Bill Roberts

That's who we stayed with for Raleigh! He was SOO nice and helpful. Anyone who has seen my bike lately will recall the myriad of electrical tape (Jay Blankenship even went as far as adding a random strip of blue tape 1/2 down the top tube, in protest). And the wire for the power tap were less than subtle. Not any more!! Bill re routed all the cables, removed all elec tape, used clear tape!

He also trued up my rear wheel, re taped my handlebars, and polished up my beauty!! Thank you Bill!

Oh, this is how we got to dinner..


Bill has a bit of an addiction...Serotta's. He has the largest collection of high end bikes I've ever seen. He takes bike enthusiasm to a whole new level!

He had more than 8 high end Serottas from many decades, topping them off was his Mavici! It was awesome, all his bikes were on stands ready to ride...matching wheels, pedals, computers...on EVERY bike...I was sooo impressed.


He recently sold 2-3 Dacati motorcycles..he had been doing some racing w/ them for 'fun'....and knew if he didn't get rid of them he would either hurt himself, or loose his license! Smart man!

He made our trip to Raleigh, very memorable! He was great host! I sure hope to see him again next year!

After Party at Sally and Linda's!

Let me tell you, how lucky we are w/ having great friends. Today Sally Poliwoda arrived at the course for her race at 6am...did all her prep, raced (which was delayed for an HOUR to help the injured girl)...got 5th...

Then she totally switched gears and got Shontell set up on her trainer, pinned her numbers, got us water, told us when our new race time was...cheered for us the whole time...waited for us to 'cool down', listen to us whine, took ME to the Baltimore airport to drop off my rental car, then drives us to lunch, then into Philly, where her house is all decked out ready for us...

This is our Sweet Suite!

OMG, funniest thing...I had to wash my hair sitting indian style in here....it was quite a sight...I'm glad no one saw....

Sally and Linda have a BEAUTIFUL twin home that's over 100yrs old. Their neighborhood is so beautiful, full of these goregous stone houses! History, that's something we don't have in Kemore! I'm seeing a beautiful side of Philly!


Then we went to dinner at Sally and Linda's favorite place! Great salad, and company!!

Just pretend there's not a huge hole between Shontell and I and Sally and Linda...

Ok, everyone else is in bed..and I was supposed to go to bed FIRST...oops!

Peanut Butter and Bike JAM!

Well, we were SUPPOSED to race at 1:30, but a injury in the Wmn 3/4 field delayed it a bit. Luckily she's ok!

The course had ONE turn...no joke. It's in a park, so it's like a bowl, but there was one >90 sha-cane thing, and that was the most technical part of the course.

We only had 20mi, 20laps...and it seemed to start off reasonable! The course did not lend itself to breaks seeing as it was wide open, and not technical.

Shonetell and I traded work well, she's really doing a great job of racing hard, pushing herself out side her comfort zone as a sprinter. Coming into the final sprint, FINALLY was in front of Shontell at the critical moment, but didn't perform...I needed a shout from her to go...but hesitated, second guessed, and boom...she and all the other top 10riders passed me....at least shontell got 7th...

ARGH! I so enjoy doing well, and today was not one of those days! I have so much more in me! I wish my brain beleaved it! I'm workin on it!

Can't wait for Summerville, another chance! Another adventure!

Ralphing at Raleigh!

Oh my! That was WAY more than expected. The race only had like 40 riders. But whew, they were all strong riders! And with 6 90deg turns, a short hill, and good money...what does that spell? HURT LOCKER!

Yea, it was fast, and furious! But fun! Great course! The majority of the race went well. Liptons' Brenda Lyons was there (haven't seen her in her new kit, she looks GREAT in yellow). Webcore's Racheal Heel (also my first sight in her new kit), and another rider I chatted w/ that also rode for Victory last year, Laura Yostein (I know that's wrong, but that's how it sounds). Advil was in attendance, as well as Target Training!

So, I was quite disappointed in my finish! Shontelle came out w/ 7th. We were'nt a chipper bunch on our 4hr drive toward Fredricksburg. But we talked about what we could learn, and move forward. But, I sure hate making the same mistakes over and over. And Shontelle is never happy, unless she's on the podium...I LOVE IT!!

We arrived at our hotel at 1am! And got up at 8am, to make it to Baltimore in time. Whew, this is bike racing...chaos...gotta embrace it!!

Just call me 'Graeme Obree'

Mike and I've been perfecting my new TT position...I figure it's the only way I'll ever be as fast as Suz in a TT! What do ya think?


Maybe, I should add shoe covers to the tennis shoes though, huh?

The CLAW!

