massage, the team meeting, and strategy meeting…..ooops!

The Wines of Washington team I am riding for here is composed of 9 riders, 2 soungiers, 2 mechanics, and 1 director…most of which have NEVER done this kind of thing before, especially in a foreign country….there’s bound to be a little confusion….then factor in trying to keep a tight schedule….hmmmmm this will be interesting!!

Racing begins
The TT was ok….I feel it wasn’t my best performance…but it’s been super crazy in so many ways, I’m not surprised. I hope my fitness will continue to improve throughout this race. Alisha Lion, my Ford-Basis teammate got 3rd (SAAAAWWWEEETTT!), not a bad first podium…UCI race in El Salvador, but I’m sure it won’t be the last! Our WOW team did well….all in the top 25….I was 11th, Sara Tilotson 9th, Lisa Magnus 12th (serious shifting problems, and still rocked), Jennifer Ruither 21st, Niki Waynsguard was so fast I cannot remember her time, Martha Walsh 23rd, Kathleen Billington ( I think) was so small I didn’t see her finish but was listed as 24th, and Starr F was 25th I believe. So we are optimistic about the remaining days!

Meetings begin
First we had a team meeting…after everyone voted for captains (which I have NEVER done before)…but there were 2 captains….it’s funny I was a chosen ( not sure why, I’ve ever been captain of anything except Captain Dipshit)… but even funnier there was a 3 way tie for the other captain…two declined….so our second captain is Jenn Ruither! Which makes a nice duo, she’s very organized w/ details and I’m NOT….

So after the TEAM meeting, we had a STRATEGY meeting, that lasted until 10:30pm…we chose who would go for the 5 different jerseys, and the runner ups for those same spots, then who would chase in the flats, and in the climbs…..damn, we are SO are ready man…..(or so we think)

The begining of my adventure of a lifetime in El Salvador!!

Thursday, day before the race

Travel HELL!!!

After the excitement of buying my non-existent ticket…and barely making my flight to El Salvador (although I had a 5hr layover)….we stopped in Manaua (I’m guessing on how to spell, no surprise) Nicaragua, but there is now a torrential rain storm and we sit for ~1hr15min to wait out the storm. What this means is the person picking me up, leaves to return to the presentations scheduled that evening…so when I finally arrive in San Salvador…I am mobbed by about 20 taxi drivers desperate to ‘help’ me get a ride…thank Jevohova I knew enough Spanish, and have learned to trust my gut to get rid of most of these taxi drivers…. So I called the number I had on my sticky note of the house I was told we were staying. The person who answers tells me no one is there (but the housekeeper and her family)… she tells gets all the info about this taxi company, calls the director, and tells them if anything happens to me…well I don’t really know what she said, but I was a safe she said.

And what do ya know, that torrential down pour in Nicaragua had arrived….it was raining SOOOO hard we could barely drive….and the house I was staying in was at the end of this DIRT road (not in the best shape). It took about 2 hours, three attempts, 7 phone calls….I thought several times that I would have to get out and swim/push the van…but the driver and I laughed a lot, I had great fun w/ my rusty Spanish, ….except driving down the river to the house…finally a 60some year old man comes riding a old Mtn bike down the road to help us navigate….and we arrive at the house.

As we enter the driveway I am overwhelmed at the beauty, and grandiosity of this house. The front yard has this huge bird cage w/ Parrots (like the one on the Fruit Loops box), it’s a huge house. Inside is perfect…every bedroom has 2-3 bunk beds (2 downstairs), a master suite upstairs (w/ hot tub), and upstairs another bedroom. But the back yard was the kicker…a gorgeous blue tile pool, two smaller pools made of tile, a huge porch w/ table, outside bar, stone barbecue…and a little building at the back of the yard all open

Bermuda or BUST

Day 1: (Wednesday)
Bermuda or bust
Mike and I flew from Seattle…to NYC, then on to Hamilton, Bermuda. I was able to sleep the majority of the time and NO bike fees made the trip smooth as butta!
We arrived around 11pm on Tues night, waking our entire host family….a great way to start off eh?

