tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38320361000078444892024-03-15T19:10:36.313-06:00Hills are for CarsCari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.comBlogger235125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-43088593144417368072013-02-28T15:23:00.004-07:002013-02-28T15:23:46.113-07:00Stay tuned!A new website will be launched in a couple days. News, updates, and more personal information for those whom are interested!Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-51115892674041658072013-02-04T14:23:00.001-07:002013-02-04T14:23:23.287-07:00Back into the swing of things<a href="http://www.ericplantenberg.com/#" target="_blank">This guy</a> keeps me grounded. I love his Monday emails and videos that remind me of important things in my pursuit of the best life possible.<br />
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One of his videos several weeks ago caught my attention and sealed the deal... I was finally taking some time off!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Qf3MOz0m31g" width="560"></iframe><br />
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I'm back now. Training. Coaching. Volunteering. The best part is that I'm back with more energy and focus then I've had in a long time.<br />
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Thanks to Eric Plantenburg for being my voice of reason.<br />
<br />Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-52575445169020705372013-02-02T20:49:00.004-07:002013-02-02T20:49:58.984-07:00Normalcy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Picking up where I left off...</div>
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You talkin' to me?!? Oh ya... (p.s. this place actually exists in Amsterdam)</div>
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I ended the Rotterdam 6-day in 5th place overall. Good? Well, let's see... 1st place Kirsten Wild (NED) just went on to win 3 out of 4 stages and the overall at the Tour of Qatar which is the first big women's stage race for the road season. 2nd place Leire Olaberria (SPA) went on to 3rd place in the World Cup Omnium that next week. 3rd place Kasia Powlowska (POL) went on to win the Individual Pursuit and the Points race at the World Cup that next week. 4th place Jarmila Machacova (CZE) went on to place 2nd at the Points race and do pretty well in the Omnium at the World Cup that next week. She's currently the UCI Points Race leader. So, 5th for my form and timing... I'm not satisfied but I'll take it considering.</div>
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Pretty bike and wheels, eh?</div>
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I came back to the States and stopped in Atlanta on my way home. I was long overdue for some quality family time and to meet one of my besties' babies. It was a quick trip but I got to see mom, dad, brother, sister in-law, mother in-law, Peter, George, Mande, Kara, Joe... and my old childhood bed. Ahh.<br />
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I did some hiking with my brother and my nephew, Charlie. Hiking is all relative when you are from Colorado. But, I miss the damp southern forests.<br />
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Back home in Colorado, there was plenty of relaxing going on. I finished a 5 day cleanse- no meat, dairy, grain, coffee, legumes, or Facebook. </div>
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Then added in some hiking. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Now, that's a mountain. (Thanks Jesse!)</span><br />
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I have been doing a handful of fun workouts at my gym- TRX, Kettlebell, all kinds of yoga.<br />
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A couple days in Vail thanks to our generous friends Nick and Megan. No alpine skiing for me. Just some days on the skate skis just to remind me how much I LOVE that sport.<br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Maybe a little costumer party along the way. 70's disco!!</span></div>
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WAIT! Did 3 weeks just fly by and no mention of riding a bike? What?<br />
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Yes. I did it. I finally, finally, finally, took a real off season. Ok, before someone rats me out. I was seen on a bike a couple times but only when I felt like it. It was only twice.<br />
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I decided after Rotterdam that I needed to rejuvenate the body and mind which meant giving up the opportunity to go to Pan Am Championships or World Championships. But, I've been dreaming about doing this for a while. Last year I took 2 weeks off the bike for the first time ever but made the mistake of still doing 2 weeks of bike related things... wind tunnel and Sea Otter with the juniors and I snuck in an early season TT. So, in reality, I only had 3 days at home doing nothing.<br />
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My training started back on February 1. I may feel out of shape right now but this is going to pay off big dividends this season. I'm stoked!<br />
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I feel like I have been home forever doing "home" things. Is this what normal people feel like?<br />
<br />Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-21857839187582750802013-01-08T00:13:00.000-07:002013-01-08T00:13:18.188-07:00Brilliant! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
No, not me! The Alabama Crimson Tide are National Champions AGAIN! I will be sensitive in how I describe the game since I come from a family where the number of Notre Dame grads far outweigh us Bama grads. Something like 8-1 in the Higgins family! But, I think my cousins, aunts, and uncles would all agree that the game wasn't all they hoped it would be but everything the SEC knew it would be. Sorry Notre Dame. Thanks for showing up :)</div>
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Roll Tide Roll.</div>
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So after not sleeping at all last night (I think 4-5 hours) because I was too excited about the dang football game, all I have in me is enough to post some pictures from the racing. I still sit in 5th place in the Omnium and continue to have some good races and ones I wish I could press the revere button.<br />
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For my family who might not get it... that's me on the far left looking down.</div>
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Leading out the sprint in the scratch race. (from a night or two ago... can't remember)</div>
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Winning the sprint in the scratch race. </div>
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The track is little and sometimes we get tight. I am looking for every free inch of track during this sprint in trying to come around the Danish girl in pink.</div>
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Check out that fancy Felt TK1 and Zipp 808s! People have asked and those are my D2 custom shoes.</div>
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With one night of racing left, I am tired and ready to go home. That's not to say this hasn't been great! This racing is not like any others I can get in the States or even at World Cups. In the States, the racing just isn't this hard. At World Cups, you get once chance and then you are done. No learning and trying again. Or, trying new things from the beginning.<br />
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A couple of us have come up with a handicap system though. For every one of the following that you can say "yes" to, then you have to add a 1 point to your Omnium total.<br />
1- Traveling w/ a coach?<br />
2- Have a mechanic?<br />
3- Have a soignuer?<br />
4- Every rub/massage you have received this week is 1 point.<br />
5- Have a road bike with you?<br />
6- Have a boyfriend or husband or dad here?<br />
7- Have a disc wheel for flying lap?<br />
8- Have an aero helmet for flying lap?<br />
9- Have a "teammate"?<br />
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That's our new Omnium.Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-20390769637614539792013-01-06T10:14:00.001-07:002013-01-06T10:14:29.903-07:00...and, I'm tired...As I write this, I am trying to stay awake long enough to join some girls for dinner tonight.<br />
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First, an addition that I missed yesterday when describing the women I'm competing against. The other Polish girl happens to be the current Scratch Race World Champion. Ya, no big deal. Just a World Champ.<br />
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We raced last night and then the program started earlier this morning. So, less recovery and sleep. It's the same for all of us but I think my lack of sleep caught up with me today. I was just plain tired. I'm not sure I can blame it on jet lag. Each night has been progressively harder to sleep since my adrenalin is running high after racing. I tried some Advil PM last night but I think that made me drowsy this morning.<br />
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I figured since everyone was tired and there was limited warm-up (10 minutes?), the first scratch race of the day would start off tame. So, I chose a smaller gear. Wow. Wrong choice! It was fast from the start. A group was off the front for the win and all I could do was follow wheels in the bunch sprint. I ended somewhere around 6th or 7th. SPINNNNNNN those gears.<br />
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Then, my experiment with gearing FAILED big on the flying lap. I have one more shot at this flying lap thing and I think I have the solution. Three times a charm! I went slower this time but still ended 5th.<br />
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Ok, the points race was my worst race yet... aside from the time I pulled myself out of the elimination early :) I'm not sure why. Maybe I was just tired. I don't have reasons or excuses, it was just a bad race. I am not sure where I ended since I only had 2 points. <br />
