The Delta Subaru Tour de Gaslight Criterium

THE 2011 DELTA SUBARU GASLIGHT CRITERIUM  |  Sunday, August 21st, 2011

Thank you to our title sponsor Delta Subaru!

RACE DESCRIPTION: A Michigan Challenge Points Series event. Total purse of $5,500 plus primes.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Located in Downtown East Grand Rapids. The course is .8 mile and mostly flat with 4 left-hand turns and sweeping curves.

RACE SCHEDULE
Junior Girls  |  8:30AM:  20 min, Medals, Field Limit of 50, Free Registration
Junior Boys  |  9:00AM:  20 min, Medals, Field Limit of 50, Free Registration
Women Cat 4  |  9:30AM:  30 min, $200 in prizes, Field Limit of 75, $30 Registration
Women Cat 1/2/3  |  10:10AM:  40 min, $1000 in prizes, Field Limit of 100, $30 Registration
Men Cat 5  |  11:00AM:  30 min, Medals, Field Limit of 50, $30 Registration
Kids' Race  |  11:30   Prizes, Field Limit of 100, Free Registration
Men Cat 3  |  12:00PM:  50 min, $900 in prizes, Field Limit of 100, $30 Registration
Men Cat 4  |  1:00PM:  35 min, $400 in prizes, Field Limit of 100, $30 Registration
Men Master 35+  |  1:45PM:  50 min, $800 in prizes, Field Limit of 100, $30 Registration
Men Master 45/55+  |  2:50PM:  35 min, $400 in prizes, Field Limit of 100, $30 Registration
Men Pro/1/2  |  3:35PM:  70 min, $1,800 in prizes, Field Limit of 100, $35 Registration

REGISTER TODAY THROUGH TRUESPORT! 
Online registration closes August 19 at 11:59pm ET.
Additional $10 fee for day-of registration 

SPONSORS:
Delta Subaru
Spectrum Health
Law Weathers 
Hoekstra Specialty Vehicles
Soigneur Embrocation
Mika Meyers Beckett & Jones
Hutchinson
Kentwood Cycling & Fitness

Ft. Custer Stampede

I’m not as eloquent with words but thought I’d give it a try posting the race recap/results from Ft. Custer.

I had a great time for my first (or second) “official” mountain bike race.

We had a beautiful day for racing. By the time the sport and beginners divisions started it was actually sunny and hot. But I’m not complaining!

Anyways - the race. Tammy and Heather, both looking unbelievably relaxed, started the Sport class and then it was time for me to prepare for the Beginners class which started an hour later. I would be starting with Ellie and Kiersen Korienek on my tail. I lined up at the start line with 10 additional beginners, aged 19 plus. As the gun went off my goal was to be near the front as we entered the trail, since I have no idea how to pass. I entered the trail in second place, right on the wheel of first place. Very quickly we came into traffic and she was able to get by the rider and I waited until I felt comfortable to get around. By that time, she was still in my sight but had quite a lead. I tried to make up the distance but it just wasn’t happening. On a short descent I took a wrong line and went off the trail, into some sand (sand or tree, I chose the sand) and the 3^rd place person passed me so now I was riding 3^rd. Not to long after that there was a large, deep water section. Glad I didn’t know how deep or else I would have freaked! But once in it, you had to ride through. It was at the bottom of a very large hill called Cardiac Climb, quite appropriately named. As I approached the hill I saw that everyone was walking up the hill. Now this kills me – I’d much rather bike up the hill but coming up on those walking makes it a challenge. So I jumped off my bike and started walking. This is when the 4^th place person passed me so now I was 4^th. I stayed with her for quite a while until I had a mishap with the pricker bush. Well, maybe not bush, it was pricker ground covering – it was everywhere! I have no idea what, if anything, I hit. All I know is that I was off the trail, in the prickers and I thought the whole field passed me as I laid there. (PS Coach Korienek did advise me after the race that this was not a good racing strategy! :-)) I got back on my bike knowing that I had to finish but riding very skiddish. Near the end of the race I felt some confidence return and I knew I had to get around the girl in front of me. I also thought we were coming to the finish so I started to sprint (plus this is my favorite part of the race). I passed probably 12-18 people in the last ½ mile of the course. Where I first thought the finish was wasn’t but I was able to maintain my speed and finished strong. As I finished I gave Heather and Tammy a few words (I’d been working on them throughout the course). What were they trying to do, kill me? Heather pulled up the results and to my surprise, I’d finished in 4^th place! And then I heard the additional results for the day. Tammy had finished 2^nd and Heather had finished 4^th in the Sport Division! I was so excited! Podium finishes for all 3 of us!!!

