Flying Solo

Well, the collegiate season has come to an end.  It’s a bitter sweet time for me.  I’m tired…in fact, I’m exhausted.  I’ve spent more time in a car the last 3 months than I have in the last 3 years!  (Only exagerating a little bit).  This last Omnium had was quite a roller coaster for me, but fortunately ended on a good note.

The whole team met at Club sports Friday afternoon to pack up the vans.  Soon, we were on our way.  It took us forever to get there…10 hours to be exact…after multiple stops for eating, restrooming, etc.  We finally showed up at our host housing, which is this rather large, extremely nice house in the middle of no where.  (They live on 4,000 acres of land).  Anyway, right when we got there, we just set our stuff down and crashed.

The next morning 6 o’clock came around entirely too soon, as I had spent the whole night tossing and turning.  I felt tired…my mind was tired, my legs were tired, everything was tired.  Unfortunately, Lisa felt the same way – and we weren’t extremely excited about the notion of hammering it hard on one of the more difficult courses of the season.  Despite that fact, we all packed up and went to the course.  Fortunately, it was a nice day, and most everyone was excited to race.

The road race consists of a 23 mile loop with 2 semi-large hills and 1 large hill in the middle.  In between all these hills is one fast descent, a few tiny little descents and a lot of rolling hills.  (Not really my type of course).  We started out, and I was extremely nervous.  It was really windy on the course, and it was smart of anyone to just stay in the middle of the pack.  We started up the first hill (which I thought might be the second), and towards the top, after seeing Montana state rearing to go, I punched it.  We flew up the last 1/3 of the hill and over, rocketing down the descent (FUN!).  I looked back and it was one MSU girl with me.  We had about a 20 second break on the field….which isn’t much in this kind of a race, but it was something.  Finally after putting in a hard effort, I asked her to pull.  She went to the front….and she kept turning around, and saying, “OH, they’re going to catch us, they are catching up, I don’t think this is going to stick), mean while killing the pace by about 5 MPH.  AHHHHHHH!!!!  I was furious!  I just put out how many whats for her to just throw in the towel??? I think she was too worried about having her little team mate with her at the finish.  Oh the frustration!  I took one last hard pull to try to get away, but it was no use.  So, I tried to recover.  Then, the 2nd hill came (which I definately under estimated), and I went too hard at the beginning, and blew up towards the top, being passed by about 5 girls.  I spent the rest of the race about 15-20 second behind them, never able to catch up.  I finished 8th, and was not a happy camper.  This race was not a good experience for me….(well, fitness-wise it was, but not in the “i’m happy to be racing with these girls” category).  Anyway, after already being exhausted, this race didn’t put me in any sort of good mood.  Though, the lasagne at the host housing later that night almost did the trick.

Later that night was the TTT.  Lisa, Kallen and I started.  After the first couple minutes Kallen dropped, and it was just Lisa and I.  I took a few hard pulls, and new my legs were toast.  She tried pulling, and was feeling really good, but I couldn’t even hang on her wheel.  By the time we got to the turn around, I didn’t even know if I could make it up the little false flat.  I popped a goo (I think they are little packets of miracles), and we headed back.  Miraculously, I felt much better, and we found a steady pace and hauled ass back to the start.  It is incredible to me the difference a little sugar can make.  Even on the hill on the way back, I booked it up it…which was weird because I couldn’t even go hard at all on the way up there.  I’m sure the tail wind helped a bunch also.  Anyway, thanks to Lisa pulling the whole way, we got 3rd, beating PSU and OSU, which is what we wanted.

The next morning was the crit.  I still felt really tired, and wasn’t sure what kind of legs to expect.  My goal was just to stay in the pack, as long as it wasnt too sketchy, and then just go for the sprint finish.  I really didn’t think I had anything else in me.  We started, and I pulled the first lap and 1/2.  Then I sat in for a few laps.  2 different whitman girls had pulled, and finally a Montana girl got up there and pulled.  Finally, I was sitting 4 girls back…1 semi-large looking Whitman girl directly in front of me, MSU in front of her, and the other strong Whitman girl in the lead.  After letting her pull for about 3 laps, we came around for a prime (prim? sp????)  and everyone sprinted.  Whitman continued to pull.  Coming around the back side into the headwind and about to turn into the hill to come back up to the starting line, I snuck my way up the side and bolted.  I went hard into the wind and up the hill.  I looked back, and no one was on my tail!  So, I went hard, harder and hardest.  ( If you can go hardest).  Mind you, this was about 15 minutes into the race – so 1/2 the race still left to go.  I just kept going hard.  I think that I was able to gain time on the descent because I like to descend, and I can corner rather well.  Then, every time I’d go into the wind, I’d punch it…cause I knew it was just as hard for them…and they probably weren’t going to punch it as hard as I was.  There were 2 more primes have that….so I pretty much had to go hard the whole time.  There was 1 lap where i felt comfortable enough to slow down a tick….but the next lap was a prime, so I had to go hard once again.  It was a good experience for me to know what that feels like.  Flying solo in the lead is an entirely different feeling than flying solo on the tail (obviously).  It was exhilerating…and hard. (Mostly hard)…and I think this was a good opportunity to really show myself what I had in my legs….even if I was feeling tired. Anyway, I held them off for the whole rest of the race and I won!  My first solo break, and my first Crit win.  It feels good.