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In the overall, I went from 3rd to 5th today. Time to rally! Two days left!<br />
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I did have some time to enjoy watching the men's races today for the first time. Here are some photos and videos.<br />
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The sprint boys tightening the straps and getting ready!</div>
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Tonight's winner of the team sprint. There is a presentation after each race for the winners.</div>
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The derny drivers getting set up.</div>
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And, the final couple laps of the derny race.</div>
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Way. Too. Tired.<br />
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Dinner and sleep is on tap tonight. :)Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-84867474860103235832013-01-05T14:23:00.000-07:002013-01-05T14:23:14.715-07:00Getting tired...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tonight is short and sweet since it's an early morning tomorrow.</div>
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Two highlights of the night.</div>
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1) The American crew! Imagine that, 4 Americans at the Rotterdam 6-day. John, on the left, is my host here in Holland. Without him, this whole trip would be close to impossible. As an Amsterdam local, he has helped most Americans who come over here to race. Jason, on the right, is my friend from Minnesota and he is working on a really exciting project for me. If I would "help him, help me" we would have it finished soon. Lisa, on the right, is Jason's wife. They have moved to Belgium for the month and watching all kinds of fun bike racing on the weekends!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigoR0LjjX31rw0B-y6P4AeV-Rm4PFFka9DvCdMZsE-twjSkUd2-yzPiMqZKx6t2c4TBWrOHPuPo-rKkTbgVyxvfhwBtg1aM6rv-n8YSCPVmRUp3kC_9y7jlPg_nN5xZJu6ACOlLA8Y1mU/s1600/IMG_3110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigoR0LjjX31rw0B-y6P4AeV-Rm4PFFka9DvCdMZsE-twjSkUd2-yzPiMqZKx6t2c4TBWrOHPuPo-rKkTbgVyxvfhwBtg1aM6rv-n8YSCPVmRUp3kC_9y7jlPg_nN5xZJu6ACOlLA8Y1mU/s320/IMG_3110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A little video of the velodrome before all the doors open. Notice all the bars and dining options in the infield.</div>
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2) The second highlight of the night was that I won the Scratch race! See, I told you I would win one :)<br />
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In the Elimination race, I found myself playing the devil again. It is SOOO much fun to do on this track. But, it is also very tiring. I ended 7th and simply because I had no more legs to play the devil. A couple times I would sprint and then quickly go to the black line in the back for recovery but as it ended up the girl in front of me was eliminated so she would stop pedaling. Ahh! My fault for playing the game that way but it was a lot of extra energy as I would get gapped off the back. Next time I will play some and then tuck in the front a little some too.<br />
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In the Points race, my goal was to be involved in more sprints. The past couple nights I have done well by "going big." In other words, I put a big effort into winning a sprint here and there and then recovering. Well, I wanted to be involved in all the sprints tonight if even for less points each time. I need to work on moving in the bunch in the sprint.... which is scary as hell on this track! So, I was involved in 4 out of the 5 sprints but only ended in 5th or 6th place. I am not sure. <br />
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I think I ended up 2nd overall tonight. So, clearly, I am figuring out the gears and the track. Now, the legs are starting to get tired. I remember though... all the girls are getting tired. So, here's to more victories over the next 3 days!<br />
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Good night. Early morning!Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-86158728136689412142013-01-05T03:12:00.003-07:002013-01-05T03:12:33.404-07:00Women's Start ListAs promised here is the list of women in order of the numbers we were given. I also included what I know, off the top of my head without doing internet research, about them and recent races/results.<br />
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1. Kirsten Wild, NED Crowd favorite. Wins a lot. 2012 Olympian, Track<br />
2. Leire Olaberria, ESP Currently in 2nd place overall. 2012 Olympian, Track<br />
3. Cari Higgins, USA ME :)<br />
4. Vera Koedooder, NED 2012 Olympian Track<br />
5. Malgorzata Wojtyra, POL 2012 Olympian Track<br />
6. Janine Bubner, GER Young German rising star. Moving to AUS this month to train/race/study.<br />
7. Jarmila Machacova, CZE Several podiums at World Cups and World Championships.<br />
8. Laura Basso, ITA Don't know much about her.<br />
9. Lucie Zaleska, CZE Strong. That's all I know.<br />
10. Chantal Blaak, NED Well known professional on the road.<br />
11. Charline Joiner, GBR (she would tell you she's Scottish for clarification) 2010 Commonwealth Games Team Sprint Champion<br />
12. Julie Leth, DEN Won Points Race at Junior World Championships a couple years ago<br />
13. Nina Kessler, NED Another crowd favorite. Strong and smart racer. Pro roadie.<br />
14. Katarzyna Pawlowska, POL New face for POL and REALLY STRONG. She made the podium in the Omnium at Glasgow I believe.<br />
15. Nicky Zijlaard, NED super young Dutch girl who has grown up in the 6-day culture. Her grandpa was who I got the picture with last night. Her dad is also a derny driver. She will be big one day!<br />
16. Lucy Martin, GBR 2012 Olympian, Road. Like most pro roadies in Europe, she has a history of success on the track.<br />
17. Samantha van Steenis, NED young Dutch girl learning the ropes<br />
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Here is the link to follow results- <a href="http://www.zesdaagserotterdam.nl/uitslagen/vrouwenzesdaagse">http://www.zesdaagserotterdam.nl/uitslagen/vrouwenzesdaagse</a><br />
Here is a link to maybe find a live feed- <a href="http://www.zesdaagserotterdam.nl/home">http://www.zesdaagserotterdam.nl/home</a><br />
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Goals- stay safe, have fun, try new racing tactics!Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-61601126738444565882013-01-04T15:10:00.001-07:002013-01-04T15:10:13.522-07:00Day 2 Rotterdam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Let's start with photos. Most people are more interested in these anyway.</div>
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At the start of one of the races. Me, Janine from Germany, Kirsten from The Netherlands.</div>
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We wear sponsor jerseys. So, a company pays for a certain rider/jersey.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdF_JrecsyXT1ZB6M2k8te2J1_Kz5CCoTiZ2TfqsB9n4BYX7zeZu39MARxpIBJYFeGxGjG8PDEt6rgIR4-V4FDkBkFac1nWUOOsjTDr_RsaiZfLzY-pGNQpuGEAT_Nt2B-cw7ghn-IAE/s1600/1119_3616320225065_430247473_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdF_JrecsyXT1ZB6M2k8te2J1_Kz5CCoTiZ2TfqsB9n4BYX7zeZu39MARxpIBJYFeGxGjG8PDEt6rgIR4-V4FDkBkFac1nWUOOsjTDr_RsaiZfLzY-pGNQpuGEAT_Nt2B-cw7ghn-IAE/s320/1119_3616320225065_430247473_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The amount of bikes and wheels in the infield is crazy. And, none of these are women's or U-23. The infield is about 20% for riders/mechanics (men only) and 80% for entertainment. The women and U-23 are all in some back hallway. :)</div>
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These are what the stalls for the men look like. They come here in between races and get massage, food, etc. This looks dreamy to me!</div>
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The is a FAMOUS (huge star in 6-day racing!) derny driver. That type of race is something I will have to get video of for anyone to understand. (One of the pictures from yesterday was of 4 of the derny drivers.) Anyway, this guy is retiring from the derny races tomorrow and they are having a huge celebration for him. Again, believe it or not, this guy is a rockstar in Holland. He was making me laugh in this photo!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGoP5YiN2EMoLyJRkj8bCE9ieM-cAdwIPeVToWI6U8FyRBuKjp1loYlswy1DvTJGGOJBCMBLZrYfPHJ4Jby_XRmGmAlt-FFdATnrjCJcmOX4XBXggcEYpycDz4Zsmi3z98V-a1BT0q0M/s1600/IMG_3099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGoP5YiN2EMoLyJRkj8bCE9ieM-cAdwIPeVToWI6U8FyRBuKjp1loYlswy1DvTJGGOJBCMBLZrYfPHJ4Jby_XRmGmAlt-FFdATnrjCJcmOX4XBXggcEYpycDz4Zsmi3z98V-a1BT0q0M/s320/IMG_3099.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Racing:<br />
I am starting to get a hang of this track. It's little and sometimes makes for sketchy racing.<br />
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The first race tonight was the Scratch. Again I went a bit early but I had more gear under me tonight and held off everyone except Kirsten Wild, The Netherlands rider who has won every single race so far. So, 2nd place. But, damn, I will win one!<br />
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The second race was a flying lap and I totally screwed up my gear selection. It was silly but I had no one to advise me and I had never done a flying lap on a tiny little track like this. 5th place I think. Maybe 6th. 12.6 for the 200m flying lap. I promise I will take at least .3 second off this time the next time I get to do this simply by having a different gear. Oh, no fancy disc wheel for me! :)<br />