The next morning we didn’t roll out of bed until after 11am local time (which is 8am Seattle time)…once up we realized we had 0 food, transportation, and our host family was away and we had no keys to the rest of the house….so we put our bikes together and rode to the nearest grocery. And, of course, like usual I bought ENTIRELY too much food…but this time we had to carry it on our bikes….so Mike ends up w/ his messenger bag PACKED…I had a backpack full….but I had to carry a paper bag full of milk/water (the ‘heavy’ stuff) in my arm…so here I am in my flip flops (on speedplay pedals), in street clothes (NO shammy), climbing this 15% climb, in 90 deg/100% humidity, with ONE arm, and a camera that did not stay on my back, but instantly ended up in my lap banging my thigh w/ every pedal stroke….and remember that one arm I was using to steer, well a Bermudian Bee decided it was a perfect place to sting me….so my poor husband, realizing I had been stung on my one arm, fighting the camera in my lap, struggling up this climb w/ my flip flops…tries to help, yet manages to only complicate the already intolerable situation and thus became the brunt of all my frustrations….and then I was alone riding w/ one arm, in the heat, now w/ a burning pain in my arm, and the camera in my lap, and the paper bag ripped!!! Welcome to Paradise!!

Later that day we rode (bicycles) to the Bacardi headquarters for the inaugural dinner and team presentation…that we untactfully missed because we were about 45 min late…which we were heatedly reminded of several times….strike two in Paradise. After the initial shock of being late and missing our team presentation wore off….we enjoyed free Dark and Stormies, and dinner….mingled a little….then headed off to enjoy Bermuda’s evening.


Again a reminder: we were still on our bikes, so we found a available pole on Front street to secure our 4 bikes to. We enjoyed the local Wed night festival where people sell their items, or you can get your hair braided (Velo Girls had locked up all those spots….we had to move on!), all to the beats of a local Bermudian Cover band duo…

Horses have HUGE bladders:
After taking in as much Island festivities as possible, we returned to our bikes just in time to realize we had parked them right at the horse drawn carriage pick up/drop off location….The carriage had returned after it’s long tour and Mr. Horse needed to ‘lighten the load’….so he began relieving himself (peeing) RIGHT next to all our bikes…and his spray was dousing our bikes in horse pee….I almost pee’d myself it was so funny…we were trapped..the bikes were locked, and there was NO way we could get them Mid Stream…so we just had to watch as our bikes were soiled…and laugh, and take pictures…..the funniest part was the QUANTITY of pee this damn animal had…it just kept coming, and coming, and coming….making the experience a long, painfully funny, and disgusting one! But hey we were in Bermuda!

Day 2: (Thursday)
Who needs a restroom?
Thursday morning, we decided to meet at the ocean (Elbow Beach) at NOON..and due to the previous evening's debacle we were VERY punctual…instantly we headed for the crystal clear waters…but seeing as we were supposed to meet our teammates, we needed to go find them….So Chrissy, just drops her bags, gets down to her bikini. When we tell her we need to walk to the other end of the beach, she candidly and loudly, replies… as she heads for the water “Yea, I’m just gonna go to the bathroom first”….and I lost it, as well as several other beach-goers who overheard her frank admission of peeing in the ocean!! I love traveling w/ her!!

Once we find Nicole and Alisha… we buggie boarded, paddled, woufle balled (all toys supplied by Nicole, brought from Boston), napped, body surfed, and FORGOT about sunscreen….but it was great fun (for now).




Front street Crit mayham:
So, we had decided as a team we were not racing, as in, no specific team goals…but if individuals wanted to race hard, go for it! I was planning on sitting in the pack. From the gun Lynn Bassette went hard…I started close to the front, and then the slow drift began on the short hill…
…and on the 4th trip up…mayham… I heard and felt ….scrape/jump/metal-on-metal/no power to the pedals….ooops I’m stopping on the hill, can’t pedal, hmmmmm….ok I see my chain hanging down, did I just drop it from the front?? Crap, “I think I’m alone now” (as the song from the 80s goes)….oh yea, run to the pit….ooops, not backward on the course, damn people get out of my way….”Eric!?!?!! (our mechanic), make this thing work!!….OH NO, my derailure is broken?….oh, that means I have to ride it till I get pulled…sweet, that won’t be humiliating on that climb pushing my bike, or anything….but I’ll do whatever it takes so I can keep on racing….and that’s what happened. ..cause hey, were in Bermuda right??

Back in the real race, Kat got a $500 preem, Chrissy was off for a few laps, and got $100 priem (sorry, I can’t decide how to misspell this preem word), then Kat got some more…..all of our winnings (except for Nicole/Alisha/Eric) would be gone w/in a few hours at the Pickled Onion.

