November is usually the time in the racing season to start to reflect upon how things are going. It’s also the time of the season where you want things to “click” and really be coming together nicely in preparation for the next 6-8 weeks before Nationals. As I am looking back on the last eight weeks of racing, I can definitely say that I am feeling stronger and more comfortable racing harder this season. I can also say the competition just keeps getting faster and for some unseen reason I keep running into a bit of bad luck. So, despite my improvements, my results are not where I would like them and I’d like to shake the little black cloud now, please.

We left a very mild, rainy Boston and arrived in Louisville late on Thursday evening to chilly temperatures and dry air. It was a bit of a surprise to have it so chilly, but the weekend forecast looked mild and dry. Too bad for me as I was looking for some mud to race in because I have only had one muddy race so far this season!

Friday morning we ran our errands to the grocery store and then headed to the venue for a pre ride. By this time I was feeling some of the telltale signs of a head cold coming on, but thought if I just ignored it, it might go away until after the racing was over.

Getting to the venue the day before the races is a really nice thing to do when we can. Not only do I get the oppotunity to see the course with very little obstruction, but we also get to catch up with our cyclocross family. It’s always good to see SRAM Neutral Race Support super-mechanic and good friend Jose and his daughter Piera.

Despite my pre-cold omens, I felt pretty good on the pre ride.  The course would be fast, technical in some sections and promised to be a real fight in the stacked 50-plus-rider field.

That night we headed out to a new vegetarian restaurant, Roots. We had been to another restaurant by the same owner in years past and the new place was delicious Asian food with in-house made fresh tofu.

At the table next to us we struck up a conversation a fantastic guy named LaMarr visiting from Baltimore.  We had a great night sharing stories of our vegetarian travels.  LaMarr is the president and founder of an amazing organization, the Urban Leadership Institute, a social enterprise based in Baltimore, Maryland. ULI aims to empower youth and adults to create and launch their own enterprises, and through these enterprises, to take greater responsibility for their lives and communities.  Take a minute and check it out.  Great people doing great things.

The morning of the race , I knew I was fighting a cold but still was feeling OK on the bike during my warm up. However, after the first lap of the race when I had begun to dig deep, my energy tank was feeling pretty empty. I started to fade back several spots. My legs were achy and sore and despite a good nights sleep, I was feeling tired. I gave it everything I had but was never really able to dig deep, finishing a disappointing 18th place.

That night I took a hot bath, drank a lot of fluids and made dinner at home. I emailed my coach to let him know that I was under the weather and we decided to play the next day by ear and see how I felt.

If I were at home, I would have skipped training in favor of resting, but being at the race venue and coming all that way meant that I would toe the line and at least give some representation to my fantastic sponsors who make it possible for me to do this! Huge thanks to Bob’s Red Mill and Seven Cycles!

Despite a mostly sleepless night, I started the race and had a very good position into the first technical sections. I was able to stay in a decent spot for one lap but quickly faded again. Into the second lap I knew there was very little benefit to continue the race and would only be disappointed that I was unable to give it an honest effort, so I pulled the plug. I headed back to the car to blow my nose for the 100th time, to get some fluids and rest.

I was able to walk around and spectate the men’s race while Matt worked with the Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld team.  I took a handful of photos and watched the lines the men took at the trickier sections.  As the race started to wind down, I was getting a bit feverish.  I knew I had made the right call to end my race early.

That night we packed up and had another nice dinner at home before heading out to the movies. It’s something we always say we’ll do when we are at the races, but it’s the first time we actually did it! It was quite a nice way to wrap up an otherwise crappy weekend.

Back at home, I took a sick day from work and rested as much as possible and by mid week, I’m feeling close to 100%.  I’ll have this coming weekend off from racing and I’m excited for a little family get together at my sister’s house. Matt will be attending his first RAAM conference in NYC…stay tuned for more details on his next HUGE adventure!

I love music. As I kid, when the New England weather was really crappy, I roller skated in my basement to Diana Ross and spun awesome 80s hits on my record player. I made mix tapes in high school and college and decorated the tape covers. Now I download music, burn CDs and make monthly playlists.

Listening to music gets my legs spinning and gets me psyched to race! Music also helps me keep what’s left of my sanity when I’m stuck inside riding Mr. Trainer or the rollers when it’s 20 below and snowing outside.