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The last race of the night was the Points race again. Unfortunately, I wasn't having a good go at it. Sometimes races just feel like they are flowing and sometimes, like tonight in the points, nothing was flowing for me. I was just out of sync. I was 5th in 2 sprints for 0 points. Worst place to be! I ended by getting anxious and taking a flier off the front to win the last sprint. This 5 points put me in 5th place. Bummer I missed out on those 2 other sprints or else I would have been 2nd place again. Oh, and, this was the sketchiest race yet!<br />
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The beautiful thing about 6-day racing is I can make all these corrections tomorrow! <br />
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In the morning I will write about the start list and "who's who" here. It's pretty impressive!<br />
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Good night!<br />
<br />Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-83442161149638177092013-01-04T04:54:00.002-07:002013-01-04T04:54:44.039-07:00What is a 6-day?Party meets bike racing. Drinking. Live music. Catered dinners. Entertainment. Light show. Disco balls. Unruly crowds. Characters. History. And, a little bike racing in between.<br />
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If you want a short intro: <a href="http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/track/?id=sixdayintro00">http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/track/?id=sixdayintro00</a><br />
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If you want to see the different races: <a href="http://www.6dayracing.ca/">http://www.6dayracing.ca</a><br />
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If you want all the history and fun information, check out this movie: <a href="http://www.sixdaybicyclerace.com/">http://www.sixdaybicyclerace.com</a><br />
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A pretty short video that will give you an idea:<br />
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Tonight I will remember to bring my camera to the velodrome and get my own photos and video. <br />
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More to come!Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-78401566430921918862013-01-03T16:05:00.002-07:002013-01-03T16:05:55.556-07:00I will try...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That's all I will say. I will try to update this everyday of this 6-day. Well, besides the night 6 because there will be bike packing and driving and stress.</div>
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I'm here. It's crazy. The track is little. The racing is fast.</div>
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He's here too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZP3Hi_xedP33tPiHy5glLaIWqcyQoRKmFKyOqN0VpMOZcTd0Up2gGRMehzfiHHVdDOYpeDfghJTf32jkQsoelsaImde_h6JjmjgQaWGpxfFa0Sol7vMGhvGQkp9VQ-JQ5eMAEYyOEWKo/s1600/IMG_3091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZP3Hi_xedP33tPiHy5glLaIWqcyQoRKmFKyOqN0VpMOZcTd0Up2gGRMehzfiHHVdDOYpeDfghJTf32jkQsoelsaImde_h6JjmjgQaWGpxfFa0Sol7vMGhvGQkp9VQ-JQ5eMAEYyOEWKo/s320/IMG_3091.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Them too.</div>
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I don't know him... or her. I hope he doesn't drop her.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqztg6GGaBPnQEXRrIgT5EH9EF6M2I2wq5iM5mHtwWdKR2kZmNg4t3b2oEXpmdwAHZsATXJYF-zlLKMENAe4gm23aKbgIAJDdM7N0Ghj-My2hAMYIg4k-NikDj5HnQmq7uVd1B64m4ew/s1600/IMG_3094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqztg6GGaBPnQEXRrIgT5EH9EF6M2I2wq5iM5mHtwWdKR2kZmNg4t3b2oEXpmdwAHZsATXJYF-zlLKMENAe4gm23aKbgIAJDdM7N0Ghj-My2hAMYIg4k-NikDj5HnQmq7uVd1B64m4ew/s320/IMG_3094.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And, this was my little corner where my bag exploded. Not too glamorous. </div>
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<br />Ok, only race reports tonight. Maybe tomorrow I can explain a little more to those who are new to this whole racing thing.<br />
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10 minutes of roller warm-up which averaged 85 watts. Not a good prep. I just kept telling myself to go with the flow. Not knowing the track, I didn't know what gear to ride. Everything was guess work.<br />
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First race was the Scratch. All was good. Three off the front and we are chasing hard with 5 laps to go. I'm in good position and jump. Ah, crap! Too early. I ended 6th or so. I just remember not knowing how to sprint on the small track last time (3 years ago in Amsterdam) and going too late always. Ok, better idea of gear, competition, and track... moving on!<br />
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Elimination race. I thought all was good but the announcer kept saying my name and "United States." He was saying it over and over and over. I didn't think I was out but I was fearing disqualification by not pulling myself out when my name is called. It seems the UCI officials have me well trained! Well, apparently the announcer just liked talking about me and my "playing the devil." So, I pulled myself out early because of stupidity. Next time I hear my name, I will know he just likes saying "Cari Higgins from United States!" and realize it has no bearing on the race. The officials apologized if that's any consolation. :( I think I ended 11th or somewhere in there.<br />
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Points race I came in 2nd! A little extra motivation after the elimination.<br />
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Here's the start list. <a href="http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/rotterdam-six-day-start-list-1">http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/rotterdam-six-day-start-list-1</a> Tough one! Love it!Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-68908897216037655052012-11-16T13:56:00.001-07:002012-11-16T13:59:13.449-07:00Wee bit dank<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">After a bad experience with some food sickness at the Columbia UCI Track World Cup (that didn't warrant any blog!), I continued my 2012 season to include the UCI Track World Cup here in Glasgow, Scotland. </span></div>
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Besides the excitement of racing, there is a buzz in the air because of the beautiful new facility that everybody is seeing for the first time. Welcome to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome! I haven't yet caught a picture from the outside because of rain but here are a couple shots from the inside.</div>
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Lockers under the velodrome for the local, club riders. Nice!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4cyg5QHPfNU7dmmKJmcTOWNNQUrF-UsjASyKUovsbQpdDvzPkXaOu8CzigMbw33QPzxiAwxR9JmRs5f7WWGWz1O4VnTX2cmqVCfCPZSGSfUjB5g43exngHgae-CnKD2hHHxaKL2LV2s/s1600/IMG_2881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4cyg5QHPfNU7dmmKJmcTOWNNQUrF-UsjASyKUovsbQpdDvzPkXaOu8CzigMbw33QPzxiAwxR9JmRs5f7WWGWz1O4VnTX2cmqVCfCPZSGSfUjB5g43exngHgae-CnKD2hHHxaKL2LV2s/s320/IMG_2881.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The building is enormous and houses several other indoor sports. Here is a shot of some basketball courts which are surrounded by a indoor track. I here there is a gymnastics facility also. Upstairs is a fitness club with glass windows that overlook the velodrome. I would pay good money to belong to this club if I lived in Glasgow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IAn4VvxpYR0iXIipfGuzdU2DQE9sBg1W4BANcrhQwi_QrRKe-5mqc_14Jh98In9HWtt4swtidxNUgt7gm75gxUadn85t3i7kFwaF8rG1Qdmq3YDhPQ40wN5OBfGuw70CNuyj13UfirU/s1600/IMG_2882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IAn4VvxpYR0iXIipfGuzdU2DQE9sBg1W4BANcrhQwi_QrRKe-5mqc_14Jh98In9HWtt4swtidxNUgt7gm75gxUadn85t3i7kFwaF8rG1Qdmq3YDhPQ40wN5OBfGuw70CNuyj13UfirU/s320/IMG_2882.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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First day at the velodrome and the sponsors' signs weren't yet painted. It's shaped much like a cigar. So much so that the start/finish line is inside of turn 1. Sprinters track? I don't know. But, I think there was a sprinter involved in this design!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61GvtmCi1_avoWruN0Pg3nKeb5qNZcFAWFAX1DgunkJqUFWpDliKlR1A09pLDDefXVYMw2gXSuUprhksDEDL1PPgbK4lCH2v8rS2P1okVpXaJGx8IXFWiVNo_S2TtYqGMDWCdmkyw_wo/s1600/IMG_2883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61GvtmCi1_avoWruN0Pg3nKeb5qNZcFAWFAX1DgunkJqUFWpDliKlR1A09pLDDefXVYMw2gXSuUprhksDEDL1PPgbK4lCH2v8rS2P1okVpXaJGx8IXFWiVNo_S2TtYqGMDWCdmkyw_wo/s320/IMG_2883.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am positive that this message was intended for specific nationals teams... like maybe the Japanese. I wonder if they are going to have enforcement?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjm-IVtce6mLOmYuTz53BCt67e_LHBjzfQoo5FEGg2HJbkDaMutgKLYTleRhOtCjFrezi0FndShlSGCHWplNAYrBCqhljothzSdHeCMee9XCfN0UxoGmOQzIOUq4ssjBzqvx0f5MnO_k/s1600/IMG_2894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjm-IVtce6mLOmYuTz53BCt67e_LHBjzfQoo5FEGg2HJbkDaMutgKLYTleRhOtCjFrezi0FndShlSGCHWplNAYrBCqhljothzSdHeCMee9XCfN0UxoGmOQzIOUq4ssjBzqvx0f5MnO_k/s320/IMG_2894.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The USA team mechanic, coach, manager, soigneur (not massage!), and generally good guy.... Ben Sharp. Oh, wait, you can't see him because he is working on my bike! Well then, take a look at that sweet Felt TK1 with Zipp Weaponry! One fast bike and one lucky girl.</div>
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What's that? Sun!?! First and only spotting was this morning for approximately 10 minutes. I had to document the moment.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhBvvRsLw1Y-jMK5bSOnCIy4-RnMKGOLuOXof3e2VITZQUydxI774QpXnQvPGbuXr8TkFCCEiWQfCkvtDiTrcTckdvoLs648PPsnglpTguCiqaP3WP6M1UOEz4mHm0xH0AXjsRN1j8Rg/s1600/IMG_2893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhBvvRsLw1Y-jMK5bSOnCIy4-RnMKGOLuOXof3e2VITZQUydxI774QpXnQvPGbuXr8TkFCCEiWQfCkvtDiTrcTckdvoLs648PPsnglpTguCiqaP3WP6M1UOEz4mHm0xH0AXjsRN1j8Rg/s320/IMG_2893.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first day we arrived, the weather person said the outlook for the week was cloudy and dank. Strange choice of vocabulary but nothing could describe it better. It's a funny topic of conversation here in Glasgow. The first thing that the locals do when they meet you is apologize for the weather. As if it was unexpected or within their control? :)<br />
