Goodbye and Thank You

Thanks to everyone who cared enough to read about us. Like the ebb and flow of nature, the women's team was growing for a few years and now it's shrinking. There are only three Wolvering women left (only one remaining in Michigan) and our results will be posted on the Wolverine Sports Club Elite Team Blog. No separation of boys and girls anymore. Just racers.

We had a slow start to the season as Maia and Kelly have been nursing injuries. Maia had a severe hamstring strain that stubbornly refused weeks of physical therapy attention. Kelly had surgery to repair a severed ligament in her left thumb that was damaged in a crash in which she also tore a muscle in the right elbow. Both women were sidelined for a while, but are now on the upswing and trying to gain fitness as quickly as possible.

Renee spent the winter running Alabama Cycling Camp cranking out the base miles and raced a couple long road races in the late winter and even finished second in one of the 83 mile Georgia Cup races. She looked lean and mean at the Willow Time Trial. We'll miss Renee as she has moved to Boulder Colorado to work and train on the velodrome out there at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming Colorado Cycling Camp to be the sister of Alabama Cycling Camp which will still be in business next winter.

Kelly is also leaving Michigan. She'll be rolling in the hilly farmlands around Madison Wisconsin as soon as the school year is over.

There will be no more posts on this blog. Ever.

Visit Alabama Cycling Camp for nice warm hilly guided riding this winter. Stay in a nice house and have someone cook for you!

Renee got to play in the dirt at Stony

Renee says "Man, that was a great workout! So hot though!"Very hot. So much for "you'll need that long sleeve skinsuit". The heat was also radiating up off the pain pit, otherwise knows as the beach. That was the best place to watch the good (technique) the bad (technique) and the ugly (pain faces). I saw the smooth bike-shouldering technique, the push-and-run technique, the ride-through-the-sand-on-my-mountain-bike technique, and I'm not sure if there is a "best" way to do it, but I'm pretty sure the drag-the-bike-through-the-sand technique isn't it. If I could photoshop out the face and jersey I'd post the pic.

Hopefully my injuries will get better soon and I can play too.

Cyclocross is fun!

DIRT IS GOOD!

Speed is good.

Scabs are good.

Life is good.

I had such a blast racing...well riding with a number on my back...at the KTR Double Cross races in Davisburg. Including the flat tire, two dropped chains, two crashes and a sprained thumb. Laughing at the comedy of errors was the best part. It was a cool course. I have no idea how it compares as Saturday was the first time I've done it. I like the attitude of some of the women who do it. They say "I don't care if I finish last. It's a blast and it's a great workout." Suits me perfectly.

Hob-nobbing with the pros was fun too!



I learned a ton about 'cross techniques from this guy from his must-have DVD: http://www.cycle-smart.com/store/home.html

Adam Myerson, the Cycle-Smart founder and president, races for the Nerac Professional Cycling Team. He's also a member of the UCI Cyclo-Cross Commission, the International Association of Cyclo-Cross Organizers (AIOC-Cross), and President of the New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series.

I did say that I missed running.


'Cross is fun! .. and, oh yeah, it's a little tiring...

Summer Wrap Up

Renee Podiums at Track Nationals!!

After taking much needed mental and physical vacations, I remember how to use a computer once again. The highlight of the end of the summer was Renee winning her way on the podium at Track Master's Nationals.

She won the silver medal in the points race, only missing the gold by ONE point. Ouch.

She also took 4th place in the matched sprints! Well done Renee.

Backing up to other races, Christy finished 3rd at the Priority Health Grand Classic showing good strength in keeping up with Theresa Cliff-Ryan in the primes and the finish.

Maia finished 10th and is still gaining strength and the vital experience only racing can give.

Maia spends quite a bit of time at the Velodrome with Renee.

Tour Di Via Italia:

Renee finished 8th behind a bunch of pro women.

Rockford:

Christy finished 3rd and Maia finished 9th.

BTR Park K-zoo:

Maia tried racing but had stomach problems and DNF while the rest of us were in Chicago racing Elk Grove.

Well, that wraps up the road and track season. Now, time to have some fun and play in the dirt!...mountain biking and CYCLOCROSS!!

Downer's Grove

Maia and Christy raced in Downer's Grove while Renee was in the middle of the 6-day at the Velodrome.

Maia finished a very respectable 9th in the Women's 3/4 race and Christy raced the Women's 1/2/3 race and finished 22nd in a pack of Pro Women cyclists tuning up for the following day's National Championships.

Tour of Elk Grove and BTR Park

Kelly, Renee and Christy drove to Elk Grove looking for some fun. They worked super well as a team and took home few more dollars than they were used to. Kelly and Christy took 1st and 3rd in a three place prime and then Christy, Renee and Kelly finished 3rd, 9th and 10th. They missed the super big money, but oh well. That's bike racing.

They did the men's 3/4 race later and had some good fun with that. Kelly and Renee did another men's race the next day-a Master's 4/5 race. What a hoot! 'nuf said.

The best part of the weekend was the Fruit Boquet our hostess Dee Dee Scadron had waiting for us. Dee Dee is an awesome person and a multiple World Champion on the Velodrome.

Back home, Maia raced the BTR Park Criterium in K-zoo, but had some serious stomach problems that caused her to DNF.