November 2011 playlist:

• Intro: The XX
• Arrow: Tegan and Sara
• Ageless Beauty: Stars
• Kids: MGMT
• Sick Muse: Metric
• Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough: Michael Jackson
• Hidden Track: Scissor Sisters
• Gold Guns Girls: Metric
• Ursula 1000-Disko Tech: Ursula 1000
• Where Does the Good Go: Tegan and Sara
• All Fired Up: Pat Benatar (she’s making a comeback, btw)
• Galang, M.I.A.

Looking for new music? John Richards’ Morning Show on KEXP is a must listen; NPR’s All Songs Considered features live concerts, new artists and old favorites; and Pandora’s Funk station is super fun, especially at dance parties.

Tune in to music—it’s good for your soul.

If you ask me there is no more fun version of bike racing to watch than cyclocross.  Road racing is great if you’re an aficionado or have a really long time to sit in front of the television.  But cross?  Cross is pure magic bike racing fun.  And most likely it’s happening in a park near you all fall long.

What do you need to have a super duper spectator experience?

Boots.  Splendid, warm boots to keep your toes toasty when you are stomping around in the mud and rain.  The cyclocross boot of choice is the Wellington.  Nice tall waterproof rubber boots.  Pick em in traditional hunter green for a classic look or something a bit more colorful if you’re looking to make a statement.  When it’s truly cold and wet look for chemical warmers to put in your wellie’s first.  The racers may be mud-covered and hypothermic but your feet will be nice and warm!  Boots should be worn with a puffy jacket, wool socks and preferably something waterproof.  A hat with a frog on it is always the right accessory.

Cowbell. Cross is about noise. Clanging cowbells to encourage riders up slippery run-ups.  Cowbell to encourage riders up off the ground when they tumble in the mud.  If playing in the mud makes us all feel like kids again then making a ton of noise just adds to the fun.   And of course more cowbell…well just because we all need more cowbell. (Watch how much these cows love their cowbell.)

Quality taunts and heckles.   One of the most fun ways to watch cross is to stake out your territory on the course – preferably at a run up or barrier section and watch the action lap after lap.  After a lap or two you’ll recognize the riders and it’s important to taunt them for encouragement.  See a rider with longish hair ripping the legs off the field?  Perhaps start a chant of HIGLANDER every time he comes through.  Believe me, it helps!

A STANLEY Vacuum bottle / mug.   They’re awesome.  You can take your Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut oats and put them in your trusty STANLEY with hot water the night before the race and voila!  in the morning oats are ready.  Take ‘em on the go and you’ve got a hot breakfast to keep you warm at the races and you’ll be there on time.   Once the oatmeal is done, rinse that bad boy out, fill it with hot coffee and you’ve got hot beverages all day until you are ready to….

…Switch to Beer.  Beer is an essential element of the cross spectator experience.  And no crappy light beers allowed.  Cross is Belgian in tradition – and those Belgians do NOT drink Michelob Ultra.  Find yourself  your favorite tasty Belgian quaff and enjoy.  Just make sure you shut it down in time to get yourself home responsibly.  No wonder this is the most fun type of cycling to watch.

So now you’re armed.  Your belly is full of oats, your feet are warm, you’ve had a few beers and your pity taunts and heckles are at the ready.  You’ve staked out the action during the amateur racing.  It’s time to watch the pros.   Oh.  They’re faster.  Much faster.  And there is a ton of action to catch.  Time for your workout.  Stake out a spot near the first turn – the holeshot.  Watch the mayhem as the riders fight to make it through the turn first AND upright.  Then it’s time to book it to the first interesting course element.  Barrier section?  Run up?  Sand pits?   Race across the course in time to see the race action come through.  Hang out.  Drink a beer there.  Hear a ton of noise coming from elsewhere ?  Time to head in that direction.

…insert serious race talk here… please, please cross the course in pursuit of exciting race action at the pre-determined official course crossings.   They’re there for your safety and the safety of the people racing.  Nobody wants to get clobbered by a racer who runs them over because they’re crossing the course where they shouldn’t….

Check out the next section and the next.  Watching cross is active, kinetic.  You get to run around and check out all the interesting, fun, technical or tactical sections.  Or at the very least, the sections where people fall down a lot.  Have fun.