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I did, however, manage a quick spin outside today since it was the first day it hasn't rained all 24 hours. Cold but dry. Next to our hotel is what the local call the Armadillo. I never caught it's real name but it is an interesting architectural design. </div>
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And... you wouldn't be in Europe without seeing this selection for breakfast.</div>
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Racing starts tomorrow! I am, once again, honored to be representing the USA and looking forward to racing to the best of my ability. Go Fast, Turn Left!</div>
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Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-39072517222865102902012-10-01T06:21:00.000-06:002012-10-01T06:21:01.103-06:002012 Track Nationals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mostly in pictures...</div>
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It's been a busy schedule the last 4 days. 5 events (racing 7 times), lots of driving, and not enough sleep.</div>
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Individual Pursuit- the bane of my existence. I continue to see improvements but still question my sanity every time I am on the starting line for this event. Why? I ended up 3rd missing the Gold medal ride my .4 seconds. The girl who beat me by .4 seconds ended up winning the Gold. So close, yet...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GPI6j1rUC7azoKGrbGOn01sObaDiDFvXC4ej-gMIcJG2O81A02EOjFp-JwOHlawsWPlV-HkbPBm5jp17MSGnze3jUkek20U4B7PiNTPA44jWIsQ9P5PTyRIkuMZ48NfKZ230Z85pxto/s1600/68755_10100469288194748_1004166101_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GPI6j1rUC7azoKGrbGOn01sObaDiDFvXC4ej-gMIcJG2O81A02EOjFp-JwOHlawsWPlV-HkbPBm5jp17MSGnze3jUkek20U4B7PiNTPA44jWIsQ9P5PTyRIkuMZ48NfKZ230Z85pxto/s400/68755_10100469288194748_1004166101_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Team Pursuit... oh how I love this event! Added bonus was the team that Exergy TWENTY12 put together. Lauren Tamayo fresh off a Silver medal at the Olympics. And, Jackie Crowell who is strong like bull but had never raced the event before. Lauren and I took over the pace setting and thinking and just told Jackie to hang on. A little rough around the edges but GOLD none the less.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhV3ca6eOOUoviVwRc_5JmNbTWtI8Y9sJhwaRpJKIhxhw1Grl3oG0lPccJGgqZa8EXn8nhkF9YxfqrFScWBZGcWxk7cNe-O_N5VsFOWpk8CssUtgsXlgRQhq_9ABvJqj3iWs7b_fJ3jaE/s1600/527313_508842689144169_2138669197_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhV3ca6eOOUoviVwRc_5JmNbTWtI8Y9sJhwaRpJKIhxhw1Grl3oG0lPccJGgqZa8EXn8nhkF9YxfqrFScWBZGcWxk7cNe-O_N5VsFOWpk8CssUtgsXlgRQhq_9ABvJqj3iWs7b_fJ3jaE/s400/527313_508842689144169_2138669197_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The winning Team Pursuit team!</div>
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Scratch and Points- I love racing my bike!</div>
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I ended up working for a teammate in the Scratch and she took Silver. The Points was a bit of a mess but I ended up Silver with a teammate in Gold.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpRPDuvveNAY5CtA8P85xWrkPnHUQe-9cNGcOh9QqNzX8HVuK25YopA9ducRyZwBiMqxMqutzba_8Zsp6DLOeOPrWktD5bGYaPbaUYuXyQrzpXW8u9RxYtF6zGy3MfprQ1KKB9Y9IBD4/s1600/283412_10151079188443596_1789690346_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpRPDuvveNAY5CtA8P85xWrkPnHUQe-9cNGcOh9QqNzX8HVuK25YopA9ducRyZwBiMqxMqutzba_8Zsp6DLOeOPrWktD5bGYaPbaUYuXyQrzpXW8u9RxYtF6zGy3MfprQ1KKB9Y9IBD4/s400/283412_10151079188443596_1789690346_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I can't believe I actually get that low without thinking about it. Weird position!</div>
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And, for my favorite event ever... the Madison! It is a race with a partner. Imagine a track and field event where 2 runners sprint for 400m and hand the baton off to their partner who then sprints for 400m and this happens for 25 kilometers. Well, basically, this would be the Madison. It's a tag team event where you are sprinting for points like a points race.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRp5rpIadql-ablje9FZJG5CT8xypmTlBCYqG0bg9MHrFGtuaS7EYuKC7QiPr3j4bAwzsm-yROMuEsTo8yOGvJwWkXWtnsYHI8Tmd86DHJahBM7f9wZAFeWqM6RwaCRVX8lMR6Wdi4xJ4/s1600/482914_10151077306505838_370381889_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRp5rpIadql-ablje9FZJG5CT8xypmTlBCYqG0bg9MHrFGtuaS7EYuKC7QiPr3j4bAwzsm-yROMuEsTo8yOGvJwWkXWtnsYHI8Tmd86DHJahBM7f9wZAFeWqM6RwaCRVX8lMR6Wdi4xJ4/s400/482914_10151077306505838_370381889_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was SO fortunate to have my good friend and local Colorado girl agree to fly into LA to race this one with me. Katie Compton is the most accomplished cyclocross racers in the world and arguably the most versatile cyclists in our country. She and I love to beat up on each other in local Colorado racing so we decided to join forces and represent the great state of CO! Thanks to Pearlizumi for the custom Mach 5 Speedsuits.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRGiYkXXJzu70YlXMmRPoSBfu4WhpIscxqP07tWNvjdxQpXuXtWVF0daaFmi4LImtmMcp9fK2Pb_tNlGbJCtHeZ_qxAM9Qk84OgUqpP-A7St5IKGS5brfGt3qXf0BZ_9LMtrYJXZePXo/s1600/150166_10151078950813596_1470489789_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRGiYkXXJzu70YlXMmRPoSBfu4WhpIscxqP07tWNvjdxQpXuXtWVF0daaFmi4LImtmMcp9fK2Pb_tNlGbJCtHeZ_qxAM9Qk84OgUqpP-A7St5IKGS5brfGt3qXf0BZ_9LMtrYJXZePXo/s400/150166_10151078950813596_1470489789_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Katie in action... no brakes, no mud, no gears, just speed! She went from winning a cyclocross races Saturday/Sunday of last week, Wednesday, Saturday... flying to LA Saturday night and racing the Madison on Sunday. I say 5/5 wins in 8 days deserves a day of rest tomorrow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzCtrCMIZ1Te-dyYfyLNGFOIpB1-BPYL8Z0O9W7XGaRgjfwDWEvpadDnniIBiXDaGHEOFi22Ff2qP0NAq8x1ixt3bAPAsvXPWBh-T_Z7Xcndugz4Lr6IOokVAcKPyVUBOzs4VMHo-M7w/s1600/Katie+Compton+teamed+up+with+Cari+Higgins+to+win+the+women's+Madison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzCtrCMIZ1Te-dyYfyLNGFOIpB1-BPYL8Z0O9W7XGaRgjfwDWEvpadDnniIBiXDaGHEOFi22Ff2qP0NAq8x1ixt3bAPAsvXPWBh-T_Z7Xcndugz4Lr6IOokVAcKPyVUBOzs4VMHo-M7w/s400/Katie+Compton+teamed+up+with+Cari+Higgins+to+win+the+women's+Madison.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And... we took home the GOLD!</div>
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Thanks, always, to our sponsors. The best deserve the best and Exergy TWENTY12 has the best- Felt Bicycles, Zipp, Catlike, Oakley, Pearlizumi.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjW3Em0_5tAp-GHjRDBJHxW0Gsm4HFzDQKGIUM1N8PwH6jeJf7I6qLx269XgCOY_WKmaVhfvP2dqG4ei7NjtCoXJWsjKNhBkqYavo02dSqHJ0PMFbjDtK145J7tRfY4BYL10zTfP1xag/s1600/397318_10151073165308596_1666483470_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjW3Em0_5tAp-GHjRDBJHxW0Gsm4HFzDQKGIUM1N8PwH6jeJf7I6qLx269XgCOY_WKmaVhfvP2dqG4ei7NjtCoXJWsjKNhBkqYavo02dSqHJ0PMFbjDtK145J7tRfY4BYL10zTfP1xag/s400/397318_10151073165308596_1666483470_n.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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Also, a HUGE thank you to Nicola Cranmer, Neal Henderson, and Mark Tyson for all your help this week. I would be lost without you!</div>
Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-92214404889846444872012-09-29T15:39:00.002-06:002012-09-29T15:39:24.353-06:00Mooove<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">My first team was America's Dairyland which was sponsored by the Milk Marketing Board. We learned all about chocolate milk for recovery and got to wear cow uniforms.</span></div>
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Back in the day- my pink cow kit. Ahh, memories!</div>
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When Greg and I moved to Colorado, we learned that local dairy farms in the area actually still deliver milk. Once a week our glass bottles are delivered and every week it's a treat. In irony, that same local dairy farm we have been using asked me to take part in a campaign they are starting for healthy and active living. Check out the <a href="http://www.longmontdairy.com/mooove/" target="_blank">link here</a> and the pictures below... </div>