I was able to pull myself together (still working on getting prickers and blood off my legs and arms) and got to see both Ellie and Kiersen finish. Ellie finished 3^rd (another podium finish for RWT) and Kiersen finished 6^th. Kiersen was the only girl racing in her division. I definitely think there should be a award for that!

What a great day for Real Women Tri!!!

Willow TT & Cone Azalia RR

Willow Time Trial - Saturday, April 30, 2011 - New Boston, MI
So the Willow Time Trial on Saturday went pretty well. The conditions were chilly, a bit windy (especially on the back side of the course), and overcast. RWT was represented by 5 key players: Heather Kubiak, Griff Griffin, Ellie Burke, Ellie Korienek, and Lori Huffman... with Kathy Everts & Laura Korienek supporting us on as the best cheer squad out there. (Next time I want to see a group pyramid though ladies...)  ;)

I (Lori) was pretty happy with my time, and I finished 14th out of 22. So near middle of the pack, as always. I didn't figure out until afterwards that I managed to average 20.75 mph, which I think beats my best time from the Ada TT's last year, so I'm pretty thrilled with that. Heather finished in 5th place with an awe-inspiring time. Griff finished in 15th. Ellie B. finished with 17th. And little Miss Ellie Korienek finished on the podium with 3rd!! Great job ladies!!

Cone Azalia - Sunday, May 1, 2011 - Milan, MI
Oh Cone Azalia... Why do you hate us so? Today's conditions sucked, to put it frankly. It rained all night and all morning, but stopped a little before we started racing, so that all the roads were a muddy mess. If you're not familiar with Cone, it's a road race done on a road bike that goes over at least 4 miles of really, rough gravel, interspersed in 2 different places along the course. This year's race featured 2 of our riders, Lori Huffman & Kathy Everts, both racing it for the first time. The course is known to be covered in potholes, even on the paved sections, and this year's race had the added bonus of having all those potholes filled with murky, wet mud, and slick dirt all around it. Terrific! :D

So Kathy's category (the Cat 3's) ended up having 5 or 6 riders in it, and they left about 2 minutes before the 4's. The Cat 4's had 10 riders to my count. We took off FAST! I was barely hanging on from the beginning. We got to the first gravel section (which was the worst of the two), passed by Kathy right away, who was happily cheering us on the sidelines with a flat already on the first lap  :(.  Along with trying to avoid the potholes, there were probably hundreds of water bottles dispersed along the course that had been rustled out of their cages due to the heavy gyrations of the bikes on the road.

I barely managed to hang on to the group until we got to the paved section. I was hoping for a slight rest, having just hammered it through the potholes... but they gunned it on the pavement and I got dropped halfway through the first lap. I was going 20-23 mph trying to catch up, but I couldn't catch them, and I couldn't hold that speed, so I never joined them again. The second gravel section was shorter and smoother than the first. And there I got some added encouragement from my fiancé, Mark, who had flatted and was waiting to cheer me on before wimpering back to the car.  ;) Then I reached a paved section that looked like land mines had gone off all over it. And then the final, smooth home stretch past the finish line.

But oh... our race was 3 laps long, so I could do that all over again 2 more times!!  ;)  I contemplated quitting many times... but really, I felt like unless I flatted, I had no excuse to quit, so I kept going (perhaps secretly hoping to flat). On the 2nd lap, I had hopes that maybe the girls would slow down a bit, that maybe there'd be some stragglers that I'd catch up to, or that maybe people would drop out or flat and I wouldn't get dead last. At one point I could actually see a few of the girls ahead of me, so I thought maybe I'd be able to catch them... but couldn't.

