The week following the NEPCX series final in New England had me working two more days in my temporary Arlington office before finally settling into my newly renovated Cambridge office on Wednesday. It was fantastic to be settled into one place. It seems as if I have spent the entire Fall moving in and out of offices and traveling to races every weekend in between. Phew!

Matt and I were both in need of putting in a solid full work week, so we planned to fly to the USGP finals in Bend, OR on Friday, race Saturday and Sunday and take a red-eye flight home Sunday night. Our plans included staying at the Mt Bachelor condos and having our Portland friends, Dan and Addie, join us for the weekend. The USGP finals have been in Portland for the last two years with Nationals in Bend the following week. Although we were a bit sad to miss out on spending an entire week at Dan and Addie’s house, it was great to have them for a quick 48 hours.

We arrived in Bend on Friday in time to hit the course for a pre-ride and check out the conditions. The venue for the course is nestled in between a grassy park, the Deschutes Brewery and a new shopping development. The course is situated on what could be described as an abandoned lot or a yet-to-be developed area of excavated earth. Squeezed in amongst the vendors are the most interesting features of the course (the flyover and stairs). The track then crosses onto the grass in front of the Brewery. The remainder of the course weaves through front-end loaded dirt piles on a loamy/dusty track and through a sparse stand of Ponderosa Pine trees (which smelled really good on one section of the course). Unlike the previous two years, Bend had been experiencing an unprecedented warm and dry spell.  The course would be dry and dusty all weekend long.

As expected, the course was dry, very dusty and the ground had several sections of very hard ground with lots of loose gravel. During my pre-ride I managed to test the limits of speed on the course by hitting the deck on a loose gravel corner. Fortunately, I got off with only some bruising and a scrape to the knee. I did however swap to more aggressive tires to have more traction for Saturday’s race.

In addition to my racing obligations for the weekend, my clothing sponsor, Castelli, had contacted me about doing a photo-shoot for their Winter 2012 catalog. It was quite an honor to be asked to be in a catalog! We made arrangements to meet up on Saturday morning to head to beautiful Sun River for the shoot. It was 15 degrees but luckily I was modeling some of their fantastic winter jackets. Greg kept his car “sauna hot” for me to warm up in between takes and John and Joel toughed it out in the cold to perfect the shots. These guys are real perfectionists and were great to work with. I hope my eyes were open in the photos – it’s a trend of mine to be “sleeping” in photos!

Back to racing. My start was okay but not great.  It was definitely a course where the first lap was the most important lap and I didn’t quite nail it.  I had to work pretty hard to pass people and move up in the field of racers.

I felt comfortable catching up on the turns and the set of stairs but the rest of the course was super-fast and made for difficult for passing. I worked my way up to just outside the top 10 and finished 11th. Considering our hectic flight schedule, I was fairly satisfied with my result, feeling a lot more open coming into the last few laps.

That night we headed out into Bend for dinner at Joolz Restaurant for Dan’s birthday. We had a great meal and fantastic time relaxing with our pals. Happy Birthday, Dan!

After Saturday’s race, I knew it would be important to have a better start because of the difficulty making up time on the fast course. There were a few changes to the track, but overall the feel of the course was the same, FAST! The temperature was also very cold on Sunday with highs around 23 degrees.

 A good start had me in the top five for the first few laps of the race, accelerating on every bit of pavement and flat grass section to stick with the riders in front. On the paved start/finish stretch, a split formed and I was alone in fifth for a while but knew that sixth place was soon to catch me.

I dug deep but knew I wouldn’t be able to hold my position alone for three more laps. A group of four was very close behind me and chasing hard. I was able to make a pass on one of the riders that caught me but three more were working together and were able to catch me in time for the last lap sprint finish. I was 9th in the end and although I would have preferred to have stayed in 5th or 6th place, I am pretty sure that is the hardest I have ever ridden my bike for 40 minutes.

After my race, I joined Dan and Addie and watched the men’s race while Matt worked for the Cannondale Cyclocrossworld Team. The temperature had dropped quite a bit so we hung out by the fire pits to keep warm and pet all the cute dogs that walked by.
Dan and Addie headed back to the condo to watch football while Matt and I packed up my bikes and wheels to get ready to head to the airport. We were able to make a quick return to the condo to say goodbye to our pals and headed home. We were about to squeeze in three more workdays before a 11-day trip to Belgium for 5 more races! In fact, by the time we send this, we’ll already be in Belgium… more on that soon.

