Hail storm uses. Instant ice.
I'm not going out there! It was tough to watch the bikes get blown over and see ice balls bouncing off the tubes.
The team holding the tent so it didn't blow away.
Hello!
I see that the last time I posted was quite a while ago. I’ve had little time to keep up with the blog. I won’t mumble and grumble about it, but this has been the burnout time of the season. The races come one after the other which require travel logistics on top of keeping the bikes race ready. It can really affect ones state of mind with all the traveling, staying organized, and sleeping on floors. Sleeping in a bed is so much appreciated these days. I must be getting older because I used to be able to sleep on a concrete slab with no bad affects. I remember the day weeks ago I knew I was in trouble with the “burnout” when it took me 1.5 hours to drive a half hour drive because I couldn’t concentrate enough to follow the road signs. Then to top it off I stopped at a grocery store to buy some juice and snacks. When I got to the house I was staying at I realized I’d left most of the items at the store because I only grabbed the one bag. I really wanted that juice too! I felt a little better knowing my comrades on the other various teams had similar feelings of burnout even some of the riders too.
I have to thank Chris Davidson. I hope you’re still reading my blog buddy. I read his diary entry last night on cyclingnews.com and it reminded me that I have a cool job even if it’s draining at times. Glad to hear he felt similar after connecting with another cycling enthusiast he met. For you cycling geeks give it a read. It’s a good insight into the world of mechanics and a Dickies spokes model.
I think the “burnout” may be behind me so I’ll try and fill in the blanks of the last several weeks. Keep checking back. Right now I’m traveling to Idaho in the TIMEX truck for an Ironman. Shane picked me up in St.Paul, Minnesota an hour after the last stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Talk about switching gears. One moment I’m Colavita/Cooking Light and the next I transition into Timex. At least with two of us driving I get to sleep and replenish some brain cells
Since I’m coming off of a 5-day stage race that is what’s fresh in my memory (anything before that I’ll update later with some pictures probably). This year’s race will go down in the journal as epic. Mostly because of the weather (thunder storms, hail, wind) which tested the ladies fortitude and legs. Unfortunately we did not have luck on our side for this race. Oh well that’s racing. An un-timely crash and chase in the crosswinds hurt our overall team strength a bit. Although I’m not a runner, when one of my girls is in a crash or needs a wheel change (which by the way is not often) adrenaline takes over and I turn into Carl Lewis sprinting from the car with wheel sets in arms. We even orchestrated a sweet bike swap in about 15 seconds. Nice! It’s quite a rush but I really should train for such moments with a little more stretching because one day I may blow a hamstring. Jim posted some great race reports, which I will plagiarize because they say it all.
Hard day in the saddle
by Jim Williams
The second stage of the Nature Valley Grand prix was nothing short of epic. The day played out like stories and lore of days past. A huge wind greeted the 130 women who lined up for the start of the Cannon Falls road race and the Colavita/Cooking Light team had its sights set on winning the stage and gaining the 15 second time bonus to move Tina Pic up on the GC to challenge for the overall win. What seemed like a reasonable plan was derailed like a speeding freight train on a kids toy track. Colavita/Cooking Light's first mishap of the day occurred when Sarah Tillotson was able to miss a crash that occurred in front of her only to be slammed from behind by a rider who had her head down and was not watching ahead. Sarah quickly got on her bike and started pedaling but soon needed a bike change as her derailleur was close to getting stuck in the spokes of the wheel. At the same time as this was happening Gina Grain also had the misfortune of getting hit from behind and dragging a rider, whose handle bars that were stuck in her wheel, for about 50 feet. It wasn’t but another mile or two up the road that another crash occurred in the vicious cross winds and this time Meshy Holt, nursing a sore tailbone from her crash in Philly once again went down, also involved was Tina Pic who had tried to ride her bike but was unable. Realizing that GC threat Pic was down, the Lipton team went to the front of the field and drove the pace taking advantage of the misfortune of the Colavita/ Cooking Light Riders, and attempting to eliminate GC threat Pic. Teammates Iona Wynter, Sarah Tillotson and Sima Trapp dropped back to pace their team leader but the chase back on was interrupted by a 2 and a half mile cross wind gravel section which detonated the Lipton lead field. When the damage was finally surveyed, there were 4 groups on the road and only Sue Palmer Komar had made the front selection. With the majority of the Colavita/Cooking Light Team driving the third group, a desperate chase ensued but would never come back together. On the finishing circuits Sue Palmer Komar fought hard and was able to finish 6th on the stage and moved up to 5th on GC. While the Colavita/Cooking Light Team seems to have had a bomb go of in its string of good luck the team will continue to defend Sue’s GC position and go for stage wins as the tour continues.
Gina Grain celebrates birthday with 3rd place finish and a storm for the ages
by Jim Williams
The Nature Valley Grand prix is turning into a survival contest for the Colavita/Cooking Light Team. Tonight was supposed to be a downtown cycling celebration in Minneapolis but it turned into a little bit of everything with an emphasis on wet and wild adventure. One hour before the race a sprinkle started from what was expected to be a quick passing thunderstorm. The sprinkle grew to a hard rain and then to sideways sheets of rain. The staff had set up the temporary race camp sandwiched next to 2 big buildings and huddled under their race tent with Sue Palmer Komar and Gina Grain to weather the storm through. The rest of the team was out warming up and had to seek shelter in a bus stop. Every minute when the rains seemed as though they should be letting up they some how managed to come down harder until the rain turned to hail and then the hail got larger and larger. Form the loosely protected area those in the tent were able to watch tents from other teams blow apart and then had to run out and rescue equipment that began floating away after the streets flooded over the sidewalk. Sue Palmer Komar the wise experienced racer put on her race helmet to protect her from the flying chunks of ice and Gina Grain laughed and claimed, “this is the best birthday present ever” When the storm finally passed and the damage surveyed, the only lose for the Cola vita/Cooking Light team were the race radio’s that got a drenching even though they had been put in zip lock bags. The upcoming race was shortened and for the third year in a row would be contested on slippery wet roads. Nerves were high as a wet crit course usually means crashes but the team had been equipped with high friction Michelin rain tires and everyone stayed up right during the race which was fast and aggressive and strung out single file for its duration. Colavita/Cooking Light rode a conservative race and at the end rain specialist Gina Grain gave it a go at the line and was able to earn a spot on the podium and even more reason for the team to celebrate with her. .