Finishing up the 2nd lap was a bit brutal and I had fight the desire to quit even more, but at that point I just thought, "Well so what if all the girls beat me? At this point, I can at least beat the course. If I make it through Cone Azalia without flatting, I'll call that a victory." (Oh, and also I figured I should at least get the miles in to try and burn off all the crap I'd eaten recently.)  ;)  So I managed to finish all 30ish miles of Cone!!

When I finished I found out that Kathy was able to bum a tube off of somebody and she got back in it and finished too!! So we both got last in our categories, but we managed to fight off our desire to quit, and that in itself can be quite the victory I think! So podiums for us!!!  ;)

Lori

Racing Season Has Officially Begun!

What a great weekend of racing for RWT!!

Eagle 10K (Saturday)
• Jane Garrett took 3rd in her age group & 7th Overall! 
• Tammy Ledford had a personal best by over 2 minutes! 

Barry Roubaix (Saturday)
23 mile course
• Cheryl Havens took 2nd place Overall & 1st in her age group!
• Sarah Garrett - tried her 1st every gravel road race & took 6th in her age group!
• Kelly Green-Shrift (& daughter Allison) took 1st place Overall on a Tandem bike! 
35 mile course
• Kathy Everts took 1st place Overall!
• Jane VanHof took 7th in her age group!
• Laura Korienek had a personal best time!
• Tammy Moran worked hard and finished strong!

Fisk Knob Time Trial (Sunday)
• Heather Kubiak took 4th place Overall and 2nd place in her age group!
• Ellie Downey took 1st place in her age group!
• Cheryl Havens, Laura Korienek, & Tammy Moran all competed
  back-to-back days and got several personal bests as well!
• Laura Korienek took 4th in her age group!
• Lori Huffman took 5th in her age group!
• Griff Griffin took 4th in her age group!
• Cheryl Havens took 7th in her age group!
• Tammy Moran took 7th in her age group!
• Griff Griffin, Lori Huffman, & Kendra Townsend all did their 1st ever Fisk Knob TT and did awesome!

And the season has only just begun!!!  Amazing job everyone!  Makes me so proud to be a part of this team!!  You guys are awesome, not to mention fun to spend time with! 

Barry Robaix and Fisk Knob

Up this coming weekend is the long anticipated first bike racing weekend.  There will be alot of air sucking and racing in very cold weather.  I myself bailed on BR and instead will be armed with my new mega phone "urging" my teammates to kick some Fusion, Priority Health, and everyone elses booty to get on the coveted BR podium.  Yea I was scared...cryin and complaining about having to race against expert...blah blah blah and that I might not make it on the podium this year...I disguised it as "concentrating on Fisk." You know I will be chomping at the bit to race come saturday morning!  On to Fisk...I think we will have lots-o-pink on the podium in the different age classes.  Let's hope the ice stays away!  We will be sporting our best funny helmets so come out and spectate!

Spring Training Race!

Picture it! Sicily, 1932. There stood on a line of Cat 1,2,3's a young (!) category 4 cyclist. Ok, maybe not Sicily, but someplace in Ohio.

First race of the season! One bonus of being the wife of a great cyclist is the travel. While I would never in my newby dreams drive 6 hours to race one race by myself, hubby found back to back races this past weekend and off we went. While Burke raced both days, I decided Sunday would be the day to throw down.

The weather was a solid 10 degrees cooler than the weather people (Thanks Channel 17) reported with 15-20mph winds. Not ideal, but hey, it wasnt snowing. The course was a 12 mile loop with a few rollers and a few bitchin climbs. I can say bitchin, cant I?

Lining up was slightly intimidating as the fields were combined. Nothing like racing with the 1,2,3's! Secret Cycling was the dominating team with a total of 7 riders in the field. I hung on long enough (12 miles) to watch as Secret controlled the race while a number of smaller teams attempted attacks. It was exciting to actually see team tactics at play.