Later that day, after everyone was done getting their legs ripped off, they held an awards ceremony.  This was cool, because everyone who got placed in the top 3 this weekend got medals and then they gave awards for point standings (individual and team), and all that good stuff.  Well, i think the most meaningful part to me…of this whole season…was something that I never expected.  At the beginning of the ceremony Bill was going to announce the “winner” of the sportsmanship award.  Each team had been given the job to nominate one person who they thought showed outstanding sportsmanship.  Our team all voted for Adam from Idaho cause he’s just awesome…and crazy…and works his butt off.  Anyway, so he started with the award and said he was going to read some of the things people had said about this person.  He starts and he says, “Karey has been hands down the most positive and friendly rider at every race.”….ME?????  I didn’t know what to think…I actually got pretty emotional about it…cause as I said earlier, this weekend was quite the roller coaster.  Anyway, so I got a little plaque with pictures and a little statement of why I was nominated.  Adam got one too.  It means a lot to me…and to anyone who is reading this that may have had a part in that nomination…thank you.  It means more than any medal or any win could ever mean.  I know that sounds cheesy…but seriously…it really makes me…humbled…I guess you could say.

So, overall it was a good weekend.  A hard weekend…but good.  The ride home was uneventful, except for a few times when I thought David K. and Karl were going to go crazy on me, and Will repeatedly driving on the “wake you up” bumps on the side of the road.   I’m going to miss my girls…(Jen, Eva, and Deanna)…It’s weird spending 6 weekends with these people…and then you just don’t see them at all any more.  Hopefully we’ll all keep in touch.  And of course the UO people…unfortunately, I’ll still be seeing them (HAHAHAH Just kiddding!!!!!!!)….I know I’ll be seeing them around all the time, and hopefully most of us will continue to race OBRA and other exciting races together and continue to kick some butt!

Sea Otter Part II: More Pain

Let’s see…where did I leave off?  Oh yeah, getting my legs ripped off in the road race.  I don’t know if I mentioned this in a prior blog, but after reluctantly giving the ZIP wheel back to the SRAM guys, they fixed my flat, and Chris and I went down by Fisherman’s Wharf to ride on the seaside path.  It was gorgeous.  I’d have to say that if I  would have rather been getting my legs ripped off in the circuit race, but this came to a close second, and would have to suffice.  So, we rode for a couple hours and then went to dinner.

Next day: getting ready for the road race.  We arrived at the Laguna Seca race course with just enough time to get dressed, ready, and head over to the start.  Chris’ circuit race was supposed to start about 5 minutes after my road race, so we both were anxious for our races.  This meant that both of us had a hard time getting our Denny’s breakfast down (yes, we decided to ditch the lame continental breakfast).  Anyway, while we were waiting for my race to get started, here comes all the Rock Racing guys.  It was crazy to see them in real life.  About 8 of them come strolling up on their fancy schmancy bikes and gear.   And yes, even in real life they look like lizards…or dragons…or whatever you want to call them.  Anyway, it was kind of exciting, but makes me hate them even more for all their money and bling and blahblahblah  It also made me excited for Chris because it’s crazy to me that he’s racing against all these pros and stuff!!!!!!  (Go Chris!)

So, my race starts.  Luckily the sketchy 2 mile descent was a roll out.  I was near the front at the beginning of the roll out, just where I wanted to be.  Then all the sudden, about 1/2 way down, I looked around, and the whole pack had swarmed up, and I was some what near the back of the group. CRAP!  There was no way to get up there, the pack was not moving at all.  Until….right before the race began, there was a corner!  I moved my way to the left side, and BAM!  There I was, front and center! Right where I wanted to be.  Along with the corner, the beginning of the race, began the beginning of a climb that I wasn’t exactly prepared for.  I was doing okay…and then it kept going, and going, and getting steeper and steeper.  AHHH!!!  Girls were huffin’ and puffin’ and droppin’ like flies.  I made it over the top with the first group of about 10 girls.  Good so far!