Dancing Queen is Pickled
After the race, we watched the men’s race from the balcony of Hanagins..ate too much, drank too much..and I yelled too much…but we had fun…then moved on to the Pickled Onion (Nicole/Alisha went home…a much cheaper option).
But Kat/Kele/Chrissy/Eric/Mike…..partied down at the Pickled Onion…we invented the drinking game…spin the Bermudian Quarter then try to stop it w/o flattening it on the table…if you can’t in 3 tries you drink….Yea, super fun huh?? It lasted about 10 min….I kept drinking off sink, obviously not a good game for me.
Luckily…around 11 the music started….and I think Liza Rachetto had been waiting for this day for ~the entire season….she started movin’ to the grooves of the cover band duo…but as the night wore on her dancing frenzy grew and grew…she was having soo much fun dancing,..ya know ‘dancing like no one’s watching’….get it girl!!

The bike ride home ~3am was awesome…it took ~30min, as opposed to the 14min it took us to get to the race w/ Kat pulling! It was fun though….especially how we managed to wake up Kat/Chrissy’s host mother for a matter of HOURS….I’m sure they didn’t mind much…cause hey, we’re in Bermuda!

Bar Highlights: #1 Highlight: Liza lighting up the dance floor!!!!
 Gossip on the sidelines—who’s mackin on who? Trying to pick out riders in street clothes! Trying to find someone for Chrissy!
 I meet up w/ a friend from Canada (Damion is his real name, but I call him Chief..cause he cook the majority of the meals we ate during the 2004 Trans Alps Mtn bike race in his RV…great times!)…
 Chrssy says to Damion “We all have agreed, you are the hottest guy here!!”
 Mike (my husband) GOT ON THE DANCE FLOOR!! It was great to cut a rug w/ my main squeeze…
 The guy from Trinidad (which I learned is NOT a city) almost gets kicked out of the second bar for dancing on the table w/ his shirt off!! The funniest part was how the bouncer grabs him by the belt buckle area (if you know what I mean..) ‘cause he didn’t have much else to grab!
 Chatting w/ Jonny Sunt about the Sunt story….or should I say stories……

Day 3: (Friday)
Short and Sweet:
Up around 11am, I need to get that derailure fixed….Eric ‘happens’ to have one and swaps it out for me…back home for a nap….now it’s the uphill TT…

The laxidasical attiude of the team has now heightened due to 3 monster hangovers, and min sleep, Extremely minimal water consumption…but hey we’re in Bermuda, Who cares!!
The race was nice and short (1.2 K, unfortunately all Uphill..but Alisha finished 6th, and Kat 7th), the race was followed again by free food and drink in the lighthouse we had raced up to….how cool is that?? And the wind was blowin crazy….as Chrissy can attest trying to eat her food outside and ended up w/ a tossed salad on Mikes rear wheel….
Everyone was tired, and tomorrow’s race is at 8am, and we, of course, will be riding there (~1hr 15min ride), so we need to be leaving ~6:30am….no late nights tonight.

Day 4 (Saturday)
The first Bermudian rule ever enforced:
So, yea…we wake up to NO electricity….which I realized at 4:30am meant NOOO COFFEE, ahhhhhhhh! So I enjoy my PB&J, and Coke for breakfast…hop on the bike….and ride to Nicole and Alisha’s host house, where Eric tells us they are hitching a ride (in a VAN) to the course…we were invited, yet only room for 4 (2 of us)….and I don’t think anyone wanted to suggest who that 1 lone rider would be, so we all (Chrissy/Kat/Kele) decided to ride on….and later they passed us, then passed us again (because Alisha stopped for coffee….just ONE unfortunately)…

So the race….Becky Broeder gets off the front in the first 200m (I think)…and gains 3min45sec so fast…and the pack seems VERY content to let her go (well, maybe I should speak for myself sitting mid pack, cheering for her “Go Becky” every time we passed her)…but on the 3rd lap, just before the S/F line…she flats, and Well what do you know NO neutral wheels….and boy howdy do they mean it…they REFUSE to let her use ANY other wheels, even one donated by someone in the parking lot….NO NO NO, NO NEUTRAL wheels Mama….so that means she’s DONE…she will not be allowed to race tomorrow….ok, can we say in unison THAT’S REDICULIOUS…she comes all the way here, was racing well, had a good chance of winning the stage….that’s some seriously bad luck….and the first Bermudian rule I’ve ever seen enforced.

For example: They kept telling us to stay left, and I can attest that 85% of my race was spent on the right side of the yellow line, along w/ 75% of the pack…and NO ONE was punished….hmmm, interesting. But hey, she got 2 pitchers of Swizzel at the Swizzel Inn out of the deal later!! That-a-girl!

Getting’ pickled again:
So after dinner at Nicole’s, we ride back to Hamiltion to meet up w/ Kat/Chrissy for another night extravaganza….we meet again at the Pickled Onion….same Cover band duo, and pretty much the same songs….but Liza is lovin’ it as if it was the first time all over.