After finally 'uncle'ing, I fell back and caught on with two cat 3's. One blew up but the other and myself kept going. We passed several men (yay!) and made some good ground. Thirty five miles later, I was smack dab in the middle of the 3/4's. I also received a compliment from a male racer on my awesome colored kit ;)

Lessons learned:
1. You dont need a great bike to be a cat 2. This chick had a bike 10 years old...a 9 speed for cryin out loud!
2. The 2's dont screw around.
3. The Super 8 in Cincinnati, OH is scary. As in, sleeping at 3:45am and some drunk dude comes banging on the door, asking, 'Is this Emily's room??' I didnt know why he'd be knocking on motel room doors looking for an Emily...Burke caught on quickly and filled me in.
4. Crashing 5 feet after your group takes off is embarrassing. Sorry to the mens cat 5 that did. Poor guy. Even more apologies to the guys that had to ride next to him for 35 miles.
5. When jockeying for pre-race port-o-potty time, wiggle yourself behind 3-4 guys. The seat is guaranteed to be dry and hopefully de-tinkled from the women who hover....which is all of us.

Another KY Adventure

Alright, there must be an entry about the road ride the rest of us did while Stinky & RideInPink were off enjoying their wind sheltered mountain bike ride.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the winds were somewhere around 25mph, although it felt more like 40mph at some points... but anyway, we took off to do a 27 mile loop in the flatest part of KY we could find (as we were all pretty gassed from the hilliness of our Mammoth Cave route the day prior). Flatest route on Map My Ride… but still fairly hilly nevertheless.

Anyway, we had directions written out on paper tucked into the leg of our shorts that would have been fairly easy to follow, however, street signs seem to be optional in KY. And it is also worthy to mention that KY is full of “Y’s, T’s, and forks”. Don’t ask me which one is which… I do not have an eye for these sorts of things.

But I digress…We made the best of the directions we had , and only ended up doing an extra 13 miles with all the wrong turns and back tracking. It was pretty comical, however, that our directions told us to take a 180 degree turn and we all sat at the corner perplexed for several minutes before we realized 180 degrees is a straight line. Boy did that bring a pretty good chuckle.

The wind made echelon practice ideal. We could all really feel the “sweet spot”, and could easily shift into a pace line type format as we took (what we all now know as) 90 degree corners to head into the wind. We really had it down to a science.

Lucky for us, the locals really got a chuckle out of seeing 9 women in pink pedaling their “titanium” bicycles along their roads. They were always polite and quick to point out that we weren’t from aroun’ these parts. At one such “T or Y” in the road (whichever it was), we flagged down a Southerner driving a tractor to ask for directions. He found us quite amusing. He shut off the tractor and opened the door and said, “Looks like an invasion” (said in your best southern accent).

He quickly followed with “Ya’ll ain’t from aroun’ here, are ya?” What a sight we must have been from his usual routine. Anyway, he quickly asked us to say the word “R” “O” “O” “F”. When we said “roof”, he said “Oh, say it again”. He was just having a blast with us. Eventually we were given the instruction we needed and were off to finish the ride. I’d like to send that man a team picture. I have a feeling he’ll be talking about us for years, as we will do the same about him.

Those are the highlights from that group ride as I remember it.

It is important to note that the people in KY are awesome! I have never come across a more patient, friendly group of people. Their courtesy is fantastic, and their willingness to share the road with cyclists is something everyone should try to emulate. I was thoroughly impressed. Thanks for letting RWT “invade” your space.

-Kathy

Barry R

Pulled up to Yankee Springs to 50+ cars unloading to pre-ride the BR course.  Got going and felt like Id been run over by a mack truck...must be the time change...yea right...probably the scotch from the night before and fatigue from flying.

Hit the 2 track and quickly found it pretty much unridable...ice pack...zapped energy for sure.  Cursed like a truck driver and got through it.  Brian Moran thanks for the tip...I will make sure I pedal on the downhills from now on...didnt mean to curse u out for the comment.  5.5 miles in 60 minutes???? 

Got to the cutoff - Jane and I went left cause we had to be back for 4pm previoous engagements...the rest of the group went right to finish the 35 mile route.  We hammered it pretty hard to get back in time - thanks for the company Jane! 

I will be going back this week to do the 35!

