It's been a muddy Season

My next race to end my 2015/16 cross season will be Nationals in two weeks in Asheville, NC. We've had a great cross season  here in North Texas.

Day-1, , Six Shooter  Got Lucky made the top step in Manor, Tx

I started my cross season with the local Wednesday nighters at the end of September and lined up for my first State Cup Series race the first weekend in October at the Six Shooter. The following weekend would have us racing local in Ft.Worth . I would consider this  power course with it's wide open grass ; elevation changes with some  technical features. It was a fun course put on by Smooth Operator; Colonels' Bicycles.  The next weekend had us racing two different series Saturday at Knobbies & Slicks at a new venue in Keller. It had a bit of everything, a lot of turns, belgian stairs, a sand pit. Then making the drive that night for Kim Ciolli/Market City's race in Webberville,Tx.   Webberville had a great vibe, I especially loved the commentating , it was a very challenging course. With a Big pay for the women. What's not to like here, and the ladies took notice . The women's fields were stacked in all fields.

Me, Jess ; Penny 'Badger' At the Weekly Wednesday Night Cross hosted by Kodiac Tough, Dallas Bike Works, Bicycle Plus, Cadence Cyclery, Richardson Bike Mart, Kevin 's Spinistry for the Scoring

Day-2, Podium Austin' Six Shooter 

Jess,Jenny and I cooling down at Six Shooter

Day-1 Smooth Operator/Colonels in Ft.Worth,Tx. Cat taking the Win, Lisa Uranga  and Jessica Smith rounding out the podium. 

Knobbies & Slicks Keller,Tx ,Austin Vivid Photography 

With a much needed  weekend off of racing before going into my favorite venue, Spooky Cross.  Held on Halloween weekend. It had rained over night causing this already technical course super challenging. My fitness was finally coming around and I was feeling excited for Derby cup.  Our first UCI race in Louisville ,KY.   The next two races would have us in Tulsa, Ok . However, not back to back weekends. Two top notch events.  Staying closer to home the next two weekends Resolution in Garland that had us riding in super muddy ,and slick ground and parts were just  underwater. 
Then there was Highlander Cup in Waco,  topping one of the hardest race courses I've ever ridden.  "bring your climbing legs" is how bike course designer Ian Moore put it. Having great ladies to race week after week in the area is so exciting. The sport is really growing, and I fall in love with it a bit  more every year. I've been fortunate to have the support of a Crew, my husband Toby, Dallas Bike Works, Boyd Wallace, Mack Mckinney, Jason Vivian , Mavic, Gabe Aguilar Velo Republic, local bike shop in Denton,Tx. 

Day-2 Smooth Operator/Colonel's Race Cat in 2,Lisa 3rd, Kim Chance 4th Missy Hardaman 5th

Market City's Webberville , Start of the Race coming back off the pavement

Highlander, Day-1, This was a 12 Belgian Stairs in Waco ,TX

Day-2 Super Happy Me taking the Win both days at Spooky Cross  

Hurtland, Tulsa, OK 

Somewhere.. driving home from Tulsa

Toby's podium at Spooky

Toby's Podium 

Resolution Cross, Garland Texas just finishing on day-1. 

Another great photo captured by Derrick Birdsall  , Coming in with speed to the barriers that were added to the pro categories at Resolution Cross Day-1. 

Resolution Cross photo by Derrick Birdsall , This was probably the hardest part of the course, having to run up to speed on a slight uphill after running the Belgian Stairs. Thanks to Ian Moore for the course difficulty . 

Day-1 Ft.Worth entering the 'single track' 

Highlander Cup, Waco,Tx day-2, first lap 

Smooth Operator/Colonels Ft.Worth, Tx. ,Ben Sewell captured this great photo of Carlson heckling Cat & I on day 2. 

Start at Derby Cup

Texas Ladies in Garland @ Resolution Cross 

Toby at Resolution cross, Clifford , Steven; Larson looking ahead at Toby. 

After a couple of days at the Farm. 