Check out Mo’s Gift List for the CX racer on your list.

• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Curry Powder
• 8 cups Vegetable Broth
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1/2 pkg Whole Grains and Beans Soup Mix (1-3/4 cup)
• 4 cups assorted Vegetables, such as: cubed Sweet Potatoes, roasted Corn, cubed Winter Squash, Cauliflower, Carrots

Directions

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat; add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for one more minute. Add garam masala and curry powder; sauce for 30 seconds to a minute until they are aromatic but not burning. Carefully pour in stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to release any brown bits. Add bay leaves. Add vegetables* and soup mix and stir. Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 1-1/2 hours. Sir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add more broth or water if beans absorb too much liquid.

Makes 10 servings.

*The vegetables you choose will determine when to add them to the recipe. If you’re using cauliflower, for instance, you may want to add it in the last 30 minutes of cooking, while sweet potatoes can be added earlier.

These muffins from our bakery have been such a hit around here that they’re hard to come by. A festive combination of eggnog and cranberry make these perfect for your next holiday brunch.

Cranberry Eggnog Muffins

• 2 ½ Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour
• ¾ cup Evaporated Cane Sugar
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Sea Salt
• ½ tsp Nutmeg
• 1 Egg
• ⅓ cup Safflower Oil
• 1 cup Eggnog
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1-½ cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

Streusel (not pictured)

• ½ cup Quick Rolled Oats
• 2 Tbsp melted Butter
• ½ cup Sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a muffin pan.

Mix together dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Mix together Eggs, Vanilla, Oil, Eggnog.

Mix in dry ingredients, folding in cranberries at the end.

DO NOT OVER BEAT.

Spoon batter into a greased muffin tin or use paper liners. Then, combine streusel ingredients and sprinkle on top of each muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes, checking to see if a toothpick comes out clean. It may take up to 30 minutes.

YIELD: 12 muffins

This post comes from Christen Waller, author of Life: Styled, and is part of our partnership to Bake a Healthier Holiday with California Olive Ranch.

• 1-1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White Flour
• 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Millet Flour
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup California Olive Ranch Arbosana Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3/4 cups Milk
• 1-1/2 Tbsp fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
• 4 ounces grated Dark Chocolate (70% cacao)
• 2 Tbsp Sugar (for top crunch)

We’ve got a lot to cover in this week’s newsletter. I had two days of lighting-fast racing in Rhode Island. Also, I finally succumbed to the pressure and did an interview in my “native” tongue. But more importantly Matt and I put together a special edition newsletter, the MMRacing 12 Days of CXMas! Keep on reading to find out more!

This past weekend was the finale of the New England Pro Cylocross Series in Warwick, RI. The weather was once again beautiful, sunny and mild… a trend this season in New England. The racecourse was also another very fast track with a downhill sprint finish both days. I knew that I would be hard pressed to be able to beat the road racers/sprinters in a straight up battle, so I hoped that the running sections in the sand might be my one chance to prevent the race from coming down to a big sprint.

Unfortunately, neither day turned out the results I had hoped for, but I certainly hope the training will prepare me for the transition to the upcoming more technical courses in Bend, OR this weekend and Belgium in 10 days!

The short uphill start may have been a sign of the way the rest of the race would unfold as two riders veered in front of me rather than going straight up the road.  The pace was fast from the start on a very long paved stretch that unfolded onto the grass and then into the woods to the sandy beach run.

 
I took the lead on the run and drove the pace until we reemerged onto the pavement and the road racing tactics began to unfold. I had already made the mistake of racing as if I were on a more technical course where I may have been able to take an advantage.

However, with a team of three riders attacking the group while the more road savvy riders sat on wheels out of the wind, I was wasting energy and not paying attention to what the others were up to.

I was on the back of the train of riders when another racer slipped and fell on a short uphill section causing myself and one other rider to get gapped off of the main pack. My friend and I spent the remainder of the race painfully close to catching the leaders but were never able to latch back on.

In the end I was 7th, quite disappointed in the endless errors I had made misreading the race but hopeful that I could learn from them for the next day.

