Summer Camp

Ok, not really. Summer camp memories from my childhood didn't include this much work. Pursuit Camp has been fun on a different level. Great girls and hard work that I know will pay off.

If I am not riding or eating, I am in the Recovery Center at the OTC. All kinds of toys to help you become human again. Check out the space legs used for compression.

The cold pool and the hot pool. Used in combination, the two really do work.

But, the cold pool HURTS. Hopefully my friend (won't even mention her name) in this picture never sees my blog.

Group shot at the track. L to R: Sarah, Dotsie, Cari, Shelley, Kim, Kristin, Jo. Tough crowd!

Tonight!

I have been at this camp all week down at the Olympic Training Center. Our schedule has consisted of eating, flogging ourselves at the track, eating, recovering, napping, riding, eating, and sleeping. Hopefully the results will outweigh this pain.

Check out the following press release:

Olympic and World Championship medalists will attempt to break national record this Thursday in Memorial Park

Colorado Springs, Colo. (August 26, 2009) --A seasoned roster of Olympic and World Championship medalists will attempt to break a national track cycling record this Thursday at the 7-Eleven Velodrome in Memorial Park.

During this week's Thursday Night Thunder in the Parkracing series, the following women will split into two teams and attempt to break the three-kilometer Team Pursuit record:

Kristin Armstrong(Boise, Idaho) - 2008 Olympic gold medalist
Sarah Hammer(Temecula, Calif.) - Two-time World Champion

Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif.) - Former Pan American Champion
Cari Higgins(Boulder, Colo.) - Four-time Pan American medalist
Shelly Olds(Scotts Valley, Calif.) - World Cup medalist
Kim Geist(Bethlehem, Penn.) - Two-time Junior World Championships medalist

The current record for this event, set by Sarah Hammer, Dotsie Bausch, and Jennie Reed in October of 2007, is 3:34.783.

Master's Nationals

This past week has been a little crazy in our household. The Master's Nationals (30+) were taking place in Colorado Springs. Greg was prepping for his first time racing a national event since he was 18. Although I wasn't competing, I was driving back and forth trying to maintain a training schedule on the track and trying to help the guys promoting the race.

It ended up being a great weekend for Greg when he and his partner, Dan, got Silver in the Madison! In the toughest of age groups, a silver medal is a big deal. Dan and Greg had never raced together and this was only Greg's second time racing a Madison. So, brute strength, endurance, and racing smarts is what landed this guys on the podium. :)

I have more pictures on a borrowed camera but here are some for now....

I skipped to the after party at Dr. George's and Courtney's house. These girls were celebrating breaking a nationals record in a team pursuit AND both winning other individual GOLDS. Good job Renee and Kate!

Greg getting ready for the Madison. He normally wears his Rocky Mounts/Izze team kit but in the Madison the teammates have to wear the same jersey. So, Greg is wearing one of Dan's Rio Grande team jersey. These guys killed it by lapping the field solo! They lost only to Clark Sheehan and Keith Harper... two studs.

Ok, more pictures to come when I get them.

It was a fun week seeing people from all over the country that I haven't seen in a while. The big sprinter guys from NY are always fun... the Minnesota gang is the nicest around... Portland kids are always up for a good laugh (sorry I didn't get to spend more time with you guys)... and this year we had a big contingency from Colorado thanks to the new excitement surrounding Boulder Indoor Cycling. There was even some PROMAN women out here from NorCal who both came away with medals! I wanted to spend more time with you girls... sorry!

Today starts a hell training week for me. More details to follow if I find the strength to post :)

Armstrong Joins PROMAN!

Former world champion to develop future talents after retirement

Kristin Armstrong will bring her world-class expertise to the California-based Proman-Hit squad women’s cycling team in 2010. The Olympic Games gold medallist and former UCI World Time Trial Champion, who currently rides for Cervelo Test Team, announced that she would retire from bike racing after next month’s International Cycling Union World Road Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland.

Full story here:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrong-to-join-proman-hitsquad-after-retirement-in-2010

D2

Apparently I am not the only one with good tastes. D2 Custom Shoes are the best! They are made (not some oven baked mold that you do at home) entirely to fit your feet. I have noticed a HUGE difference when wearing D2 shoes on the track. My old shoes were a bit long but needed to be in order to fit my food width. Therefore, my cleat was too far forward because that is how it fit the shoe. I could promise that my power output has increased with the custom shoes just based on the cleat placement. And, obviously, they are way more comfortable.

Anyway, my first day on the track in Mexico City I noticed that Kim Geist had the same color scheme D2 shoes. Of all the crazy colors and combinations you can pick, we had the same tastes. But, the question.... can you tell which one is the endurance shoe and which one is the sprinter shoe?

Check out D2 Custom Shoes. Your feet will thank you!

The Transition

Well, the following picture pretty much sums up the week at the Pan American Championships. I took bronze in the Sprints, 500, and Keirin. I did also secure a silver in the Scratch. Great week!

Interesting.... remember how I mentioned that I rode the 200 in the wrong gear? I wondered for days what kind of time I could have had with the correct gear. (not that 11.4 is bad) Well, this answers some of the questions. http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/panamerican-championships-cc-1/stages/stage-4/results I rode a 11.1 to win the third sprint against the Canadian. I rode it from the front and won so the times were taken off my front wheel. 11.1 Sweet!

From Mexico City, I flew straight to NYC and met Greg for a wedding. Below is a picture (the only one with us and the bride) from the river cruise after the reception. Beautiful view of the city and a beautiful bride in the background.

We spent Sunday with my best friends from college. Here is a shot of Greg and I in Highline Park in the meatpacking district. Cool new park.

My dear friend DeNelle and her husband Samer also in the park. Lovers.

That night we met up with our other bestest friend, Tricia. Tricia is an amazing mom of 4! Her youngest is weeks old. Needless to say, we were totally excited that Tricia got a babysitter and met us in the city!

Back to reality this week. The time in NYC was a great transition and celebration. Hitting the weight room for the first time in a month and can barely walk.