KY (and I dont mean the lubricant) Training Trip

Prologue      Little did we know when we embarked on this adventure just what we would encounter....one thing we knew for sure...we wanted to get out of dodge, we wanted to ride our bicycles without snowmobile suits on, and we wanted to have fun.  All of that and more was accomplished.  This entry is set up in significant chapters...albiet they may be short but maybe someday the fodder for a long drawn out book.  The funny thing is this will be from my perspective so I'm hoping all those team mates that joined in the "training" will add their two cents...so all u "not it" slugs hop to it....cause at the end of the day I may crack myself up...but u all crack me up way more :)

Chapter 1 - Food   (Also known as sex trash art)
    Thanks to Cheryl's preplanning we did not starve to death....as a matter of fact there was so much food we obviously didnt know what the hell to do with it when we left because there was some very riskea (sp) pictures on the flicker sight.  I hear (literally) that there is a sound video that goes with the art but it was too much to put on FB.
      We had the full range of healthy eaters (Amy, Connie, Ellie) to those who mostly drank beer (Lori and Kelsey).  Everyone else kinda drank a little, ate a little, snacked a little.  These guys were hanging out by the trash for the leftovers when we "pulled out" (Tammy giggle giggle (look at the trash picture cause those two words have alot of meaning).


Chapter 2 - Driving in the Bike Van
     Pretty uneventful....until all hell broke loose.  Let's see.  Kelsey slept (she said she just came off of 7 days on, working 3rd shift but after finding out alot more information about her I think its not that).  Ellie kept us entertained at one stop cause she couldnt find the pop machine...she was actually getting pissed...we found it for her - it was soooo friggin big we all laughed hysterically!!  Really it was the largest (Tammy giggle) pop machine we had ever encountered.
     We were really making ground on the Korienek Mom van - Ellie was driving....we were rolling, listening to music, when the bike van got possessed....like Linda Blair..  Very scary.  95 mph....throttle stuck open....Thank god Ellie was driving cause she just doesnt let anyone or anything mess with her and she got the thing uunder control-really we were all scared out of our minds....I wouldnt want to go through that again but if I had to I would pick exactly the same group...they may not pick me - or ever drive in my car again but I would pick them.  We were about 40 min from our destination.  First thought...get all the bikes out now!!!!  There was about $30,000 in bikes.  I went into quiet mode after calling 911.  After getting all the stuff onto the wet, gross, side of the highway several agencies pulled up...none of which was the welcome wagon mind you...but Ron was close.  My friend the cop is below.  We had state boys, county, and city I think....that part is a blur cause we spent considerable amount of time trying to figure out how we would get all the stuff back to the house.  Tammy kicked in to logistical coordinator - thank u...cause we were all pretty shook up.   Back to Ron... The Kentucky stranger Ron was willing to drive us anywhere we wanted.  We were a little skeptical but we took a chance...  Long story short Ellie turned on the charm...sitting in the front seat with Ron...cause we all piled in the back leaving her shotgun...we kinda wished one of us was packin' when he said he would show us the scenic route.  Along with her charm kicking in was her KY drawl...she actually speaks the language.  I was understanding about every 4th word Ron was saying.  We had to stop at a party store and Ron told us not to get out...funny and scary...we did as told cause everyone had bad teeth and mullets.......Im not making any of this up...you know Kentucky....Deliverance....holy crap we are riding with a stranger and we have no idea where we are going....u get the picture.



    Ron gets us to the house, we unload and take a deep breath....make a stiff (Tammy giggle) drink and get on with.  Oh yea...the  bike van gets towed by another guy with a mullett. 
Chapter 5 - The Downtime  -  "What Happens in KY stays in KY" 

     Is it "buck naked" or "butt naked?"  Oh I digress...it doesnt matter cause there was a ban on naked hot tubbing...but we did alot of hot tubbing.    our skin looked like this cause we were in there so long! 
     I hate games but catch phrase was fun.  Its a blur though and I cant recall anything significant to say about it...oh wait...Lori was especially good at it...her whole body would be used to describe the word....the only other thing that stuck out was we managed to tie it back to some sexual thing....amazing how that happens...thought only a bunch of guys do that but obviously u bring women together and it happens too!
    My favorite morning game was looking at the "In Style" magazine and playing "Hot or Not" with Lori and Tammy....And of course the solidarity pinky press on nail...good times. 