Then the next hill came.  Little roller, not bad.  Then the next hill came.  HOLY CRAP!  Steeper than the first!  I tried to hang on, but there are some little climbers out there, and I got dropped.  It can only be expected since hills and I don’t exactly get along.  So, I made it over the hill, and tried to catch them.  I was haulin’ on the flats and rollers, and kept them in site for over a lap.  I caught up to another girl, but she was pretty beat, and I tried to pull her along.  We were then caught by a group of 4 girls, and we all worked together, but once again, on the 3rd lap, those hills killed me, and we lost 3 of them.

Finally, the one girl (I should say woman) and I settled into a steady pace and worked together.  We were eventually caught by another woman who had some technical problems back on the last hill, so, then there were 3.  We stayed together for the rest of the race.  Thank goodness for them…it was a tough course, and I don’t think I could have made it up those last few hills if I weren’t pacing their wheels.  Not only was this a hilly course, and therefore very difficult for myself, but the wind was gusting at huge speeds. There were times when I would try to pedal full force and only be able to go about 8 MPH or so…and sometimes it felt like you were riding side ways, trying to keep from being blown over.

Anyway, the last climb is the 2 mile descent that we had in the beginning.  Those 2 miles felt like 10.  There was a head wind, and the descent just keeps getting steeper and steeper.  At the end everyone was strung out, going about 2MPH up the hill.  I have never been so happy to see a 1K sign.  Finally I made it to the finish!  My legs were sphagetti and my back was wrenching with pain….this whole race was spent either in the drops or standing.  To my surprise, I had finished top 20, (14th to be exact)….so i can’t complain.  I feel much better knowing that everyone was in as much pain as I was.

So, that was that.  Chris didn’t end up finishing his circuit race due to a rather larger crash in the pro-1/2 field…unfortunately for him because he was doing well up to that point.  Tony ended up being the only one out of the four of us Oregon people to finish the circuit!  Horray for him.

All in all….very sore back, very wobbly legs, and a very good experience! I’m looking forward to more California races this summer!  This coming weekend: Collegiate National Championships.  Oregon’s gonna kick some boody!

Sea Otter Classic: Part I

2 Entry Fees (Circuit/Road): $124

Oil Change: $42.00

Gas to drive 18 hours to Sea Otter: $80

Food for Sea Otter: $50

Getting run over by a Junior girl and almost crashing horribly on the first lap of the circuit: 1 tube and a messed up wheel

Having my legs ripped off during the road race: 2 ripped off legs

Satisfaction of FINISHING my hardest and first ever CA Cat 4 race in top 15: PRICELESS

Sea Otter was quite the experience. Tony, Kennett and I left for Monterey Wednesday afternoon (a little later than anticipated due to last minute coffee and Safeway stops). After stopping for an hour and 1/2 spin in the middle of no where (right around Weed, CA), and trying 3 different closed Subways, we eventually found a Carls Junior and tried to muzzle down some incredibly salty french fries and some sandwiches. We then continued on to where Tony and Kennett dropped me off in San Mateo to stay with Chris at his Grandparent’s house, and they continued on down to Kennett’s relatives’ house further south. I was glad to finally be at my stopping point and slept pretty well that night.

The next day Chris and I drove down to Monterey and headed over to Sea Otter where we registered and picked up our Athlete’s packages. After that, we went back to the hotel, ate dinner and relaxed a bit and went to bed early because I had to race the next day. Meanwhile, Kennett had his Circuit race Thursday. He didn’t finish due to a flat with about 6 laps to go. Little did we know, this would be a common trend for our Oregon riders.

Friday morning we drove from our Hotel (which had the crappiest ever Continental breakfast), and arrived at Sea Otter. There are so many people at this event! It’s crazy! My race was in the afternoon around 1:49, so we rode around to warm up a bit, and then went to the staging area. I was quite surprised at the difference in the “content” of my field compared to the collegiate fields I’ve been used to riding in. I would say the average age of the women in my field was 30+. Also, there were about 50 women. I was pumped, and excited, and quite nervous because I had no idea what to expect. We all lined up and they announced that the junior women would be joining our field but scored seperately. This added to my anxiety, because #1, I didn’t want to be beat by a junior, and secondly, young people make me nervous.