It was fun to mingle w/ the riders you see every race….most of the Victory team was there, a few of the Jittery Joes boys, OF COURSE Liza and Becky,…and many, many, many more….just don’t know anyone’s name/team…

By ~1am, I (well, actually Mike) was ready to head home….once again the drunkin pedaler was in action…this time I had a couple run ins w/ the wall…but the only causality was my flip-flop….and I held it up!!

Bar Highlights: Kele says “Let’s get Eric wasted, since this is his last night as our mechanic” Jager all around x2
 Kat and Kele giving Mike Tomato the Chrissy glossary lesson: ie, ANY part of you wheel is referred to as tire….and pumping up you tires is referred to as ‘putting air in my bike’, and the fact she usually has about 3-6 jackets hanging around her waste and in her chain rings at some point.
 We (Ford-Basis) attempted to let Eric know how much we appreciated and desperately needed his help this last year….kele chose to show her appreciation in shots

Day 5 (Sunday)
Breakfast of Champions:
At 10am everyone came to Mike and I’s place for breakfast…on the back porch w/ an awesome view of the water…we ate, laughed, re-hashed bar stories, talked about the uncertain future of some, and new opportunities for others…Alisha may do more racing over seas, Chrissy/Kat will race w/ Victory, Eric may help w/ a different team (but this time JUST as a mechanic). It was so good to be all together, eating of course!

We have to ride to the Crit at the Dockyard…this time only ~30 min ride. A nice ride, the crit was good. Kat and Alisha, and Nicole rode well…being active and staying up front…Chrissy and I were punching tickets at the back door of the pelaton doing as little as possible! Kat attached to bridge to Sarah Tolitson who was ~15sec off the front, w/ ~2 laps to go and caught her on last lap, and as she attached to come around her in the final corner her tubular rolled and so did she….but Alisha came in close behind w/ Nicole on her wheel to take 2nd/3rd…go team!


That night we had our awards dinner at the Coco Reef…yet another breathtaking view from the dinner table…great food, good wine….and good times!
Bermuda really does such an awesome job of taking care of the riders, it’s unreal! This paradise place, with 2 dinners for us, a stipend to help w/ airfare, great host housing for inexpensive living, someone waiting for EVERY SINGLE rider at the airport (that stretches over like 4 days), and countless other efforts that go above and beyond the normal call of duty of race organizers…so my deepest thanks to you all! I sure hope we come again….I can’t wait till next year already.

Bar Highlights:
So, after everyone got awards….the party started in Ernest!
 Mike Tomato says to me, “Geez Kele, when you sent your resume, you never mentioned you’re a NUTBALL”….so I’m considering adding that!!
 Best beer to mile ratio award….closely regarded as a precursor to success, almost as much as weight/strength….and this year’s award goes to LIZA RACHETTO, who was prayin’ to that porcelain god EARLY on Sunday…lucky for her she had completed the podium shots by then!
 But the TEAM beer to mile award goes to FORD-BASIS….I know this may seem unfair as it is MY award…but I have cross referenced w/ other teams..and we out partied, then out rode (as per the team GC standings) the rest! Congratulations to you all!!!
 Niki Wansguard gets the most OBVIOUSLY drunk award…..very cute w/ her beer in the back pocket though!
 Best self professed Loser award goes to the Australian Jittery Joes rider, who gave about a 15min speech about how he wastes time at home…..very funny stuff, ie how to stretch a 1 hr ride into a 3 hr excursion, making a bank run more of a social outing, what to do when you have mastered ALL the levels on whatever current game you are playing on Playstation2….I had never been so gratefully to be gamely employed!
 Best dressed award goes to Me, I mean Sima Trapp…sweet mid drift…I think we all felt intimidated by that shirt (I’d need plastic surgery to try and pull that one off…wearing the shirt that is!)
 ‘Coolest’ winner award goes to the European guy in the hot pants w/ the little go-t….who was tossed in the pool after winning the overall GC, then returned later in his p-jays…no one’s was keeping him from the party!!
 Best Contradiction of stereotypes of cyclists award goes to whoever that cyclist was that got in a fight w/ some one at the bar..and held off like 3 bouncers….now that was HOT…..unfortunately I could eavesdrop any details, but he did an awesome job of holding his own…and then some!!
 Best story award goes to Katherine Carroll….sometimes ya just gotta go! You are gonna have to ask her about that one…I’d rather not loose yet another friend!