Adventure Ride in Denton,TX with Great Friends

Derby Cup CX

Lousiville Cross

My first UCI race of the year a category 1. Toby and I made the trip to Louisville to race the Derby Cup. It’s held at the Eva Bandman park in Louisville, Kentucky a dedicated cycle cross park. It is really a cool venue with a permanent fly over, boulder run ups,  technical off camber, short punchy climbs.  The course is one of my favorite races. Located in Louisville a super old beautiful city. We have family in Louisville so its a bonus to make the trip.

  

Day-1 The race started on the pavement and about a 100 meters in out of the corner of my eye I could see  riders started  divert right to what soon would be a collision - I accelerated and manipulated through the field of riders .  Everyone in fight to that single track had riders spread across the track.

Then as we come the first corner onto the grass there is a mud pit , that covered the entire path. There was a ‘line’ on the left. My plan was to stay far right, and as I suspected riders went down on the left. I was on the right in this very soupy mud as I entered the rider  in front of me goes down . I managed to get through the chaos and just off the back of the leaders. I merged my way up and sat about 8th wheel. I decided to be patient and hold onto the this group. The group started to split however, I was still sitting in 8th position. Then throughout my race I would get passed one by one. I just focused on riding my race and ended up in 13th. 

 Day-2 Uci c.2 

Once again I was the 38th rider and on the 4th row, I started in the same position and had ridden all alternatives going into todays mud pit , the race organizers widened the mud section by expanding the tape adding in some sand to help absorb some of the thick mud.   I ride through the middle of the mud pit. A little bit more energy however, I didn’t want to get caught up in any crashes.  I ended up sitting in 7th position on the first lap. I was feeling pretty good, maintained my composure Until the second lap. I had slid out going into this off camber, falling on my drive side unable to get out of my pedal made this quite comical . I would end up finishing 21st on the day. 

in the pit for toby 

Spooky cross

Spooky cross 2015 race report 

local Bike shop owner, Gabe Aguilar at Velo Republic in Denton,Tx 

Day-2 Podium shot Fiona Daughtery 4th, Sami Runnels 3rd, me , Cat Moore

I can't be happier from this past weekend at spooky cross. I took the Top Step both days. This was a true team Win. It sure does take a Village to be on top & having so many things go well is due to my pit crew Toby, Mack McKinney with Dallas Bike Works. Toby & Mat Stephens for the coaching on course. . Sure I didn't perform perfectly and  with the conditions the course was changing every lap.

 I've been really working on slowing it down, in order to be faster. That may sound counterintuitive to some but it works for me.   Technical coach Bryan Fawley ( Kodiac tough) and I have been working on slowing it down and dialing in those skills at the weekly Wednesday nighters.

 We have a very strong ,competive field of ladies racing here in Texas. It won't be long until the women's elite class grows. It was Super exciting  to see that there were more women racing then men this past weekend. Race promotor, Jeff Lucido did such a fantastic job with this venue . The course was great, and the rain really made the course challenging . Jeff  reached out to Bicycles Plus & RIchardson Bike Mart, both shops stepped up adding additional money to the women's purse. The course was held at the heritage village historical park just south of down town Dallas. The course has many technical aspects and open power sections.  

Thanks to Dallas Bike Works, Boyd Wallace , Mack Mickney , Mavic ,niner bicycles my chiropractor Dr Crystal Hankel , Gabe at Velo Bicycles in Denton , Jeff Lucido, Ian Moore . 

Cross Is Here ! Wheels ? do they make a difference..

Cross racing has started a bit earlier for me this year. I’ve been dialing in all of my equipment and gear . Thanks to Dallas Bike Works and Mack Mckinney for taking great care of me this cross season. 