'Oh geez, I guess you can take my picture'..all the photos in this blog are stolen from the most awesome photographer....Amara at wheels in focus



This past weekend we had the Mutual of Enumclaw 'Stage' Race. Two days, three race, omnium. Which means, instead of basing final results on time (most common), it's based on a point system. So first gets 15, second 12, third 10, etc...


The TT was a 6.5mi course, flat, great course! Love it! Suz Weldon tore it up in 14:27, followed by Laura Brown at 14:46 (I think?), and then Kracker Kele at 14:51, narrowly squeezing out Leah Goldstein at 14:52, and lots of other super fast ppl really close together...(sorry I don't remember everyone, I'm so focused on me the rest becomes a blur)

Next we had a rainy crit. OMG, I am such a BONEHEAD! I totally screamed into the first corner and crashed....first lap, first corner...sooooo embarrassing....oh well, I figured out quick how fast was too fast. Luckily, I was fine, and so was my bike...got my lap and got back in. The race was fun, active, and technical. I love this course, it's a figure 8, and wet, and lots of manhole covers, and grates in the corners...so good bike handling is a must...something I can work on!! I had a good race, worked hard. But still struggled w/ the finish! It's so all in my head! But I'm making small improvements, and am very aware of my shortcomings...that's the first step right. So, Lea from the Canadian Giant team (who again MADE this weekend of racing and actual RACE) won soloing off after the last prime...super smart, Strong move!! Allison Testarosa (naagh, JK...I cannot remember her last name, she rides for Express Copy) got 2nd, Jenny True got third, and Isuckatfinishing got 4th!

Whew, barely got that $100 prime...but I did heee heee!

God that's so embarressing, why can't I look cool when I'm working hard???

Sunday was the RR, which they changed and UNchanged the course for us...we had to do a 1.8mi climb x4 (yipee), but thank Jehovah we finished about 8mi later on the flats (thus allowing for 'chase back on time' if needed). On the first time up, I thought all was lost, I got gapped of WAY too early....but due to the long downhill was able to catch back on. Then on the flats of the 2nd lap was an intermediate sprint, that many ppl were interested in due to how close we all were in points....so between the craziness that is PART OF NORMAL RACING SPRINTS, and someone miss reading the course marshall, there was a bit of a pile up (the girl on the far R side of the road at the front thought we turned L and pretty much took everyone out..well I stay upright...and no one was seriously hurt)...once that was over we regrouped and Leah Goldstien (Symmetrics), Allison (Express Copy), and Lea (Giant) broke away on the climb...I was able to stick w/ the group much better...and we never saw those 3 again. Probably due to the fact we were neutralized x2, and forced to STOP for the cat 3 men to pass...which was very frustrating because at the time we were only 15sec back....oh well, poopie things happen!

Then in the final sprint, I was too far back, and got 3rd...well 6th cause of the 3 off the front. Funny thing, I won the omnium...due to intermediate sprints and consistency! YEA! The money I won was much needed for next weeks trip to the East Coast!

It was a good weekend of racing. Fun to see all the Canadians here who really animate the race! Other than crashing myself out, I really enjoyed it!

Yeah, Nursing Week!

Ok, I know everyone else rides bulls at work too...so I'm sure you can relate! It was Nursing Week last week, which meant we got to play games all week!

Habib, I think the bull got the best of HIM!


Rachael, shows good balance and coordination!!


Sharon hasn't even started and she's already hollerin'.


Yea, Ahmed, I don't think that position is gonna work!


This is the Chili cook off...which Terry won...the girl in the white coat on the left!


This is Jennifer Lopez famous....something, I cannot remember..but Jeff in activities apparently watches South Park! Isn't she looking cute!


So, this is what Habib and Gary REALLY do all day. Chill, eat, talk trash, size up the new hires, and tell people what to do!!


And this is the most beautiful germ ball in the world! Kole, or Chole, or Cole...he's the in house cat. Whom, I rarely allow myself to pet because he's got more germs than Habib!! But, he's a great lovable cat!


And to finish the week off, we had a Pot Luck on Friday! Sumeda is leaving (one of our OTs). We will all miss her terribly, it's been a joy working with her! This is our Rehab staff (mostly), on the patio outside the gym!

Phew, after such a rough week of work I was ready for a mini-stage race!! Yee Haw!

Isaac's Graduating!

Friday, Sam, Mom, and I drove to Atchison, KS to Benedictine College. We are celebrating his graduation with a Bachelors of Science in Bio Chemistry, magna cum laude.

Friday, we went to the Baccaluarate Mass, then dinner!!

Sam takes after his sister.


Here we have Margaret Mary (Isacc's girlfriend), Isaac, Sam, and you know who!

Then today, was the Commencement ceremony!

Here they come!