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Another fun and local media thing.... During the Pro Challenge (a major "tour" style race in Colorado for Men's World Pro Tour teams), a local restaurant named pizza's after Boulder pro cyclists. I made the menu! The only female and way down there at the bottom but cool all the same. I hope some of my friends ordered and enjoyed!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPoFzBMagWm-ORr3j2Up6IekjeN4na4fZ6X21hmyekWwW-vErAVnjnaRnZ6ARWbyVAVr3iEXoAOKmi5kwBY4Yh_aFPbx9j6KiE3tRahzCAz2KDb6LWhCUugxGxSoF0NQ5wJvAeyP59Ic/s1600/260487_3889998921335_1532804723_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPoFzBMagWm-ORr3j2Up6IekjeN4na4fZ6X21hmyekWwW-vErAVnjnaRnZ6ARWbyVAVr3iEXoAOKmi5kwBY4Yh_aFPbx9j6KiE3tRahzCAz2KDb6LWhCUugxGxSoF0NQ5wJvAeyP59Ic/s320/260487_3889998921335_1532804723_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-15490345976342051752012-09-18T17:37:00.002-06:002012-09-18T17:37:52.855-06:00Going for more...<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rock Hill was a blast! Ok, winning another National Championship jersey <i>has</i> to be fun but to do it 1) on a new track with the friendliest/most excited staff of volunteers, 2) back in the Dirty South, 3) in front of my family and Greg's family, 4) along side of Greg racing the Master's category where he rocked a solid silver medal, and 5) staying with our close friends Stratos, Margarita, and their sweet kids... pure goodness!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got some pictures in hand since it's way more fun to review racing in pictures.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uCNxlgO-PKpJUKm4VPkyAC-i_1diqSiamt-IyINp27vn96b0hJ7Ep75LHcyEpm_DTANTLn0ruYTEBhUA_n1rQ_ko4bph4zUFNyb5ruJZjDychRupXrsoeJEcpfI53lFIJoK_zcoC0l8/s1600/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-7444-2-2034327350-PM-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uCNxlgO-PKpJUKm4VPkyAC-i_1diqSiamt-IyINp27vn96b0hJ7Ep75LHcyEpm_DTANTLn0ruYTEBhUA_n1rQ_ko4bph4zUFNyb5ruJZjDychRupXrsoeJEcpfI53lFIJoK_zcoC0l8/s320/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-7444-2-2034327350-PM-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to get serious!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IPXHxLZxb4pVbD1Eik4Ulp8B0M5gn_osbICC3jZsDriFWMkjz4SpYZhJ1b1bu2atrm2PsJL14pYVgx7GdkP4E9l1Qzko8P-M-7rEZLmjH-YVI3TUB8RXdglzHpw-APc-juivqO2qf4w/s1600/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-7889-2034404911-PM-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IPXHxLZxb4pVbD1Eik4Ulp8B0M5gn_osbICC3jZsDriFWMkjz4SpYZhJ1b1bu2atrm2PsJL14pYVgx7GdkP4E9l1Qzko8P-M-7rEZLmjH-YVI3TUB8RXdglzHpw-APc-juivqO2qf4w/s320/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-7889-2034404911-PM-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg, not as serious but racing hard all the same.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVl9_3j1Pzk8M1XXlPTtPzebySBeiiaIE_3XN_M7P-QzTepgx_f2CQFEnYE49PwGwAZyPq_zHR0tqi89Nv31JhCRzflgud4YcwlL-YEVV5l5NvKgPJGh_WXJO89x_Vx2HUcvJRtTYj01o/s1600/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8030-2032333935-PM-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVl9_3j1Pzk8M1XXlPTtPzebySBeiiaIE_3XN_M7P-QzTepgx_f2CQFEnYE49PwGwAZyPq_zHR0tqi89Nv31JhCRzflgud4YcwlL-YEVV5l5NvKgPJGh_WXJO89x_Vx2HUcvJRtTYj01o/s320/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8030-2032333935-PM-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow, the pain faces in this picture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJ4PdRLajmWHsdMFtc3r8aEnU1m0skSP0qi6npyTW7DT3AfrIsbuYbaxX2CsTVoDFjnBGJDc_iXJ28xwbu2wSqk-thshTAsm0_lYpuHF6IQKRQfTMzneV9w9O89FMrvXlx77B9Q-y3e4/s1600/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8185-2034516090-PM-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJ4PdRLajmWHsdMFtc3r8aEnU1m0skSP0qi6npyTW7DT3AfrIsbuYbaxX2CsTVoDFjnBGJDc_iXJ28xwbu2wSqk-thshTAsm0_lYpuHF6IQKRQfTMzneV9w9O89FMrvXlx77B9Q-y3e4/s320/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8185-2034516090-PM-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yelling a bit of encouragement to Greg as he won the 4k IP!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4x_yDZVUaKVz4PHKlA-LdTGPSgMTv48jJSpYCL098YNj0AT2Y336w8mhXeeHr_pMtLziOcJUgR-9AfqgqbcDF8D2ST8zpj_4_4Xt21nT0IIo-Xp3Bu5P-IXmSlvrAvNVj-4MX9YJAMU/s1600/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-7903-2034405749-PM-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4x_yDZVUaKVz4PHKlA-LdTGPSgMTv48jJSpYCL098YNj0AT2Y336w8mhXeeHr_pMtLziOcJUgR-9AfqgqbcDF8D2ST8zpj_4_4Xt21nT0IIo-Xp3Bu5P-IXmSlvrAvNVj-4MX9YJAMU/s320/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-7903-2034405749-PM-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok, that is a better pain face. This might have been the 37th time he attacked in the Scratch race.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZ9xQBD0GM-CYZ26auLKCWtIIvoHVvVXs7z8YpdzSIqqQKHiBQbi7k_AC9af9dm0bSSTavZs_tLUOrq7DEopzaih9bq4w5vSkCXAFFqgO3_Jp-N9owoH7TFN2xDiW-uSJlYSTVL-M-D0/s1600/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8601-2035148357-PM-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZ9xQBD0GM-CYZ26auLKCWtIIvoHVvVXs7z8YpdzSIqqQKHiBQbi7k_AC9af9dm0bSSTavZs_tLUOrq7DEopzaih9bq4w5vSkCXAFFqgO3_Jp-N9owoH7TFN2xDiW-uSJlYSTVL-M-D0/s320/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8601-2035148357-PM-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pursuit. It wasn't as painful as it should have been. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolZ8y69_YSYUBegfISM-JSdB21o8dQ8tPkfZN5eRF36h1SOpEaCBD45OmS2ya6GxlFjXZgeMdDn2kVKZSVYrgxpgdO-lwmX3o_p_HGFMXUBXvquDMoNtvvV5h_-OebBKysZotDuX_FUk/s1600/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8992-2035406853-PM-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolZ8y69_YSYUBegfISM-JSdB21o8dQ8tPkfZN5eRF36h1SOpEaCBD45OmS2ya6GxlFjXZgeMdDn2kVKZSVYrgxpgdO-lwmX3o_p_HGFMXUBXvquDMoNtvvV5h_-OebBKysZotDuX_FUk/s320/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8992-2035406853-PM-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great racing to all the women!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl6o-A8rJfRr2o4ujFeQODVmpuul99X9bnifgoxq53trclqjBDKUC0j3iO73VUhBkR5CnQcKr7pAMopH1QUpzOM5ArtvVbrT7kdt-ZqKSQPdTAl2XWLp3jUkeDgaKwV6GDIY4JDDLyGI/s1600/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8965-2-2035398019-PM-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl6o-A8rJfRr2o4ujFeQODVmpuul99X9bnifgoxq53trclqjBDKUC0j3iO73VUhBkR5CnQcKr7pAMopH1QUpzOM5ArtvVbrT7kdt-ZqKSQPdTAl2XWLp3jUkeDgaKwV6GDIY4JDDLyGI/s320/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8965-2-2035398019-PM-L.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg's podium for the Master's Omnium.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6dL0MezFPjgjIiuVoK6qhVw76MRnNxLB-LI5u1WIudbVe6_5L7T1cszdCXwa2c4dRH_cv7Y5nVbF-IeolJ4Kbv7h7Ccaiee5JC5WsiMCqPnJMASHKgrxhQtnkWzuVbXv96l-TT3I6Vk/s1600/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8997-2035411256-PM-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6dL0MezFPjgjIiuVoK6qhVw76MRnNxLB-LI5u1WIudbVe6_5L7T1cszdCXwa2c4dRH_cv7Y5nVbF-IeolJ4Kbv7h7Ccaiee5JC5WsiMCqPnJMASHKgrxhQtnkWzuVbXv96l-TT3I6Vk/s320/2012USAC.Omnium.WVR-8997-2035411256-PM-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy couple :)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So, for those who are confused here are some definitions:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Omnium</b>- 6 different races over 2 days of all different styles and distances. The winner has the best cumulative placing essentially. Kind of like the decathlon in track and field</span>.<br />
<br />
<b>Master's</b>- Ages 35+. Old but strong. <br />
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<b>Pain Face</b>- when you no longer care.<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, now, I leave for the "other" Nationals which is all the individual events over the course of 4 days. I still race every day and sometimes twice a day. For me, it's like an extended Omnium because I am not focused on any single event. I kind of like being really good at all of them and the master of none. :) But, that doesn't mean I won't try my hardest to bring home a couple more jerseys!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-35936539681966298622012-08-16T12:16:00.003-06:002012-08-16T12:16:57.234-06:00Ride Rock Hill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcnGDtsuy-hGxmBJAUaOuZ5Boe-14TFfl-R2DqlEDUCDpcs3-UjmhKsVo7pmSPvaq46Wpbb9FfQB7X3Nzl3IYw2houA2t4LkXB6ffcHrGUvFb3JfUyTgVFhhbCFN86lfT3NsEvoo5lIM/s1600/IMG_2667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcnGDtsuy-hGxmBJAUaOuZ5Boe-14TFfl-R2DqlEDUCDpcs3-UjmhKsVo7pmSPvaq46Wpbb9FfQB7X3Nzl3IYw2houA2t4LkXB6ffcHrGUvFb3JfUyTgVFhhbCFN86lfT3NsEvoo5lIM/s1600/IMG_2667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcnGDtsuy-hGxmBJAUaOuZ5Boe-14TFfl-R2DqlEDUCDpcs3-UjmhKsVo7pmSPvaq46Wpbb9FfQB7X3Nzl3IYw2houA2t4LkXB6ffcHrGUvFb3JfUyTgVFhhbCFN86lfT3NsEvoo5lIM/s1600/IMG_2667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcnGDtsuy-hGxmBJAUaOuZ5Boe-14TFfl-R2DqlEDUCDpcs3-UjmhKsVo7pmSPvaq46Wpbb9FfQB7X3Nzl3IYw2houA2t4LkXB6ffcHrGUvFb3JfUyTgVFhhbCFN86lfT3NsEvoo5lIM/s1600/IMG_2667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Well, we arrived in fashion. 5 bikes, 12 wheels, and lots of other "stuff" that was either shipped or flown. Our hosts didn't know that we would take over their garage.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcnGDtsuy-hGxmBJAUaOuZ5Boe-14TFfl-R2DqlEDUCDpcs3-UjmhKsVo7pmSPvaq46Wpbb9FfQB7X3Nzl3IYw2houA2t4LkXB6ffcHrGUvFb3JfUyTgVFhhbCFN86lfT3NsEvoo5lIM/s1600/IMG_2667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcnGDtsuy-hGxmBJAUaOuZ5Boe-14TFfl-R2DqlEDUCDpcs3-UjmhKsVo7pmSPvaq46Wpbb9FfQB7X3Nzl3IYw2houA2t4LkXB6ffcHrGUvFb3JfUyTgVFhhbCFN86lfT3NsEvoo5lIM/s320/IMG_2667.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.giordanavelodrome.com/" target="_blank">The new velodrome in Rock Hill, SC</a> is such a beautiful facility. Owned, built, and operated by the city of Rock Hill. We were told that they have around 410 people that have taken the certification classes in just the couple months they have been open.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNs-QwOz-yOkEYPq0ozRQWqn8iD1nIS5dHXdvr3w2Sm8ooyQqXFSGNHIBeZu5UtWl_Lwt57uEFvf7DKd-YDJdr3r4h0Uh-CpvM1m5Vp-SYrWQuXW7DjkgETLB-9Nep1N8sD2AJhWBwPo/s1600/IMG_2659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNs-QwOz-yOkEYPq0ozRQWqn8iD1nIS5dHXdvr3w2Sm8ooyQqXFSGNHIBeZu5UtWl_Lwt57uEFvf7DKd-YDJdr3r4h0Uh-CpvM1m5Vp-SYrWQuXW7DjkgETLB-9Nep1N8sD2AJhWBwPo/s320/IMG_2659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I guess they will be building a YMCA next door- talk about grass roots cycling! Oh, and, there will be retail shops and restaurants that will have patios that overlook the backside of the track. Cool!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_NfQMXG9dpdgOiTmNJiyUNtImuW5itwH2Ymgggwa15hR5ZiEkg7wZWM-oGn11BSGeRN4T65J1KEcxj2NpfevyHJGpZJ9iemsnCljFEarTNFBzm-YRf9X9rBWqpZeSPx5YrGIaTL8EvE/s1600/IMG_2660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_NfQMXG9dpdgOiTmNJiyUNtImuW5itwH2Ymgggwa15hR5ZiEkg7wZWM-oGn11BSGeRN4T65J1KEcxj2NpfevyHJGpZJ9iemsnCljFEarTNFBzm-YRf9X9rBWqpZeSPx5YrGIaTL8EvE/s320/IMG_2660.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