Fortunately, I was able to discuss Saturday’s race with Matt who is a very savvy road racer and has the mind to see and anticipate things before they even happen. It’s a game of tricks, outsmarting and tactics.  I tend to be impulsive, inattentive about what others are up to and frustrated that you can’t just train, be fast and try your best and have those factors dictate your results. I was able to pre-ride Sunday’s course with my good friend Adam who is also a cycling coach. He patiently helped me plan out my tactics for the day.

I was pleased to see a second beach run and much less pavement on Sunday but there was still a big downhill finish to contend with. I was also lucky to meet the very stylish seven and nine year old sisters, Marlee and Jillian. They both ride bikes and were big fans, cheering loudly for me both days. Thanks girls!

Immediately after the start, I pushed myself to get on the train of riders that were leading the race. Five of us quickly broke off from the rest of the pack. We all rode wheel-to-wheel through every section of the race.

I was able to recover on the running sections and turns. I knew that my only chance was to sprint the last running section, but I hesitated, fearing that it was still too far from the finish and I would expend energy I didn’t need to.

Unfortunately, I still wasn’t playing the game correctly and, instead of attacking, one of the riders bumped me after the sand causing a bit of a jam. Meanwhile another rider slipped on a corner allowing the eventual winner to have a gap. The rest of us came through the downhill in a sprint where I trailed the group in 5th. I wasn’t very pleased with my overall weekend but planned to use what I had learned for the next time.

This recipe comes from Lori Twitchell, of Lemons and Lavender, and is part of our Bake a Healthier Holiday promotion with California Olive Ranch.

Iced Sweet Potato and Orange-Spice Loaf

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground Nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground Cloves
• ¼ tsp ground Mace
• 3 extra-large Eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 tsp pure Vanilla Extract
• 2/3 cup California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil (grown at Artois Ranch)
• ½ cup Golden Brown Sugar (do not use dark brown sugar)
• ½ cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup roasted and mashed Sweet Potato
• 2 Tbsp Whole Milk
• 2 tsp Orange Zest
• ½ cup chopped Pecans
• Orange Icing (recipe below)

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and grease and flour standard size ( 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ ) loaf pan.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, add flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and mace, and mix together with a whisk.  Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held mixer, add eggs and blend on medium speed until well mixed.  Add vanilla.  With mixer running on medium speed slowly pour extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream into the bowl until fully incorporated with the eggs and vanilla.
4. Add sugars, mashed sweet potato, orange zest, and milk and mix until combined.
5. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix just until combined.  Do not over mix.
6. Add chopped pecans and fold into batter by hand.
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and place into preheated oven for 55 minutes to 1 hour. The loaf is done when a wooden skewer is inserted and removed and a few crumbs remain.
8. Cool loaf in pan for 10 minutes before removing to cooling rack. Loaf must be completely cooled before icing.
9. Makes 1 loaf.

ORANGE ICING

• 2 cups Confectioner’s Sugar, sifted
• 2 Tbsp fresh Orange Juice
• 2 tsp Whole Milk
• ½ tsp Orange Zest

1. Mix all ingredients together with a wooden spoon and pour over loaf.  Icing will be thick.

• 6 ounces premium Bittersweet (72% or higher) Dark Chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Powder
• 1 Vanilla Bean Pod, scraped (or 1tsp pure vanilla extract)
• ¼ tsp Cream of Tartar
• ¼ cup California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Arbosana Olive Oil
• ¾ cup Sugar (divided into ½ and ¼ cup measurements)
• 4 Eggs, separated
• ¾ cup Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour

We’re giving away a copy of the Bob’s Red Mill Baking Book this week and I wanted to feature a recipe from it for Meatless Mondays. Unfortunately, since it’s a baking book and not a cookbook, it’s full of delicious and decadent recipes and not many that are suitable for a meatless meal unto themselves. I finally settled on this simple cracker recipe that would go well with a bowl of chili or tomato soup. These would also be lovely additions to your next holiday gathering and how impressed would your guests (or hosts) be if you said that you made crackers just for the occasion?? Pretty darn impressed I would think. Take these to the next level by adding a teaspoon of dried herbs with the dry ingredients.

Cornmeal & Cheddar Crackers

• 2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 6 Tbsp unsalted Butter, softened
• 2/3 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup Cornmeal, fine or medium grind
• 1/4 tsp Salt

In a food processor, process the cheese with the butter, pulsing until combined. Add the flour, cornmeal and salt and process until a dough begins to form.