Overall, the Bermuda race was fun, low key, short, and friendly! The vacation was spectacular. Chrissy and Kat’s host house was right next door, so we ate most meals together, which was nice because I won’t be seeing them as much next year and they are dear friends. The beaches were stunning, although I would recommend sunscreen…because we miss quite a bit of beach time due to severe burns from the first day! But hey, who cares….we were in Bermuda!!

Day 6 (Monday):
Slept till ~ 9am, Kat/Chrissy/Mike and I went into Hamilton to a coffee shop, and a little shopping….Kat turns over the scooter to Mike and I….then Mike and I head back to Elbow Beach. Kat and Chrissy say goodbye, and are off to the airport…I was struck w/ a deep sense that what I have known thus far in my cycling career is now over…Basis, Ford-Basis silly, fun-loving, hard-working, loyal, ‘whatever it takes’ spirited girls are parting ways, and all moving forward and up!! But it’s sad to see such a wonderful part of my life come to an end….I have deep deep respect for all my teammates as riders, and people, we had something very special on that team….our own dysfunctional family, in which I have grown up and loved it! But now it’s time to move on…..and I’m excited to put to use all the wonderful tools, talents, skills, and attitudes that Nicole and the Basis girls gave me!

Scooter Heaven!


FINALLY, we have a scooter…no more riding everywhere….we’re as cool as everyone else! I ask to drive first! I did great on the driveway…then came the right turn….yea well, unfortunately I hit the wall on the other side of the street before I could quite complete the turn…Mike bailed early, then me….I swear I could NOT make my right hand stop revving it…I had the brake fully engaged on the left….ooops (right Chrissy) so I decided being a passenger was fun too!

So, Mike and I go to the Beach…but I’m not feeling very Beachy…I got in the water once, then chatted w/ Alisha, and Nicole….and headed home. Took a nap then had dinner at Nicole’s host families! It was great! Nicole and I talked into the wee hours of the morning….I think just getting a little more closure to this great trip we’ve had!! I have the utmost respect for what Nicole has done for all of us on Basis! She’s an amazing rider, and person….thank you Nicole for bringing me into this sport, and teaching me success!

Day 7 (Tuesday)

Mike and I declared today a honeymoon day…we never took a honeymoon….so we will just pick certain days to designate as such. We had a wonderful breakfast on that sweet porch w/ the view…went to St Georges….found a beach where glass washes up on shore and it’s all rounded out and looks like rocks…so we collected that…ate our packed lunch….did a little shopping in St Goerge….took a beautiful drive a long the northern coast soaking up the beauty of Bermuda…then home for a nap and a shower….then dinner at Mickeys (this beautiful restaurant on the beach….very fancy)…I had Paella it was fabulous! Then dessert at Hooligans (the Irish restaurant/bar in Hamilton), and then to the infamous Pickled Onion hoping our last year’s host would be working (he’s a bartender there)…he was there but not working…..we ended up staying for longer than anticipated buy hey….we’re in Bermuda AND it was a honeymoon day!!

Day 8 (Wednesday)
We planned to go snorkeling…a boat takes you to 3 ship wrecks…but it was cancelled. We went on a good ride, did some hard efforts….but it was good to flush the system a little!!

We went to Warwick beach…where we had been last year quite often….and slept in the shade….then played in the water….but rain ended that. Back home we showered and headed to the Swizzle for dinner. I was good, love the Swizzle….Mike got a beer glass!

Day 9 (Thursday):
Taxi picked me up at 6:55 (supposed to be 6:30)…and I was off! Easy flight from Bermuda to Miami…..

Home Sweet Home:
So I arrive in Miami…I have to go get my bags and recheck into a new airline for my next flight to San Salvador (because I’m going to the El Salvador stage race, duh!!). It take 2 flippin hours to get ANY of our bags….then I head up to the Taca ticket counter armed only w/ my tracking number, and flight number that was emailed to me a few days ago.
At the ticket counter, the nice lady keeps repeating how she doesn’t have authorization to give me a ticket…it took about 10 min for me to finally to get the fact that the ticket that was reserved was a standby ticket at a discounted price, and the proper authorization to give this ticket at this price was NOT done! So she has me call the Human Resource phone number for Taca airline…after 45 min I’m told if I want to go to this race I need to call whomever is giving the race and get him to call and authorize it….well hmmm, that’s not on my sticky note w/ the tracking number and flight number! So hey, how about I just buy a ticket so I don’t get stranded here in Miami….sure, no problemo Senora! But don’t for get the bike fee por favor!! At this point, I’m just happy to have a ticket! Now I’m off to El Salvador, w/ a brief (25min) layover in Nicaragua!