After flying into ATL late on Monday night, driving to CLT super early on Tuesday morning, we arrived at the velodrome to build bikes and take a spin. Greg is working overtime this week as husband, chef, mechanic, and bike racer. Yes! He is racing too. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi2ocyld1OY65eVClvI8qF0bQLlwm7K-HLBRI2L7-4yu4h8_5oRoYlOxgmEHe-yVRe5Ya3TvmpjVHxD8N-B_Hw9B6XNSow3iaNNw7g-b2yPKKnUB9oGa8bH9P4tdUED-_HYWG3nxmW44/s1600/IMG_2661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi2ocyld1OY65eVClvI8qF0bQLlwm7K-HLBRI2L7-4yu4h8_5oRoYlOxgmEHe-yVRe5Ya3TvmpjVHxD8N-B_Hw9B6XNSow3iaNNw7g-b2yPKKnUB9oGa8bH9P4tdUED-_HYWG3nxmW44/s320/IMG_2661.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This is a shot of Greg on the home straight. Thanks to Giordana for sponsoring this velodrome... and Greg's team Rocky Mounts/IZZE!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxNGiD1O3kwPjDSAQ3l6GGGrdWaLl2inYQxP64xQwhJCg4zf8m6uS0bo7zxe-v0tH1BTFV1pTxgncPONGmwCPyo7KwQ-B51PzuAfIpskWLuaqNwZlHcKoNPQT_r5XsPWY9gdCLKTq61A/s1600/IMG_2664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxNGiD1O3kwPjDSAQ3l6GGGrdWaLl2inYQxP64xQwhJCg4zf8m6uS0bo7zxe-v0tH1BTFV1pTxgncPONGmwCPyo7KwQ-B51PzuAfIpskWLuaqNwZlHcKoNPQT_r5XsPWY9gdCLKTq61A/s320/IMG_2664.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
How lucky are we? Our hosts this week happen to be our great friends- Stratos, Margarita, Christiana, and Dino. We have known Stratos for years and he was the chef at our wedding. <a href="http://xeniahospitality.com/" target="_blank">He now owns 5 restaurants in Charlotte that happen to be delicious!</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKq7TkAkEYuBVeAzG_dcZFF2JI62bn-8MfG5C7ye4lEVMENYYfODC63k9aloMMUFnqjppUMRfEJd60YPViQZmb4TN5R6ngtNaheVW591hadAfSEdB4fuMe4MRxeVVJp81uC3RU6fdT9Jk/s1600/IMG_2673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKq7TkAkEYuBVeAzG_dcZFF2JI62bn-8MfG5C7ye4lEVMENYYfODC63k9aloMMUFnqjppUMRfEJd60YPViQZmb4TN5R6ngtNaheVW591hadAfSEdB4fuMe4MRxeVVJp81uC3RU6fdT9Jk/s320/IMG_2673.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
So, Tuesday we were exhausted but managed to 1-drive to CLT, 2- build bikes, 3- ride the velodrome, 4- get settled at host house, 5- build more bikes/wheels, 6- eat at Ilios Noche, and 7-fall asleep quickly!<br />
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Wednesday we had an early track training session and then headed up to Lake Norman to celebrate Greg's dad's birthday with him. Home cooked meal on the lake with Rosemary and Vennie... and cake... yes please! We also managed to avoid getting mugged when I accidentally stopped in the hood for gas on the way home. I need to remind myself that I have left the bubble of Boulder and need to be slightly more aware of my surroundings. :)<br />
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Today has been chill since we needed to catch up on sleep. After meeting one of my favorite non-Exergy juniors <a href="http://addyalbershardt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">(Addy Albershardt) </a>for coffee, we will head to Giordana HQ to say hi to some folks, pick up Mark Tyson (our coach for the weekend) at the airport, we will have another awesome dinner at Ilios Noche tonight and we will be ready to go fast tomorrow!<br />
<br />Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-91696250509942540862012-08-13T09:36:00.002-06:002012-08-13T09:36:42.761-06:00Ready?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What has five bikes and twelve wheels? A trip with Greg to the new Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill, SC for US Track Omnium Nationals!<br /><br />But first- NoBo Crit! I revised my travel plans to make sure I didn't miss the classic North Boulder Criterium. One of my favorites of the seasons and definitely the most professional run race in Colorado. As always, the women's field showed up in numbers and in talent. Several of the top US teams were represented- Exergy (of course!), TIBCO, NOW/Novartis, Kenda, Vanderkitten, etc. With a slightly disappointing finish, I ended in 2nd to Alison Powers of NOW/Novartis after she put in the major solo attack with 1.5 laps to go. After a quick dip in the creek to cool down the legs, it was time to head home and continue packing. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The professional pictures of the race can be found <a href="http://www.sportifimages.com/RoadRacing2012-1/North-Boulder-Park-Classic/Pro-123-Women/24727706_r9pd2Q#!i=2022441063&k=dMMNcSb" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Thanks Dejan for all the great photos!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSUCIlzr81ZyIAFp1WJoT8quDeh3QehJBIuAARt_x2iiK4GlpFoufpXIBWP8oLJAJS8SOFymevGSULPP3y3L-vQg1PVwIjPyuygqz5NV8PNBAQQwS1t7_Xl4Z3B5DDu7HSCgHXCXoFC0/s1600/479802_423760197665116_1625425922_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSUCIlzr81ZyIAFp1WJoT8quDeh3QehJBIuAARt_x2iiK4GlpFoufpXIBWP8oLJAJS8SOFymevGSULPP3y3L-vQg1PVwIjPyuygqz5NV8PNBAQQwS1t7_Xl4Z3B5DDu7HSCgHXCXoFC0/s320/479802_423760197665116_1625425922_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">P.S.- thanks to all my friends and neighbors who showed up to cheers! That was so cool!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />So, back to track racing: The revised schedule puts Omnium Nationals a few weeks before Track Nationals in LA...more racing equals more fun and a test of the legs. Unlike many cyclists, I have the chance to race my bike year round with the International calendar of track racing. It is tough to not get much of a break...but I just really love to race. The Omnium is six races in two days. A nice way to start my long track season that will include Elite Nationals, World Cups, Six Days in the Netherlands, and the World Championships.<br /><br />Well, walking out the door for my first flight of track season with my Felt TK1 Endurance, Zipp 808s and Super Nine disc, Speedplay Track specific Zeros, Catlike helmets, Oakleys...and lots of Pearl Izumi kits...what more could a girl want! Getting my sprint back and looking forward to using it!<br /><br />If any of my friends/family are around, we will be racing Friday/Saturday of this week at the www.giordanavelodrome.com (Rock Hill, SC just south of Charlottte, NC) and then Sunday at Grant Park (Atlanta, GA). Come say hi!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Cheers!<br />Cari</span></div>
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Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-19900304838304492792012-07-30T12:40:00.001-06:002012-07-30T12:44:48.446-06:00Success!And this says it all... a note of thanks from Batuke in Africa.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>"Dear riders,</i></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><i>With the success of your participation in the Aspen Ride for entrepreneurs in Zambia, a number of families will be supported to get bike loans that will contribute to their household income. In so doing, children will be enabled to go to school, to eat better, and live healthier lives. In general, you have contributed towards the well being of children and families in Zambia. This is truly a great cause, one to be proud of.</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><i>Please accept our message of appreciation on behalf of these families. Through your contribution lives will be touched, lives will be changed; lives will be transformed for the better.</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><i>Thank you,</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><i>Batuke Walusiku</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><i>Director, Advocacy and Communications</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><i>World Vision - Zambia"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Please watch the video below...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI8OgFpRrFU"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI8OgFpRrFU</span></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, we had a very successful first (hopefully annual!) Aspen Invitational. We fell slightly short of our fundraising goals and are keeping the books open for a couple more days to hit the $300,000k goal. That's 3,000 Bikes for Africa! <a href="http://support.worldvision.org/site/TR/TeamWorldVision/General?px=1241804&pg=personal&fr_id=1890" target="_blank">So, please click here if you can donate!</a></span></div>Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-41521389078245480002012-06-08T13:45:00.001-06:002012-06-08T13:45:24.906-06:00Aspen InvitationalA Bike Ride for Africa.<br />
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I have never asked for money from anyone for my bike racing career. This is a first. But, wait... this money has nothing to do with me. This money is for bicycles for children and families in Africa. Please click <a href="http://support.worldvision.org/site/TR/TeamWorldVision/General?px=1241804&pg=personal&fr_id=1890" target="_blank">HERE</a> and donate.<br />
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For several months now, I have been working steadily on helping to organize and promote the Aspen Invitational that will take place on July 21st. Our goal with this event is to raise $300k that goes directly towards bikes in Africa. <br />
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If you want to become more involved with this event, please contact me directly- runcari "at" mac.com<br />
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We are currently looking for housing for a couple volunteers. Ideally, we could find a vacation home someone owns and could donate for the weekend. Is that you? Someone you know?<br />
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Here are some photos taken in Aspen on a scouting ride that Greg and I took a couple months ago.<br />
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Change a life! Donate.Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-19372113322969071132012-06-02T07:10:00.002-06:002012-06-02T07:10:41.122-06:00Month of MayStarted training again at the beginning of May and it's been non-stop racing since. In mid-May I did 11 races in 16 days of all different disciplines. Road, Crit, Track, TT. Learning how to TT has been a new passion of mine! Next up, going to learn how to race in the dirt- short track and cross :)<br />