That was the only decent picture I got!! But I can tell you he DID make it!! I'm so happy and proud of him!!

More fabulous times in Wichita!

After the 5am Spin class, I, OF COURSE, went right back to bed...until it was time to get up for my lunch date w/ Nat.

So, I met her at her new, huge, beautiful office, where she is a therapist at Comcare. She told me I was pretty much certifiable, thus I tried for a little Pro Bono time from her....


After lunch w/ Nat, it was time for lunch w/ Mom!! (I love it when that happens)...

Look Mom's got all these initals after her name...she's worked very hard for each one!!


She agreed w/ Nat that I needed a little MORE couch time...


She also has a beautiful office, overlooking the Arkansas river (pronounced R-Kansas, ya'll)...

What do I do in Wichita??

Well, tons!! It's amazing how quickly the time flies when I'm home!

On my second day home, I went for the 'Wendsday Worlds' ride that was my first group ride ever (and I caused a HUGE crash that day). So, we meet at Jay Blankenship's house (Me, Andy Malcom (eek, spelling??), Greg, Jay, and craparoni I cannot remember his name...he has a 10mo old boy Alex, and his wife is in Thailand...) and rode to the course...in the meantime I got a flat (that's 3 in 2 days)...They boys are doing Joe Martin, so they wanted to just spin which was perfect for me! So, we did one lap of the Wed night worlds which does 3 laps of a 10 mi course. Then home.


This is Jay, Alan, and Drum (dog)...fast friends!!

But, on the way home I had another flat...that's 4, count 'em 4 flippin flats in 2 days...What tha??? Thank Alah, Jay ignored me when I protested to him giving me a tube at the begining of the ride...cause I would have been el screwido....but, I was well taken care of by the boys!! And made it safe and sound back to Mom's just in time for YOGA!!

It was a small group Me, Nat, Mom, Sam, and a friend of Nat's! It was great, low key, relaxing, and CHEAP!! $5.00...but it was great to do w/ my friends and fam!!

Then NUTSO Natalie got me up at 5am for Spin class the next morning...but it was THE BEST spin class I've ever been to ...just a great feeling of fun, and NO ego, just good people enjoying the class!!

Home Sweet Home!

That's right I'm back in Wichita! And today my lil bro Sam and I are going to the Exploration Place, a children's museum neither have ever been to!



We NAILED this puzzle! It was a brain teaser, about how to balance 14 nails on one...no foolin' us though!



Don't know what we are learning here, but a good photo opt!



We learned about momentum, and mass in motion! This was the only sitting Sam could tolerate after the 3+hr bike ride I took him on yesterday, what a trooper!



I couldn't resist....if you cannot read it, its a book about FARTS! I was funny. Gosh, I'm so MATURE!!

Ok, that was our Expedition! And I learned the way to tell a Crok and Alligator apart is Crocodiles you can see their teeth when their mouth is closed, Alligators you cannot. And Turtles have round shells to roll out of predators mouths, and the first airplane kite things were laterally steered by using your hips, and there was a tusk of a (uh oh, what are those animals called, like harry elephants w/ tusks...) REALLY old mammoth, yea Mammoth...in WICHITA a few years ago during the construction of a new highway....

Cool, huh!

Off for a ride, then Yoga w/ my best friend in the whole world...Natalie Grant! I'm so excited to see her!!

I'll tell you about it tomorrow!

ROAD TRIP!!

Remember when that phrase used to sound FUN? Well, this time it was pretty fun. The Cheerwine clan, headed by Thad Fisher, graciously allowed me to hitch a ride from Decatur to Fayetteville. And along the way I took some photos!!



This is what we would look like w/ super duper tans...BTW it's Chrissy, ME, and Sarah Uhl (who WON Decatur BTW)!



I cannot tell you how excited Katherine Cheatley (aaahh spelling??) was about going to her First Waffel House. Apparently they had been counting the Waffel House restaurants the entire week.



Although Katherine WAS excited, it was no match for Sarah anticipation and giddiness of HER first Waffle House experience...because for her it wasn't just a waffle, it was an EXPERIENCE!! And she lapped it up!



This was MY first Cheerwine soda! Which was DELICIOUS, everyone should go buy some, and support a company that supports women's cycling!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much to the entire Cheerwine team for letting me tag along. I am on my way to my brother Isaac's graduation from Benedictine College, and will miss Joe Martin!

Done in Decature!!

Oh my, the last day....8th crit in 9 days...Good course, wind, hot temps...

Not much was being allowed to get off the front. It was clear Kat Carroll was defending her laps led and insuring her 3rd place GC finish. Which was awesome!!

Again, I don't remember too much...I do remember getting 2nd for a prime to Katherine Powers a few times, which is frustrating...not because of Katherine, just the getting 2nd part...