 If your getting ready or have begun racing cross. Here’s a little advice.  Don’t skimp on the wheels for cross. Out of all of the disciplines this is the only cycling discipline that you are having to pick up, carry, and run with your bike. So, weight is a huge factor. You can save a significant amount of weight in your wheels. But the most important gain is in the tubular tire. The low pressure's that can be safely run can add a lot more traction on all types of terrain. Going with some nice carbon, tubulars is a win,win. I can’t be happier with my Ksyrium Pro Carbon SL T Disc tubulars. Not only are they Super light weight, they have one of the highest impact resistance ratings, and in my opinion making these tubulars superior for cross. 

My first ride on the Mavic Carbon tubulars was out at the Wednesday weekly race series. These courses are notorious for being rough, tough and technical. I am happy to report that my Mavic tubulars really hooked up, allowing me to be so much more efficient. I typically have a tough time on the rough terrain due to some injuries in my arm, wrist's back, ect.... Running the carbon tubulars really absorbs the brunt of it, giving me a smoother ride. In return makes me more efficient.

 So if you have one upgrade to make to your equipment , get your race wheels on.

Stay tuned.. I will be reporting more on Cross races, equipment, and great sponsors. 

Christina Gokey-Smith 

Race Reports O-Rock Mtn bike Stage Race, HHH

O'Rock

 I decided to go race O rock with Toby this past weekend since I didn't get my tickets to go race some crits . It was to be a fun trip & some good training. Not really great training for my crits, but good training none the less. 

O'Rock is a very technical 3-Day Mountain Bike Stage race, set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. The race started out on Friday afternoon. We made the drive up that morning. 

I wasn't feeling so great as we jumped out of the truck onto the bikes for the race. The first stage was a sprint stage 4 miles in, David Ness(bikes plus) jumps way early for the sprint and of course I have no patience so  I jump on his wheel already spun out as I have a 1x , soon the group bridges up.  I get back in but I am already spun out and it was downhill sprint so just rolled in . 

Then we climb . The timed stage was gonna be brutal. We started at the bottom of this steep road climb and it was a sprint from the bottom to the single track in the woods. 'I was able to get a good start and go into the woods 5 th behind the men. I can go down pretty fast unfortunately my hard tail struggled. I ended busting my pedal on the descent pretty early on in the stage. I could not clip in . So there I am trying to find some platform to place my foot as I am descending down the most gnarly rocky sections. I just keep descending with one foot clipped in. I end up crashing but quickly get back Onto my bike. 

As I hit the climbs it was so hard to ride with one leg doing the work. My right calf started to cramp- but I kept pushing away. I was holding my lead until the end of the stage . Sammi runnels (Austin/bad ass)  rides around me on the climb- there was not much I could do. I finally finished . That was just the hardest ride I had done. I had a huge hematoma on my left quad. Right calf locked up , open wound on my elbow; right leg. I was a mess . I had turned myself inside out to finish. We managed to somewhat fix my pedal . As long as I remained clipped in I would be good. But if I unclipped I had to manually pry the pedal open. 

So we start this next section  of what to be  many switch backs , where you almost had to track stand for a moment to clear the rocks .However, as soon as my legs were not moving they would seize up. I had jump off the bike and try to push pressure into the ground. Fix the pedal and repeat. This was horrible. One by by one I would get passed, I had a glimpse of what this looked like. I looked like some beginner riding trail for the first time. 

. I wanted to quit and cry all at the same time. I would allow the other riders to go around me. 

I was "done" I was not having fun. Toby waited for me at the base before the climb and said I had to continue . So He rode with me, as I started to climbs at least I was moving and my legs were accommodating at this point. 

So then we start another descent and of course My body is so trashed mind and all. I get to a log I compress on the front shock to lift up and over - and next thing I know I go over the handle bars . Knock the wind out of me. I then notice my shOck was locked out. I must have hit the button. So I finally pull up to the next stage . Where everyone is waiting to start. However I had already mentally checked out. I was not in the mood , to put it lightly. This is where I end up losing the race.