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Went to St. Louis for 3 days of racing during the second week of May. Raced in my favorite local race Superior Morgul Classic- 3 day Omnium style which includes a TT, RR, and Crit. I got down to the velodrome in Colorado Springs to get some early season track work in the legs. All the while I had a weekly TT series. The results for all these races were pretty good considering I was coming off my break and just raced myself into shape.<br />
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Although I am sitting in a hotel room in Chicago as I write this, it has been refreshing being back in Boulder for most of May. Ahh! Where does the time go? That month flew by.<br />
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A picture of some friends that joined me on one of my rides in Boulder and blocked my path.<br />
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<br />Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-17023024534556477362012-05-08T10:11:00.002-06:002012-05-08T10:11:27.270-06:00Time Off?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Time off the bike still includes bikes. Two weeks off... first time in over 2.5 years. Mistake. </div>
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Vacation with Greg? No. Home to see the family and friends? No.</div>
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But, don't feel sorry for me! I had a couple great weeks. Wind tunnel with Pearlizumi and Sea Otter with my Exergy TWENTY12 Junior Elite team.</div>
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For 5 days I was in beautiful Monterey and Carmel, CA with the 6 junior women at Sea Otter Classic. They raced and I organized/drove/directed/cooked/had fun.</div>
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First thing is first... this trip would never have been possible if not for the support of Donna Woods who donated her own cash to sponsor us by renting a beautiful vacation home steps away from the ocean. This cycling community has never failed to amaze me with the generosity produced by people who love the sport and can appreciate what women racers are doing.</div>
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THANKS DONNA! Not only did we love the house but you made a huge impression on the girls on how to give back to the sport.</div>
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The girls raced... and WON everything.... spent time with our equipment sponsors and learned how to speak in a public forum. They were the road "pro's" representing at a Ladies Lounge held by Rebecca Rausch. This team is lucky to have the equipment sponsors we do... and these juniors are lucky to be riding the best!</div>
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We made time for fun!</div>
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And, some team bonding.</div>
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Here is an interview I did with <a href="http://www.podiuminsight.com/2012/05/01/cari-higgins-giving-back-and-a-call-to-arms/" target="_blank">Lyne of Podium Insight </a>about this awesome Exergy TWENTY12 junior squad. Expect big things from these ladies... this year and many years to come!<br />
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Team:<br />
Sarah Huang<br />
Jen Valente<br />
Tara McCormick<br />
Maddy Tuggle<br />
Kayla Sterling<br />
Veronica ChurchCari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-26902720445224848942012-04-20T07:59:00.004-06:002012-04-20T08:13:36.362-06:00Last Week...<div>Well, a couple weeks off the bike doesn't mean I stop traveling. Quite the opposite actually! Right now I am sitting in Carmel, CA but that blog post comes later.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last week, I traveled with Pearlizumi to:</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSU5qG5M10buYytIjrlZIKXkoHNvkrl8OE61BuvFSH8ROoawhRF0WhMQaKu50DrJFrSHqn5P-2MNqPyygi0eDbbrNJ5WQEAPSOPj55HBD9rVbqgNVV5z6xdE2BBkD3yAI5AII6kCRrgA/s320/IMG_2401.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733483989791630114" />After flying into Houston, we had 2 hour car ride to College Station. Lunch anyone? Yes, we ate here and yes, it was good.<br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSO09cckw5pcZNWPs0Jtx3bjrgS__5jlje3dRHxDTzpXCp0h3dT1fnv5vZ2A3DIHOfpKS0inBXqns_C7rM8UjMOWRjJ-3rnk8MsQOSGW50L0zzUG0eWzWEVT1TmtbEPm6k5sH6FnBLHVc/s320/IMG_2394.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733482838753642258" />In the 48 hours that we were here, we had some true Texas culinary choices. It took my stomach some time to recover from this trip.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpYFrWlybepUJFGzSJVAC3hG6jhM-xqgBtJCBmgPTpuJCPFQsORKVy156PzI1TXlNnOvHgKo0LQNQbfJUYHrfdMGa5arVtStsoUuCWB-BWBEbtZ0GvkIW0Zk-itXsN33wCxrmFra02qo/s1600/IMG_2399.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpYFrWlybepUJFGzSJVAC3hG6jhM-xqgBtJCBmgPTpuJCPFQsORKVy156PzI1TXlNnOvHgKo0LQNQbfJUYHrfdMGa5arVtStsoUuCWB-BWBEbtZ0GvkIW0Zk-itXsN33wCxrmFra02qo/s320/IMG_2399.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733483996786245106" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Interesting facts about the prop used in the wind tunnel.</div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxm1km86MwxQPKNuoRSTnBc6wVJDHphYl-OYL3HNrvy7ue2twB4qV6Xlglzag1YXxDA4XwoXqprU2sSifJJwLVOJf7Fq0EQ-PD5B0IvJxN6t_KdAl63QIQgMRcqHurBNw8DGGB4afBsXQ/s1600/DSC03811.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQney_jnSkGfo1LBtaa8QMqwr492iQCtonBEZPrICVtNlg2ufSKkaZd5Vxrecb985zfGP-4iXqZ9ICQ7eiXYirXUHsh9wp7DYexDNtAWcZQa3-8NEq5eml7rmhvOb2TVezsdSccnyRMyo/s1600/IMG_2403.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQney_jnSkGfo1LBtaa8QMqwr492iQCtonBEZPrICVtNlg2ufSKkaZd5Vxrecb985zfGP-4iXqZ9ICQ7eiXYirXUHsh9wp7DYexDNtAWcZQa3-8NEq5eml7rmhvOb2TVezsdSccnyRMyo/s320/IMG_2403.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733482852572688434" /></a>Getting everything ready!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtgrL2mX3kybzJLvA763R8sbPWppp5xvLsPOBoswJwG8Q96u1RJepgg763ixgvoXDV4i4all_J5aCEQRQmC4MNhR7GdfflvTCVIHMKWkxxjlKJITxvWT7-fFfVa4ZabeY9K9j9dZ_NsQ/s1600/IMG_2396.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtgrL2mX3kybzJLvA763R8sbPWppp5xvLsPOBoswJwG8Q96u1RJepgg763ixgvoXDV4i4all_J5aCEQRQmC4MNhR7GdfflvTCVIHMKWkxxjlKJITxvWT7-fFfVa4ZabeY9K9j9dZ_NsQ/s320/IMG_2396.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733482847870353938" /></a>The machine!<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAHzH0qERfEyuhBg9B6zw-dup8LpraW5DXtHuLCHZKzSmC0gHHFIZQOUupggwYLShyphenhyphenKkTY5msmdwhSNYP-hbAEPg7sYtkK6n0I72GuFoiBtIw44wb-EZzhbUMIjj7zLo2kcPJ203Ws7g/s320/DSC03792.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733483201017103922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " />I can't tell you how much more respect I have for <a href="http://www.pearlizumi.com/">Pearlizumi</a> knowing how much research they put into their products. What I learned was pretty impressive. I loved the quality of their products before and now that I know the thought that goes into making their athletes the fastest in the world... I'm a believer!</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxm1km86MwxQPKNuoRSTnBc6wVJDHphYl-OYL3HNrvy7ue2twB4qV6Xlglzag1YXxDA4XwoXqprU2sSifJJwLVOJf7Fq0EQ-PD5B0IvJxN6t_KdAl63QIQgMRcqHurBNw8DGGB4afBsXQ/s1600/DSC03811.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxm1km86MwxQPKNuoRSTnBc6wVJDHphYl-OYL3HNrvy7ue2twB4qV6Xlglzag1YXxDA4XwoXqprU2sSifJJwLVOJf7Fq0EQ-PD5B0IvJxN6t_KdAl63QIQgMRcqHurBNw8DGGB4afBsXQ/s320/DSC03811.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733483229443322626" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rOZ8arUE1uFPvjzw86QekgvESko9XAqHSeeWx9Tio2XCAcmHqlJkJhubsuv8t-b6CJBM0ulHVq6xPXNKY2YWv_pUBj9h0zN801LodY0ksqLCbHvL8jlHEoV5H3Q3eNDSPH7y-ejGUM8/s1600/DSC03809.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rOZ8arUE1uFPvjzw86QekgvESko9XAqHSeeWx9Tio2XCAcmHqlJkJhubsuv8t-b6CJBM0ulHVq6xPXNKY2YWv_pUBj9h0zN801LodY0ksqLCbHvL8jlHEoV5H3Q3eNDSPH7y-ejGUM8/s320/DSC03809.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733483219646824018" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4Iy_vuh7yzJczHL10FpJdpFD2RnxpFRcnOY8S-mXVzxtjSf3BFLiFPrRFild2Q2lAoT_tQmEbFqATjZAkuFkLQRexj9bD8y21o_IMogyM4-0381N9R6JsIl-7Ze-pQFp-yYB7T0xcfU/s1600/DSC03797.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4Iy_vuh7yzJczHL10FpJdpFD2RnxpFRcnOY8S-mXVzxtjSf3BFLiFPrRFild2Q2lAoT_tQmEbFqATjZAkuFkLQRexj9bD8y21o_IMogyM4-0381N9R6JsIl-7Ze-pQFp-yYB7T0xcfU/s320/DSC03797.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733483212564445682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqe5xEZXh2NCOWUm1WBa6iySU5f5iyvGOF6Y3X0rtTctWhTzEbodnfQklIsHL8BiUMfWVceqIu_3-CMjXSOXy7ohrw5Z4xqlNvIdYJOvqHk9NMXHaDArNCjb6V0FJ0k39Wpu8sM1XxHjA/s320/DSC03733.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733482860146508290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeC2KiNuHhrWV0-dgpMCRCtgJdMdJNE-MjB5jBPyIKLcFDVxk-Y0-YmNWy1Z-GU_4MxqNypn4oPeQucgeu2KONpO4KNxax6HgcJDf-uEZQnlq8ZkOGfB39bqIw5bFj11l1X0MM9NYOW0/s1600/DSC03760.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeC2KiNuHhrWV0-dgpMCRCtgJdMdJNE-MjB5jBPyIKLcFDVxk-Y0-YmNWy1Z-GU_4MxqNypn4oPeQucgeu2KONpO4KNxax6HgcJDf-uEZQnlq8ZkOGfB39bqIw5bFj11l1X0MM9NYOW0/s320/DSC03760.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733482867856178498" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a>That's all she wrote! What an awesome couple days with Pearlizumi. Thanks guys!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-43855795184232272982012-04-06T09:09:00.003-06:002012-04-06T09:41:25.633-06:00So close, yet...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLlfT1pRaUcrIoy6kzTaKs2S3C23g023De3egg-qSOZOZZSWycKm4p79h1xzxYaIHjLn3914wnHdy_uac3VnUEr7UpyBXlxOZbioUMx_rAZ4PLaKpuVU2bAtS7C2dCOWJpIelhrt-KfQ/s1600/IMG_2385.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>My immediate reaction was to tear up. It only lasted about 3 seconds. No, it wasn't because I was so excited. It was because I was so close. So freaking close to taking a step on the podium at the Track World Championships. Yet, the reality is that I was 5th place in the Scratch race and I am fired up for more. I want it bad.