Suddenly you’ll hear a bell.   If you’re at one of my races you’ll hear ONE TO GO ONE TO GO ONE TO GO.  Time to head to the finish line.   Cheer like mad and ring your cowbell when the mud covered winner comes down the finishing straight.

So. Much. Fun.

And remember:

After returning from the Czech Republic, we decided to take the following weekend off from racing to tackle the chest high laundry pile, get back to my clients and get Matt back into the lab! We had a freak snowstorm over that weekend which meant that there would be really muddy racing in New Jersey. I was torn about taking the weekend off but stuck to it and enjoyed a little downtime and some solid training without getting in a moving vehicle.

The next race I had lined up was the CycleSmart International, part of the Shimano New England Pro Cyclocross Series in Northampton, MA. Northampton had received about 20 inches of snow in the Sunday storm, but I knew by the following Saturday it would be gone. In the 21 year history of the CSI race, it has never rained and it has always been an especially fast, flat race course.

When the weekend arrived, it was sunny, warm and dry. I was ready for some very fast, dynamic pack-style racing, much like a crit, but on grass!

As expected, when we arrived on Saturday morning, all traces of snow had disappeared.  The Nor’easter that clobbered Northampton a week prior was a distant memory.  After I took my customary course inspection, we packed up the mud tires and got my go-to dry condition tires, the Challenge Griffos, ready to go.

I had a good start to the race, mixing it up with the top three riders right off the line.  Unfortunately, I ended up taking a corner a little too tight and clipped my pedal resulting in what was more of a stumble than a crash.

In doing so, I knocked the chain off of the chainring and fumbled for a while to get it back on.  This seemed to take forever. By the time I got it back on I was almost last.  The front of the race was long gone and I would really have to dig deep if I wanted to salvage my race.

The course was already super fast and a pack of five racers was on the front driving the pace. I was able to move up several spots each lap and finally made my way to 9th place by the finish.  I had used up a bit more energy than I would have liked given there was still a second day of racing ahead.

Rather than stay in Northampton for what always seems like a lousy nights’ sleep, we headed back to Boston for the launch of the 2012 Seven Cycles bicycle line.  Matt gave the Mo-Honey a quick wash and we delivered it to the party so all could gawk at it.  Seven dropped the 2012 catalog that night as well.  Like the bikes they make, the catalog is a work of art.

There are a bunch of great pictures of Matt from the Green Mountain Double Century and some of me on my Mudhoney.  You can get a catalog of your own by visiting the Ride Studio Café or by requesting one here.

I was resigned to having a better go of it on Sunday in Northampton.  Although there were some changes to the course from the previous day, it was still super fast and smooth racing. I had a strong start and sat in third place for a few laps.

By the third lap, there was a group of four of us chasing the leader. Although we all tried to pass one another and get a gap in the rideable sand sections, it came down to the last lap where the riders with the most power turned it up.

I finished in 5th place, just about where I expected but feeling a bit of fatigue from the previous days effort. That night Matt had a late time point in the lab so we headed to the lab for a few hours and grabbed dinner at a new local restaurant in the area to wrap up the weekend.

Among my riding friends my deep aversion to cold temperatures is well documented.  I don’t think I have ever been close to over-heating.

I like to be warm when I ride.  This of course poses a challenge come fall and winter.  So my favorite fall gear is not made of carbon fiber.  It’s made of roubaix fleece and merino wool.   Things that keep me warm and cozy as the temperatures drop.

It’s not miserable now.  But cold enough for me to worry about keeping warm especially on the longer rides.  These ¾ length bibs from Rapha rule my fall riding universe.  They’re fleecy in the legs and the bib portion comes up nice and high – giving my chest a nice extra bit of coverage.  Excellent for the cold induced asthma!  The jersey rules too…merino wool blend is the bestest for the cool temps in my book.  It keeps you toasty, it wears great and is breathes really well.  Throw on a merino hat, light gloves; windsocks and you’ve got the right gear for comfortable fall riding.