Roll the dough into a ball, then divide it in half and roll each half into a log, about 1-1/2 inches around. Wrap the logs in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.

Slice the logs thinly and place the dough circles on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until just brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

Now for the giveaway. Follow the directions in the application below. In the comments section, tell us what your favorite thing is to bake. If you don’t like baking, tell us what your favorite dish is to cook. THEN, make sure you click on “I did this” to be entered.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

When the weather outside is frightful, a hot bowl of cereal is delightful…

Excuse the cheesiness, but isn’t that the truth? It’s hard to get excited about a cold bowl of miscellaneous flakes when the temperatures are dropping. There is something unappealing about pouring cold milk onto cold cereal when snow is collecting outside. Around here, nothing gets us out of bed on a drizzly day like a hot bowl of our favorite whole grain cereal.

Freezing weather or not, whole grain hot cereal is an ideal way to kick off any day. With the staying power of whole grains, hot cereal can warm you up and keep you going through the morning. The fiber and protein found in our hot cereals keep blood sugar from spiking (and consequently crashing) and help promote healthy digestion.

Truth is, most of us also like a touch of sugar, milk and/or butter with our hot cereal. A little sugar is fine for most of us; try to make the choice to add these things in moderation. We’ve collected some suggestions for taking your hot cereal to the next level of delicious, but still keep your breakfast on the healthy side.

• Add nut butter (peanut, almond, etc) or an egg to your cereal to boost flavor and protein and really kick start your day with a breakfast that will fuel you until lunch.

• Add some flaxseed meal, chia seed, hemp seed or pumpkin seed to increase your fiber and omega-3 intake to support a healthy heart.

• Fresh, frozen or dried fruit also make a great addition to boost flavor and add vitamins and antioxidants.

• Add a few tablespoons of canned (or fresh) pumpkin for a decadent, holiday-themed breakfast. Pumpkin is loaded with Vitamin A, Potassium, and Zinc, making it a great addition to a whole grain breakfast.

• Adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to your cereal will aid in stabilizing your blood sugar, not to mention that a little cinnamon can add a big flavor boost.
• Take it savory! Try this: add shredded cheese, sliced green onions, a dash of salsa and top with an egg for delicious and healthy Mexican dish.

Still want some inspiration? Try one of these recipes for a truly special breakfast.

• Hot Toddy Porridge (featuring Steel Cut Oats)
• Creamy Wheat Berry Hot Cereal
• Morning Couscous with Oranges and Dates (use whole wheat couscous to boost the nutritional profile)
• Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa
• Breakfast Polenta with Chorizo and Queso Fresco

After getting home from Louisville, I took a much-needed day off of work and a nice training / recovery week followed by a weekend at home to clear out my head cold. I was feeling recovered enough by the following Sunday to get in a nice workout and begin my prep for the Jingle Cross Rock races. Immediately after Thanksgiving, Matt and I would be heading to Iowa City for three days of important UCI races including a points-heavy Category-1 UCI race on the third day.

We had decided to travel on the Friday after Thanksgiving so that we could have a nice holiday meal with Matt’s family. Thursday morning, Matt joined me in the woods for my pre-race training ride before heading home to whip up a “whatever’s in the pantry” casserole for Thanksgiving. I settled on a butternut squash, kale and stuffing casserole, which is the Recipe of the Week.

The race on Friday was scheduled for 6:30 PM, so that morning we took a 6:30 AM flight to Chicago followed by a three hour drive to Iowa City. As usual, Matt plugged in the addresses of the local food Co-op as well as several veggie restaurants and cafes into the GPS ahead of time. Arriving in Iowa City a little after noon, we picked up some lunch and breakfast foods and settled into the hotel before heading to the race venue a few hours later.

In addition to taking care of my bikes, Matt was working for the Cannondale Cyclocrossworld team for the weekend as well and they generously allowed me to use their warm tent for my pre-race prep. As always, the crew from the Rapha Focus Team and SRAM Neutral Race Support were generous in offering their assistance – thanks guys!