Chapter 6 - Riding our Bicycles
     Route planning is always a conumdrum.  We settled or riding in Mammoth Caves Natl Park.  Great first day ride!  We did 40 miles of pace lining, echeloning, etc.  We all felt great and this was a great team effort.  Side bar....dogs dogs dogs dogs.  Why do people let there dogs run in their yards?  It should not be allowed.  Every house had at least one dog that didnt like me.  Since I am not a dog person they liked me even more.  When they would run after us....I would kick into high gear (its the only time I can sprint) and the dog would fall back laughing its ass off!  Since the trip I have been thinking about how to mount a taser gun on my bike....the girls bought doggie treats to throw at the charging dogs...that should give u an idea how big (Tammy giggle) a problem it was.   They were bigger than this one...   I think they would send this one out to scout us and see when we would be coming - yea he was their leader.  Moving on....

Chapter 6 - Mountain Bike Ride Day
     I was soo happy to have my mountain bike...It was gale force winds and although I missed the echelon practice I think Tammy and I had a better time mountain biking than riding hills and roads that day.  Very rocky single track...basically I got my ass handed to me....its cause Tammy has a better bike...a 29er...oh wait I do too...crap...so much for that....but NO DOGS!!!  Great 2.5 hour mtb!  Women, you will have to fill in what happened on your ride.
     We had mexican food that night...hmmm no gas.  Thank god cause when you are sleeping with someone you usually dont sleep with that can be awkward.  Side bar about bodily functions.  We all know eachother's poop habits...that's team building at its finest. 

Chapter 7 - Raining
    Rain was in the forcast for our third day of riding.  Aaarrrggg 80% chance....or according to the eternal opptomist Kelsey 20 percent chance of no rain.  While my bike van was packing up in the ugly weather...the other group was going on Kelsey's weather report and wouldnt you know it we were pulling out (Tammy giggle) and the other group was leaving for a ride...one that never got rained on.  Oh well.  Its ok cause all the dogs were waiting for us and I dont know that I could have taken the sprint intervals! 

Chapter 8 - The Drive Home
     Kentucky rain turned to Michigan snow but it was hot in the car!!!  The conversation went from bands of the 80's, 90's, and today to "other stuff" - lets leave it at that but I will say I still think about one topic regularly....like I see someone walking in the mall or along a trail or eating out and wonder....hmmmm. 

Epilogue - Team building
    Even though the beds sucked, the dogs sucked, and the weather the last day was sucky the company was the best!  I wish all the RWT could have participated in this trip...it was a blast.  I think we all realized that we were in a better place in our training than we thought and that made the trip worthwhile.  Just know Ive got your back RWT (my whole car should giggle about that one).  Thanks for the memories....

Real Women Tri Training and Race Reports: Race Reports

Real Women Tri Training and Race Reports: Race Reports: "Hey... I heard Griff placed in some running(?) race last weekend? Do share! -Lori"

Heart and Sole 5K - one of those early season races. You start indoors (whoo hoo) and then run over a dike and then you get to do a regular run. I decided to put my heart rate monitor on vibrate when I got to Zone 5. Duh, the entire race is zone 5. Duh, vibrate is not the same as audible.....which means everyone I ran near spent the entire race listening to my Garmin go off every 15 seconds. Live and learn. Oh yeah, 2nd place in my age group.

Barry Roubaix

Barry Roubaix today... Brrrr!

Nice ride. The road conditions were a bit slick with the recent few inches of snow we got last night, but we were desperate to give the route a run. The brave Laura, Cheryl, and I bundled up and headed out. Happy to be accompanied by Keegan and Dan K.

What a great route! Nice scenery, pretty wildlife, and lots of hills! Funny though, how when it's 28 degrees you'll pray for the uphills, because they are much warmer than the downhills. We saw a wild turkey, an opossum (crazy huh?), a beautiful swan, and dogs that were a bit too up close and personal. We got some good miles into the legs, and became more familiar with the route. Nice practice with the slippery terrain as well. You never know what the weather will be like come race day, but I hope it's similar to last year.

Another great ride with teammates. Hoping to convince Dan K to buy a wig and a pink jersey. He creates a wicked draft!

Thanks ladies and gents for a nice ride.

Wind Advisory RIde

Soooo talk about wind resistance training...wow.  So Im a chicken....I felt like I was going to have my wheels swept out from under me...riding next to Roberta or Kathy was not an option!  Here are some of the things we saw on our ride

We rode the old BCA route and there is alot of farm land out there!  Unlike these farm animals we had only short periods of tail wind!

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