Boo.  Trainer days are here awfully early this year. On today’s playlist my fetish for 1990’s electronica reveals itself:

• Get the Party Started:  Shirley Bassey
• First Impression:  Haik Naltchayan
• Start House: Haik Naltchayan
• Monaco: Haik Naltchayan
• Love vs Hate: Gus Gus
• Bird 1:  Underworld
• Imperpetuem Mobila:  Patient Saints
• Serpent’s Fruit: The Opus
• Ignoring Pain: Haik Naltchayan
• Baptism: Crystal Castles
• Intimate: Crystal Castles
• Not Going Home:  Faithless
• Feel Me:  Faithless
• Sun to Me:  Faithless
• Dark and Long:  Underworld
• Spoonman:  Underworld
• Suburban Train:  Tiesto
• Played –A-Live:  Safri Duo
• The Rhythm of the Heat:  Peter Gabriel
• Bilko:  Peter Gabriel
• Lift Me Up:  Moby
• Love Game:  Lady Gaga
• Elements:  Danny Teneglia
• Obsidian:  Banco de Gaia
• Apollo:  Alan Parson’s Project
• Dinosaur Adventure:  Underworld
• Moaner:  Underworld
• Time’s Running Out:  Cirrus

Last week we set off to the Czech Republic for the first two World Cup races of the season. I was looking forward to the challenging race courses and the chance to compete against the toughest competition in the world. In addition to our stays at the race venues, we had booked a studio apartment in Prague and planned to spend the five days between the two races training and being tourists. It bears repeating that this trip would not have been possible without the amazing support of our sponsors. Thanks, Bob’s Red Mill ! Thanks, Seven Cycles.

We arrived in Prague a bit exhausted from lack of sleep on the overnight flight. I can’t imagine the parents or the child that cried the entire plane trip felt much better. We stumbled our way through the airport happy to have all of our luggage (two bags, two bikes, and ten wheels!) arrive safely.  We grabbed the rental car and navigated our way to the apartment we had rented.

In spite of the maze-like cobbled streets of Prague, our arrival was a smooth one.  Matt unpacked the bikes and I headed out for a quick ride.  After a little rest, we crossed the Charles Bridge for dinner at one of the many vegetarian restaurants in the city. I opted for the vegetarian take on a classic Czech goulash.

The next day, we packed the car back up and headed to Plzen or Pilsen, home of Pilsner Urquell beer and the site of the first World up race of the season.

On Saturday, we were greeted by several familiar faces as I pre-rode the course. The US had sent a full women’s roster and several men to the event and we were all able to meet up and check in with one another before the racing began. I was also lucky enough to get in a lap on the course with my old friend Tim Johnson and was thankful for the pointers he generously offered. It was going to be a tough course with a lot of pedaling and power and a few punchy hills to really work the legs.

Based on my points from the previous season, my start position was close to the back row, making for an especially tricky start.  It was going to be really tough to get into a good spot on the first lap.

Unfortunately, my start was not as strong as I would have liked and I was in the back of the group coming through the first technical sections. I avoided some crashed riders and began the chase to pass as many people as I could each lap to move into the top groups.

It’s always cool (and motivating!) to hear people cheering your name.  It’s especially cool when you’re racing in the Czech Republic and there are people cheering for you.  Partway through the race I heard someone yell, “Happy Birthday, Mo!”  It was last week. Thanks, guy!

With every passing lap, I was riding stronger and stronger. I was able to pass enough riders to get myself into 20th position by the finish. I was hoping for a top 15 and knew that I’d have to improve my start next week to get into the mix.

In between the World Cups, Matt and I stayed in Prague. Our studio apartment was in the Malá Strana section of Prague with the castle (the Hrad) looming above us each time we left the building.

Although training was a big part of my daily routine, Matt and I still managed to experience Prague by exploring a new section of the city or visiting a museum nearly every day. Highlights included Petrin Hill, the John Lennon Wall, the Kampa Museum and the Museum of Young Art.

After a full week of touring the amazing sights of Prague, training in beautiful city parks and enjoying a few surprise eateries, we headed to Tabor for the next World Cup. I had been to Tabor two years before for the World Championships when it was covered in snow and ice. This time, though, the course was dry and very fast with some leg sapping climbs. I felt confident that I could have a better start and hoped that I would have a better result come race day.

The weather had turned very cloudy and chilly for the start of the race but there wasn’t a drop of rain to be had.  The course was hard-packed and the race would be smoking fast.