However in the state of mind I was in, there was no way I was going to start the next day. I had my mind made up. I was done. So this final stage begins and everyone takes off . I roll forward and Dan another rider had flatted .  Penny (badger ) stops to help - and I decide I would stop as well. We didn't want to leave him out there alone. He ends up having a couple flats with the last tube being a bad tube. So Penny and I end up riding ahead to get help . We thought we would have the truck come back for him. We end up running into the truck and Jeremy morse had a pedal for me. And says in a very calming positive way,  you can jump In the truck or ride back , it's 4 miles back to the cabins. So Penny and ride back to the cabins. It actually felt good to spin the legs out on the road . 

We get back to camp . I was happy and there was no way I was going to be starting the next day . I got stuck in this mental rut. Toby reminded me of what I would tell a client in this situation. Hmm of course, I had mixed feelings due to racing this mtn bike stage race during my crit season.   Ugh.. I know he was right. I clean up and heat up dinner . Meanwhile we head to the awards dinner with our food . As I didn't want to be a bad sport I go. They have jerseys for Kom , sprinters jersey, over all stage leader for men& women, a DFL & most aggressive jersey. 

I end up in the most aggressive jersey. I could not even fully raise my arm during the podium photo due to my injured ribs. 

Needless to say,  I start the next day. Knowing a bit more of how this stage race works. I was not going to blow my self up going all out in the   sprinter & KOM stages, since it was for the best rider/ men OR women. 

I was going to try to make up  time on the timed stages for the over-all. I don't believe in climbing easy, so I would continue to push an effort on the K.O.M's.  The first time stage had some good rollers then you turn onto the downhill. I pushed hard on the climbs even keeping  Dale Dawson in sight. I decided to play it safe for the down hill.  . So I did, and had fun with it. I end up about 5 ' minutes in front of the next girl. Whom was Jessica Smith, whom I coach. She's riding well and strong . 

Toby ends up stopping to help Sean Bonavita whom flatted as soon as he hit the downhill section. 

Bonavita ends up slicing his tire and Toby goes back to get the truck to allow Bonavita to finish the ride. They meet up at the next stage. However at this point it started to rain and our next section was a timed section on some gnarly trail.  I was warned about this section, as  it is gnarly & slick without he rain. So Toby wanted Bonavita to ride in front of me for the downhill section.  Bonavita is really good technical rider so I was happy to be on his wheel. Toby & Bonavita  wait at the top at the single track -  The timed section started at the base and we had to climb up this long gravel road before the downhill single track.  I stop at the top to take some pressure out of my tires and follow Bonavita into the woods. The first rocky switch back section we come to Bonavita goes down. Oh boy.. that would have been me.  I quickly dismount and carefully maneuver the section. I warn the guys behind me -, and sure enough the guys both go down. It was kind of hysterical . You were just looking for any spot that had no algae.  Some of the Rocks were wrapped in green algae making them extremely slick. Some things were just not rideable so I automatically go into Cross mode. You had to carefully balance your body over the pedals,with a strong core.  I was having a blast riding this section it was a lot of fun..  

I come out of the woods  cross the road  to continue to the other side of single track ; more downhill switch backs.  . . I come up onto to a couple of the guys and they wanted to make sure we were on the right track . As far as I knew,  I thought we were on track So we all continue . Then as you come to the bottom it looked like I missed the trail to the left. As I went straight so stopped turned back and took the trail that went to the left- nothing was marked at this point. The trail went up ,straight up this rocky steep , and hard to maintain traction. . I climbed for a bit as I could see this climb went on for awhile but I didn't see the other guys  Micha or Gavin the riders who were right in front of me.  I stopped as this didn't look right. There was no way the guys would be out of sight on this tough climb so fast I thought. As Todd came up the climb , he was able to look at a map and then we determined we got off track.  , so we turned around and ended back onto a path. We started to see tire marks and sure enough this was it. But we were off track and lost 15-20' minutes from taking A wrong turn. 

We get back to the finish and everyone is chilling and we had a couple of others who took a wrong turn that we were waiting on. 