<div><br /></div><div>After the Points Race, I regrouped and reminded myself that the physical part was, for the most part, there. Now, I had one race in me and had the race brain activated.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't a fluke or lucky. I deserved to be in the top 5 tonight. I raced smart... was active enough to be where I needed to be... but also knew when to stop panicking and not waste energy I didn't need to.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can't wait to see the video. There was plenty of bumping and a couple "I need a new chamois" moments. I owe the girl from Lithuania or beer/coffee/or whatever they drink there... she saved something major in the last lap (or 2 to go, I can't remember now). All I know is she was next to me sprinting, she got knocked, and then she had both feet unclipped and just hanging there. I don't know how she didn't go down but I do know I took a quick dive under her and then opened my eyes again. </div><div><br /></div><div>The end was a like a keirin and I got a bit boxed in... didn't panic but couldn't make it out until the home straight. At this point, it was a bit late. 10 more meters and I am confident I would have been on the podium... don't know that I would be wearing rainbows but it's all hindsight anyway.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's good ending to a long winter. I say it again... I am a bike racer and I thrive off that adrenalin. But, for now, the hard part will be cooling my jets for a couple weeks. It's been maybe 2-3 years since I have had a proper break. So, it's time to set the helmet aside and remind myself what rest means. </div><div><br /></div><div>A couple photos from tonight...</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">My friend from Marietta, GA who now lives in Melbourne. Small world! Scott Gillies and his son, Austin. So great seeing them! (Kara- you are next!)</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLlfT1pRaUcrIoy6kzTaKs2S3C23g023De3egg-qSOZOZZSWycKm4p79h1xzxYaIHjLn3914wnHdy_uac3VnUEr7UpyBXlxOZbioUMx_rAZ4PLaKpuVU2bAtS7C2dCOWJpIelhrt-KfQ/s1600/IMG_2385.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLlfT1pRaUcrIoy6kzTaKs2S3C23g023De3egg-qSOZOZZSWycKm4p79h1xzxYaIHjLn3914wnHdy_uac3VnUEr7UpyBXlxOZbioUMx_rAZ4PLaKpuVU2bAtS7C2dCOWJpIelhrt-KfQ/s320/IMG_2385.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728309304687361554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 206px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Austin as superfan! According to Scott he held this sign up the whole time I raced. If you know AUS sports fans you will know that this takes guts!</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZzSkI9fMO-_SpnPR171yZdx-6mQ9gdhrAIlLUqIYjvADUQQ8WDtT8YASTNS7Mo-PKYrgqHATcUhgo6v8j7joFtdKfXLTJH6PTO5gsx948fCUCyl8nrj9Hac_8ORKHo2X07OzaqHd84w/s1600/IMG_2383.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZzSkI9fMO-_SpnPR171yZdx-6mQ9gdhrAIlLUqIYjvADUQQ8WDtT8YASTNS7Mo-PKYrgqHATcUhgo6v8j7joFtdKfXLTJH6PTO5gsx948fCUCyl8nrj9Hac_8ORKHo2X07OzaqHd84w/s320/IMG_2383.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728309292673333010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>Ok... how to start my rest block? Well, the first thing I did was sit and drink enough water to hydrate a camel but yet just barely enough to squeeze out my 90ml for WADA. </div><div><br /></div><div>How about a 3 hour beach ride tomorrow with Scott! Yes please Vitamin D. (Yes, Nicola, I PROMISE this will be the last ride!)</div>Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-5199887423170072292012-04-05T08:37:00.002-06:002012-04-05T08:53:43.725-06:00World Points Recap...Real quick recap since I am full of adrenalin and won't sleep anyway.<div><br /></div><div>The end result wasn't impressive. Last year I came in 6th in the Points Race at Worlds and this year 15th. 15th from 6th sounds like I sucked it up but that doesn't tell the story.</div><div><br /></div><div>Frankly, I think I raced a much better race then last year. Much better. Last year I won the first sprint and hung on for dear life the next 90 laps. By the end, I was seeing stars. Somewhere in there I ended up with points in another sprint for a total of 6 points and ended 6th.</div><div><br /></div><div>This year, I followed more stuff at the beginning but tried to be "smarter" about how hard to sprint. I missed out on points in the first sprint by one place and got 1 point in the second sprint. it took me a bit to recover from those opening 20 laps meanwhile a bunch of 4 lapped the field. After that I was setting myself well but not keeping that position... maybe setting myself up too soon? Maybe not physical enough to hold it? But, the key, was that I was thinking things through. I knew what the hell was going on... who were the players... what wheels to go with... etc. It just didn't work out. But, this statement doesn't end with the typical cyclists' statement, "that's just bike racing." No, champions are smarter then that and I will fight until I learn.</div><div><br /></div><div>All the data was similar to last year. The difference was that last year I spent a winter racing my bike. This year, I spent a winter dedicated to trying to make the Team Pursuit squad. No regrets at all! But, I am happiest racing my dang bike and tonight I got the rush. The adrenalin hit me hard. Like a junkie, I need more! Luckily I have the Scratch tomorrow and I am stoked!</div><div><br /></div><div>So cool seeing a high school friend, Scott Gillies, out there tonight. His new hometown is Melbourne and he has caught the cycling fever. Can't wait to have a chance to actually chat!</div><div><br /></div><div>Super big thanks to the best USA Cycling staff ever. Alec and Woody are the best mechanics I have ever worked with... James, even though he is Australian :), is a perfect soigneur... and of course Neal and Ben keeping me level headed. Oh, before I forget, thanks to Dotsie (couldn't miss that voice), Lauren, and Jennie/Brandon for coming out to yell. I value your support. For all of you... I wish my result was more so we could rightfully celebrate. Tomorrow?</div><div><br /></div><div>Ok... I think I will drown this brain with a sleeping pill so I'm not up for another 3 hours.</div>Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-34927525555315857932012-04-03T22:58:00.004-06:002012-04-04T00:55:19.501-06:00Friends...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtuzMn-lJxUpHPJhOuj8UD6XzsreRKa-ZSJQIftG2BnVM1LH9ctKCmQ7JkQF-VEjIeFb9mbmRlvUiiAmecFU4-L3CLMinl_ptkniOG9E0-8INKTA0BifTp9Xobi6GfvyioCxrHYPbtrk/s1600/DSCN0265.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div>I have been so fortunate in life to be surrounded by good people and, for the most part, be able to call them good friends.<div><br /></div><div>Last night, here in Melbourne, I got to catch up with an old teammate and friend. Thanks for the good time Claire!</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_seKRwkDu9ckYxBlk21hy17hvJnAdL4Mk04DoNh-KJIB8zmMhkCFuIvTnNAy7bYKeX9E9MTGDcmODvxZBUkju0mcyXR6oIn4wvCkpvuoxQIQQaPkbGbnreGd2NBo9P-Vg9N-lrqCDrM/s320/IMG_2370.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727434718326670130" /><div><br /></div><div>Another friend of mine also happens to be a teammate- Greta. Check out her <a href="http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/exergy-twenty12/para-cycling-101">latest blog on Cyclingnews.com</a>. Such a competitor, inspiration, and cool chic. I met Greta when I was new to cycling and working as a pilot for the para-olympic team. Proud to call her a friend now. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here is picture from that trip.</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtuzMn-lJxUpHPJhOuj8UD6XzsreRKa-ZSJQIftG2BnVM1LH9ctKCmQ7JkQF-VEjIeFb9mbmRlvUiiAmecFU4-L3CLMinl_ptkniOG9E0-8INKTA0BifTp9Xobi6GfvyioCxrHYPbtrk/s320/DSCN0265.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727434718803633426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 320px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Racing started about 30 minutes ago here in Melbourne. My first race won't be until tomorrow night around 10:00 pm... it's only like 2 hours past my bed time. So, tonight, after all my physical and mental prep, I will now prep for the staying up late thing. I will try to stay awake tonight until 11:00. This might be the hardest training all week.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/">Catch a live stream of racing here.</a></div>Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3832036100007844489.post-65167203612436657162012-04-01T16:03:00.006-06:002012-04-03T19:38:18.433-06:00360 View<div>Melbourne is one of the coolest sports crazy cities. I feel like the culture revolves around sports. It's possible that has just been my bubble of an experience but based on the percentage of news coverage that is sports focused, I'd put this city up against Houston/Chicago/Denver/etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are staying right next to the "Olympic Park" which includes the AFL stadium, Rod Laver Arena (think Aussie Open), Hisense Arena (where the velodrome is), a ton of outdoor soccer and cricket fields, and even a Australian Sports Museum. It's a small walk to the CBD (Central Business District) where you can find culture, food, cafes, and entertainment. I've been told there is a large book store completely dedicated to sports close by in the CBD.</div><div><br /></div><div>The video was taken from the bridge right outside our hotel. The first view is the CBD, then Rod Laver and next to that the Hisense Arena, and then the AFL stadium, and then our hotel.</div><div><br /></div><div>OK- VIDEO NOT LOADING ON THIS SLOW INTERNET. I WILL ADD WHEN POSSIBLE.</div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzspcRwZp1sKhOhz6naqpf9Qh0bOmzJfQXH8u6GGS9afvCGKMCZJg_TjUtUpls9PJfI9Sv79FHVCYkAYuAz2w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Cari Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236645987757972084noreply@blogger.com1