I’ve only done one other nighttime race and I was happy to hear that the course would be well lit! It sounds a bit scary to be racing your bike down a hillside in the dark! The temperature was around 50 degrees and the course was fast and dry but had a big, long climb up the infamous Mt. Krumpet and some challenging technical sections. I knew that I would be a bit slow to get going since I hadn’t raced in two weeks but I had a good warm up and a front row start.

The pace from the start was very fast and within two laps, there was a large group of nine of us together off the front. I was feeling my limit on the long, flat straight-aways but was able to pull it back together on the run and the technical bits.

With two laps to go, the group was pulling apart and I was holding steady in 4th place, hoping to move ahead to the podium spots. In the end though, I held my position and finished in 4th place. I was now warmed up, the cobwebs cleared and ready for two more days of racing. I hoped weather radar was right and that the impending rain would be in my favor the next day.

That night we headed out for dinner in town and found Masala Vegetarian Indian Restaurant. It was a fantastic meal and the staff was very nice.We were pretty impressed by this small Mid-Western city!

We awoke to a steady drizzle and before heading to the venue, we popped into one of the cafes Matt had found, called the Fair Grounds Coffehouse. It was an all vegan café with great coffee and a full breakfast menu. We had already eaten but I purchased a tasty looking gingerbread cupcake for after the race!

Overnight rain and morning drizzle had made the course incredibly slippery but not actually muddy. During my pre-ride, the bike was sliding all over the course but not gathering up any sticky mud. Unless the conditions changed leading up to my race, the pace would still be fast. It would be a game of quick accelerations, maintaining speed on the long straight-aways and trying to not make any mistakes that could cost valuable time.

Unfortunately, I felt as though I was not reading the course very well and kept making little mistakes and judgment errors in my timing on and off the bike. I was able to move into 3rd place but was not confident in my position as another rider caught me in the last lap.

We fought for that last podium spot but I wasn’t able to close the gap in the finishing sprint and took another 4th place. I was disappointed that I simply did not ride my bike well, considering the slippery conditions. However, I was feeling more energetic and “opened up” after the second day and hoped that would translate into a stronger race for the Category-1 event on Sunday.

That night, we headed to the local laundromat, Spin City, where there were about 15 other cyclists washing their muddy clothes. We joined Jessica (THE wife of the My Wife Inc cyclocross team and pro cupcake baker) and had a blast getting to know her. After the laundry was done, we headed out to The Red Avocado for dinner. Normally we stay in a hotel with a kitchen and I cook all of our meals, but we had only found a regular hotel near the venue, so we decided to check out some of the local restaurants. This place was fantastic and a perfect way to end a long muddy day.

We were impressed enough by the menu and coffee at Fair Grounds that we went back for breakfast on Sunday. I got a giant waffle with strawberries and Matt got a tofu scramble burrito. Both were delicious and it was nice to have a relaxing morning with the local café dwellers and the weird counter guy in the pseudo-military-safari outfit.

The rain had stopped overnight, the temperatures had dropped to 35º and the winds picked up. However, the damage from the rain was done and the course was truly muddy, sticky and more difficult on day 3. I was feeling ready for the challenge and took off at the start sitting in the top five riders.

Within two laps, one rider was off the front and the rest of us were fighting for position especially up the long run and climbing sections. With one lap to go, I was able to move from 4th to 3rd place. The leader was fading a bit and I was able to catch her and take the lead for half of the penultimate lap before another rider joined me.

On the last lap, the three of us remained very close. I was trying to not make any mistakes but slipped out on one corner allowing a small gap to open up. I recovered from the spill and dug deep, dropping the third placed rider and chasing for the leader. In the end I took second place, 7 seconds down on the winner. I was pleased to have my first podium result of the season and to do so at at C1 UCI event made it all the more special.

To make my finish that much sweeter, Matt tracked down a guy who had been walking around with the cutest little puppy. He brought the puppy into the finishing stretch and seconds after I turned around and before I even had a second to wipe the mud off of my face, the puppy was jumping up on me and, well, slobbering all over me. Thanks, Matt (and puppy guy)!

After a press conference for the podium of the men’s and women’s races, Matt and I helped pack up the Cannondale truck. We eventually headed back to Chicago and spent the night in a hotel near the airport to make it easier to be on time for our 7am flight to Boston. We had an uneventful flight back home but by 3 that afternoon, our 4AM wake up call really had me dragging! Luckily for me I took the day off to recover… of course, Matt went into the lab for the rest of the day.