Off the line I settled in the top 15 and spent the first three laps swapping places back and forth with several other riders as everyone fought for every single spot and every inch of room on the course.

With two laps to go I was leading a large group of about six riders. Everyone was pushing the pace and trying to create some time gaps. Each time one rider made an error, another one of us would take the advantage until the last lap when the pace began to pull the group apart.

I finished 18th for the day a bit disappointed to not have been able to secure a top 15 spot but pleased with my best World Cup finish to date.

Oh, by the way, apparently my ride in Tabor did not go unoticed. Colt at CyclingDirt named me the “Jump of the Week” in his weekly “Who’s #1″ cross rankings. Check out the video clip here. Thanks, Colt!

Living in the Midwest, a region that undeniably has 4 very distinct seasons, one is presented with the full spectrum of riding conditions. In the past year I’ve worn ice socks down the back of my jersey for training in July and snowplowed down untouched roads in remote areas in January. Being able to ride, and ride safely in any type of weather condition that Mother Nature can throw at you requires one thing: preparation.  When I say preparation, I mean preparation on every possible level. Today I want to look at what you can do to ensure safety and enjoyment on all of your fall and winter rides during the cyclocross season.

The first thing you’ve got to do is do a little bit of research as to what exactly you’re getting yourself into. By that I mean pull up your preferred weather outlet on your phone or computer, or even cue up the local news if you’re into that sort of thing. Regardless, you’ve got to know what you’ll be up against so you can plan your next steps accordingly. For our ride today, let’s just say that we’ve got a “Midwest Special”, 39 degrees and raining.  In my opinion, this is just about as bad as it gets. I HATE being wet.

When riding in the cold and rain you’ve got to think about your extremities. My two favorite strategies for keeping my feet and hands comfortable are both cheap and easy. I don’t own any high-dollar waterproof booties or shoecovers, but I sure do have a few pair of DeFEET oversocks and some plastic grocery bags. Quite simply jam your foot into the bottom of that grocery bag, tear a hole in the bottom so your cleat can get into your pedal, then cover the whole mess with your shoecover or oversocks. Now you’ve got yourself some very capable and very cheap waterproof booties! As for your hands, I would recommend a similar strategy involving thin plastic or rubber-like gloves. What you’re looking for is something that you can keep the water out of you regular gloves. You have a few options here, depending on how particular you are with your hands and gloves situation. I like to put one pair rubber gloves on first, then a pair of thin wool gloves, and then on top of it all, another pair of the thin rubber gloves. Your hands might get a little prune-like from the lack of breathability in this set up, but it should provide maximum comfort and sustained feeling in your fingers, while your competition is sitting on the couch. Oh, and to top it all off, makes sure to throw on some sort of waterproof rain cape and a cycling cap and your riding attire should be spot on.

Now that your body is ready to go, you’ve got to get your bike up to the task as well. The first item, an absolute must for your bicycle, is a set of fenders. I rode for a long time without fenders on my bike, and I had no clue what I was missing. It opened up a whole new world of possibilities for riding in adverse conditions. I use a set of SKS Raceblade fenders that can be easily mounted and removed in the span of 2 minutes. When you’re riding in the freezing rain, you don’t realize how much of the discomfort comes from having your feet and backside constantly soaked with water coming off of your tires. A good set of fenders are worth their weight in gold! The final adjustment I make to my bike for riding in foul weather is lowering the tire pressure. When it’s cold and rainy and the roads are covered with leaves and other debris from the trees, you need all of the grip you can get, and grip comes from tire contact. I like to run my 25c training tires around 75-80 psi during the winter because it offers a much smoother ride and also gives a nice solid contact area between the tire and the road. The next time that you go out, experiment with lower tire pressure and I bet you’ll find your steed becomes more sure-footed as you get down under that 100 psi mark.

The final aspect of safe and enjoyable late season riding comes from how you ride your bike. When you’re riding in adverse conditions, you’re bike and tires aren’t exactly performing up to their summer standard. And by this I mean, your bike doesn’t stop as quickly, and you’ve got less traction at your disposal. With these factors you need to be alert and thinking, as well as looking, down the road so that you can anticipate any situations that may be coming your way. You’ve got to be processing information about leaves on the road, a corner with painted lines in the middle of a steep descent, really surveying the situation with a critical eye and riding conservatively through those obstacles.