We got ready, I was near the front, and the whistle blew. Off we went. The course is on the Laguna Seca race track ( for those of you who don’t know), and here is the elevation map.

So, we started up the hill. It’s just a little longer than you really want it to be…I made it up the top and over the crest with the first 5 women. I was feeling excellent, especially since I could see that we shelled about 1/3 of the pack on the first lap, and the girls behind me were huffing and puffing, and I felt good! So, we started into the “trecherous” cork-screw turn. We made it out okay, and into the next turn. It looked like everyone in front of me was taking a more outside route, so I decided to go inside. Well, the girl directly in front of me (one of the juniors), started drifting over into my line. I yelled, “INSIDE, INSIDE, INSIDE”…but did she listen? NO! She kept drifting over (at a rather quick pace), directly into my line. As I was on the inside of the turn, and there was no way to go, I just held on for dear life. Hear rear wheel came and swiped my front wheel not once, but twice. It’s sort of all a blur, but I know there was a lot of ruckus, and swerving and yelling…and I survived. She rode off, with her wheel in tact (the person in front hardly ever gets involved with the crash), and I managed to regain my stability and pulled out of my wild wobbly path. I tried looking down to see if I could keep on riding, but my blurry watery eyes (from wind and adrenaline) wouldn’t allow me to see such things. Instantly, though, I felt the rim of my wheel on the pavement and I knew I was done. I was ANGRY! FUMING MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t even remember the last time I was this angry. I got off my bike, my tire being completely flat, and I blew. I yelled so loud, wanted to throw my bike, and started punching and kicking the air (It was probably a good thing there was nothing around but air). I was angry because I felt good, I was doing well, and probably could have placed top 10 in this race….and it was over in an instant. I was also pretty angry because it was a junior girl who wasn’t even supposed to be in my field, and I had almost crashed really badly. (I think my energy was probably also a bit fueled by the DOuble Latte Power Bar goo that I had popped just before the race). Anyway, within seconds the SRAM support car came and gave me a new wheel (ZIPP 404) and pushed me on my way. As I came around the corner, I saw them climbing the hill and new that there was no way I could catch the pack, and my circuit race came to and end.

I was met by Chris and (a little later – after I cooled off) by Tony who listened to me rant and rave, and then Chris and I rode around for the rest of the race to wait for the support vehicle to come back. It was exciting riding on a ZIPP 404, and it makes me want to get new wheels.

So, that was the circuit race. Close call, but I survived.

A Little History

Well, since I’m starting this blog a little after the start of my cycling career, I’ll give you a brief history. And when I mean brief, I mean brief.

The first time on a bike in about 8 years was around July of 2007.  I hopped on my ex-roommate’s fixie (which she had left for the summer), and started my adventures around town on a bike.  Needless to say, after not being on a bike for most of my life, and returning to ride on a fixie…I had a couple close calls.  But, I surived (obviously).

I owe my cycling career to my boyfriend Chris Swan, who himself, is an aspiring pro-cyclist.  He is well on his way to establishing a career in cycling, and I am extremely excited for him (Please see his link chrisswan.com)

Towards the end of the summer Chris gave me a heavy, steel, Univega from about 1970, which I started riding around on the bike paths and such.  It was fun!  I decided, hey, I like this, my legs are pretty strong, I should try riding more.  Well, I thought it was fun until my sweet boyfriend took me up Dillard Loop on this bike.  I had 2 gears total, tennis shoes, no toe cages, (may I remind you of the heavy steel frame), and had never ridden up a hill like that before.  Needless to say, I hated him and riding by the time I got to the top.  The way down was even more fun, being my first time going over 10 MPH on a bike.  But, I survived!

A couple months later after just a few “longer rides”  – we’re talkin’ 15-20 miles – I decided that I wanted to join the U of O cycling team.  I attended the first meeting, and went on the first ride after purchasing my first pair of shoes and clipless pedals.  I only ALMOST fell over a couple times, but luckily my BF was there to catch me.

In September of ‘07 I purchased my first “real bike”.  THis is the bike I currently ride.  It’s name is Henry and it is a Navy Blue Felt Z65.  I like it and so far (except for a couple spills) it seems to like me alright also.

So, that’s that.  My cycling history.  I am currently racing for University of Oregon and Life Cycle Bike Shop.  I have been doing well in the Women’s B category (see results), and am excited to upgrade ASAP!