We get riding again and the next section would be a a Kom. I decide I would put a good effort in, with no power I would ride right at my threshold h.r , trying to stay steady . We climbed for awhile before hitting the Kom . Then the final section would be a timed section. It was a blast mostly downhill with some punchy climbs and river crossings where your off your bike. It was a lot of fun. 

I ended up winnig this timed section but only by a few minutes or so. It just was not long enough to make up enough time for the over all. 

We all ride back to the cabins. After cleaning up - I pack my dinner And head to Gili's  biker camp- for music dinner & awards . This was a local biker club who hosted the O'Rock Racers for some food and live music, it sure was entertaining. Awards are given. I remain in the most aggressive jersey. Jessica holds the leaders jersey.  The guys are battling it, its a pretty good race for them. 

The last day started out over cast you could see the weather coming in. We start to climb and it begins to rain and the temperature begins to drop. We climb for a while approximately an hour of climbing as we get to the top some are taking cover in the trees while we wait for the others to make It to the top. I stay moving to keep my muscles warm. THe next section is a fun, no pedal descent to see who can make it the farthest . As it ends on a hill. Matt Malone blew everyone away on this section.  We continue to climb on the road to our  next section. I get to do some moto pacing on the road as we ride to our next section. 

It's been raining so I know to be cautious . I end up again winning the timed section however not enough time to make up for the over all. 

I ended up having a such good time, but really trashed my legs and had to do every little thing to help the body recover.

I was having a hard time breathing  due to my ribs being in so much pain. I am about to go to HHH to race starting on Friday. But I am completely broken. I know I need to get X-rays , an MRI to decipher what to do. My concern is if I broke my ribs it's near the lungs, sternum area. I am hearing some cracking and popping . So I continue to keep ice on it and decide I would go to HHH.

HHH Hotter Than Hell' 

Friday crit

I contemplated on going to HHH,as I needed some rest from O'Rock.   It's such a prestigiuos event in Texas - and this race is what keeps that town going.  I decide I would go to HHH. Coach advises to go with all the moves.
 The crit starts and its pretty calm as were all together. The half way point during this race is the hot spot.Hanna Ross makes an early move on the back side going into the 2nd to the last corner. I react and  jump around her with 2 corners to go.  I look back and I have opened up a huge gap. I sit up and wait for the other 3 girls to join me. Then this is our break of  4. It was not hard, but when it came down to the last lap no one wanted to pull. So on the final stretch before 2 corners to go- we all almost come to a track stand -and Diana penula jumps hard from behind.  I respond thinking I can get to the corner first. She swings wide coming into the inside I ended up having to break. She got the gap and I ended up 2nd.  

I finish and head over to see Jose with SRAM as my seat dropped during the race. It's always nice to see Jose /Sram at the races.

Road Race

The next day was an early 6:45 am start for the Road Race.  There's two hot spots for this road race I started my jump first and get the first hot spot. 

The next hot spot Diana would end up getting- as she had the jump on me.  . 

As we come into the finish it's a long stretch as it's 9 mile drag to the line. I didn't want to be boxed in- so I was on the right side in the wind. At least it was a cross wind , but I needed someone in front of me making the pace fast. I decide to jump about 200-250 out and Hanna and Diana jump . I end up gettin beat plain & simple. End up third on the stage. I  am still  sitting 2nd in the over all . 

Sunday is the crit. 

I am ready to race my bike. And if you know me, this means I am ready to race hard and aggressive. Well, the other girls have team mates and they made me work. I went with everythig and tried to get away, but I could not shake Diana. As we head for the finish Payton maness leads it out & I knew I could nt wait for the other girls to jump. I decide to go early, coming in to the final corner a bit too fast, and unable  to pedal thru like I did every lap prior. I just couldn't hold my lead to the finish and end up 3rd - with Hanna winnig the race it jumps her into 2nd over all and I end up 3rd on the over all. 

Above photo, top photo : Some fun photos after the HHH Road Race, below: Kim Chance (RBM) in her Over-all Winners Jersey at HHH

O'Rock Final Podium