Like I said, it’s all about being prepared. If you’re dressed for success, your bike is doing its part, and you’re mentally prepared for the obstacles that you might encounter, you’ll be having more than your share of fun and safe rides even when the sun isn’t shining.

I’ve had some of the best races of my life at Roger Williams Park in Providence, RI. At the 2005 Cyclocross National Championships, I won the Master’s 30-34 National Championship and earned a bronze medal in the Elite Women’s race the next day. I’ve also had some of the worst races there. It all depends on the weather and the course design that the promoters are using on a given year.

Truly amazing cyclocross racers can race any course in any conditions with the same results. I aspire to be that well rounded, but truth be told, I lack mass and power and sometimes get a bit bored on courses that aren’t technically challenging if not at least muddy. I’m much less interested in learning race tactics and playing games than I am in simply racing my guts out. As American Cyclocross develops, there is a trend towards a style of course dubbed “American Style” which for me means I have to change my stubborn ways and learn to race properly on whatever course comes my way.

The forecast called for lots of sun and 80 degree temperatures.  It was unseasonably warm for a ‘cross race and the preceding dry spell meant that the course would be fast and dry. I had a decent start and sat behind the race leaders until the high pace caused a small gap to open up. I found myself with three other riders chasing the lead three and we were closing in on a tiring third place. My legs felt good and I was feeling confident that I would be able to put in a good fight for at least fourth place.

Racing in a pack involves anticipating the moves of the other riders and finding out where you have the advantage over them. There were enough turns in the course that might allow me a gap if I could be patient, find the right time and make my move…..but wait! A 20-foot section of course tape, broken by a crashed rider on the first lap, had been flapping around for the last 30 minutes and when I took a corner wide, it was sucked into my rear cassette and jammed my bike completely.

Not only was I out of my group, I was passed by three more riders as I attempted to free the tape from my wheel. Rather than run ¾ of a lap to the pit, I rode my bike with one gear that was skipping all the way around to the pit. After swapping bikes, I gave it my all but it was the last lap and I was unable to gain back any of the spots I had lost. 10th. I was really hoping the promoters would go back to one of the older style courses that was more technical for day 2!

No such luck on getting a more technical version of the course for Day 2. It was actually the least technical course I’ve ridden to date with about 1.5 km of pavement (roughly half of the course), which is far more than the norm. Later, we had heard that the park arborist requested that the course not be routed too close to the trees both days due to erosion from Hurricane Irene the previous month. The ENTIRE park is filled with trees.

I had a solid start and for the first three laps I was in a group of about ten riders in a paceline like a road race. I was even running out of gears where the pavement went downhill before coming onto the grass.

Needless to say, 80-degree temps and non-stop fast pedaling took its toll and the group began to pull apart. I gave it what I had but was passed by one rider in the last lap and ended up 7th.

This week’s farm share was jam packed with early fall goodness: pumpkin, arugula, fingerling potatoes, garlic and heirloom tomatoes.

I opened my refrigerator and found pre-cooked rice and garbanzo beans staring me in the face, so I threw this together for lunch.

Pesto:

• Arugula (1 cup)
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (a handful, pre-roasted)
• Garlic (1 large clove)
• Olive oil (drizzle into the food processor until the pesto reaches desired consistency)
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Place arugula, pumpkin seeds and garlic in a food processor. Pulse. Drizzle in olive oil while food processor is on. Add salt and pepper. Pulse. Voila, pesto!

1. Prepared brown rice, Bob’s Red Mill Long Grain Brown Rice. Follow directions on package. Make extra rice and store in your frig.
2. Prepared Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Beans. Follow directions on package. Make extra beans and store in your frig.
3. Roasted pumpkin. Peel, cut and de-seed pumpkin. Toss with olive oil and sea salt. Roast in oven at 400°F degrees for 35-45 minutes. Store roasted pumpkin in frig.
4. Chop a farm fresh tomato. If it’s not tomato season, skip adding the tomato. Out of season tomatoes are mushy and taste terrible.

Grab your favorite bowl. Fill with brown rice, arugula pesto, garbanzo beans and roasted pumpkin. Top with chopped tomato, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Enjoy!