Then late in the race a break of 6 got off. All but Colavita were represented. I tried to be smart and not work, seeing as I was in a group of sprinters. Also, Shontelle and I had talked that if I got in a break not to work, because we didn't want/need a break...She could prefer it to be a bunch sprint. This, of course, didn't go over too well w/ my break-mates. But, hey that's racing. Once it was clear we would stay away (5 to go) I decided to move to plan b..and start attacking because I know my track record this week w/ finish sprints...and I knew my chances w/ this group...Unfortunately, they were all over me, and I got no where. But tried one final effort on the back stretch of the last lap, and ended up instead, just leading out the sprint....SWEET PLAN KEL!! Yea, so as you prob guessed I was LAST in the break! But, I'm working on it, and soon will have improve!!

Glad to be done! Very proud of my teamate Shontell Gauthier who ended up 4th!! We worked hard all week, and really feel good about our racing!! I'm excited about the rest of the season to come!

Awesome Anniston!

Saturday afternoon was the Sunny King Crit in Anniston, AL. We left our wonderful home in Spartanburg for a 3.5hr drive to Anniston. In Anniston, we met Diane who opened her house to us!

The race was hot, fun, fast. That's about all I remember. Honestly!!

Luckily, I took some pictures so I remember that there was a festival and GeGe pet a snake....


Our fabulous host mother made an awesome breakfast Sun morning!! A fritada (spelled?), fresh fruit, and this Greek yogurt (lu..something), and homemade french bread...YUMMY!!





People like Diane make life on the road so much more tolerable! Thanks!

SmithBarney Spartansburg

Today was another Podium day for UltraLink, as in Shontelle Gauthier! A third place finish to Tina pic (2nd), and Laura Van-Gilder (1st)!! Awesome, awesome job!

The course was great, tight finish. There was a little spill after the finish, but otherwise it was a very safe race. Laura Van-Gilder got away for quite a while solo. Gradually, she came back, leading into a good sprint finish!!

Personally, I was again working on my last lap. I was very conservative...but it was all a bust. I over emphasized the slowing in the final turn, and just lack that full out effort in the sprint...leading to a less than sparkling finish. Arrrgh....I don't know what exactly I need to change....well, that's not entirely true...I loose position in the last lap, I allow ppl around me, I get nervous and don't fight hard enough, I also just don't have the burning desire to dig extra deep in the last sprint...I really want to change these things...so, I will work on one every race! I know it's a slow process, but thank goodness I'm stubborn, and will stick to it!!

Great racing again, fun times!

Now let me tell you about the awesome place we stayed. John and Lesa Kastler allowed us to stay in this beautiful home for the night..



This is their beautiful dog, much like Shontelle's dog. Neither of whom's names I can remember (hmm, grammer? not sure on this one)...

Glorious Greenwood!

Thursdays race was in Greenwood, SC. We were fortunate to be sponsored with a room at the Inn on the Square, right on the course. I got to watch the men's race from my window!

So, the race had it's usual Cheerwine attacks and counter attacks. With the chasing falling on Colavita/Aaron's shoulders often. No real moves got away, just a good fast race all in all.

Personally, I really wanted to work on my finish, and not obliterate myself w/ primes, and unnecessary chasing. But in the last lap, I over reacted in the second to last turn, and was not diligent enough to make it up on the last turn, therefore came out w/ a less than stellar performance. But, learning takes time, and I will continue to improve, just have to learn from each day and build on it the next (RIGHT? Don't I just sound like a quote out of some 'self help' book....whatever it takes man!!).

Shontelle on the other had was able to keep her position, did not over react, and sprinted to a very close 5th...very close being she really thought she was 4th, and there was a photo finish w/ Kelly Benjammin' and Tina...so they were all right there! She's racing so awesome, it's great!!

Charleston is where we sayed!

I want to thank Sahar for opening her house to us for 2 nights...late nights at that. She is studying for her PhD/MD, so time to hang out w/ smelly cyclists is at a premium. She was a great hostess, and we were super comfortable at her house...


This is her super cool ORANGE bathroom!!





And she has a pond out back!! How quaint! (have I mentioned Mike and I don't even have a back door??)



Look Chrissy a Turtle!!

Ok, funny Chrissy story!! So, the other day her teammates were re-capping a crit they had done in California earlier in the season. Someone commented, "Oh my god, they had so many turtles in that crit...argh!"...., and Chrissy, "What TURTLES??? There were TURTLES in your race??, NO WAY, I didn't even think there were TURTLES in California!!"....she literally thought they meant real live turtles, instead of the plastic ones on the pavement....Perfect Chrissy story....I love Chrissy!!

Ok, bed time