CAWES Cycling

Early Season "Results"

2012-02-09T07:57:00.001-05:00

While the pro peloton is sweating their butts off on the dusty straights of Qatar, or enjoying an unintended day off at the end of the Challenge Mallorca due to snow, the ladies of CAWES are already tearing up the local training ride scene, also known as "The Weekend World Championships".

Currently, the girls hold tight to the Women's sprinting and climbing "jerseys" at the much beloved Java's ride in Royersford, PA consistently taking first in the sprint (Jackie "Incline" McClure) and the unforgiving climb up Miller road (Sarah "Porkchop" Iepson). While it's no surprise that McClure would dominate the "women's field" at the ride...the fact that Porkchop can get her butt up that hill in good position continues to be a source of amazement. McClure's reign as Sprint jersey leader continues to be challenged by SynFit Racing's new sprinter Kelley Bethoney who holds a firm grasp on 2nd place and will continue to push us to ride faster and eat more of Bob's amazingly delicious muffins!! I hear that there's going to be a "Muffin Bowl" and that Kobayashi will be there as a guest judge.

McClure is quoted as saying, "I think these early season Java sprints are really important. There's a lot of pride involved in being the first woman across the line in the "World Championships." I know that I'm not going to get a Rainbow jersey (Oh, Cav...sigh!) for it, but I can use these for upgrade points, right?! :)"

I could mention that the three of us make up half of the total women who show up for this ride, but admitting that would really lessen our excitement about these imaginary competitions. Oh, shoot...did I type that out loud?!?

Meanwhile, in our nation's capitol...Mitch continues to kick some major booty at Boot Camp and has begun to mark out her plan of domination for Mud Runs and Crits the world over. This girl is lean and mean this year - scrounging around in the mud and clambering over walls will do that to you - so watch out, peloton...she growls a lot now, too!

Official racing season is right around the corner, y'all. We hope that you're enjoying this "wintery" weather and we'll see you at the REAL races soon! Keep smiling and keep pedaling (or mudding, as the case may be)!

The Specialized Amira...revealed!!

2012-02-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

As always, we are so grateful to our shop and our sponsors who continue to support our team and our sport. We do what we can to make them proud both on and off the bike, and it means the world to us that so many of our sponsors return year after year to make our season successful!

Each Spring, as we put our noses to the grindstone to get our bodies in top shape for the season, the crew at Twenty20 Cycling in Baltimore are hard at work helping us get our gear in order. They are fundamentally critical to helping us make sure that our gears are shifting smoothly, that our fit is right, and that we have pristine working equipment. This year is no exception as they help each of us build up our new Specialized Amira framesets!!

We are SO excited about these bikes! We have been anxiously awaiting their arrival since the end of the 2011 racing season and spying these gorgeous frames at the shop a few weeks ago made our hearts skip a beat (or twelve!).

I was fortunate enough to take my Amira (her name is Mari) out for her maiden voyage yesterday. I was told by Kris that I would never want to ride another bike...and he was RIGHT! The frame fits me like a GLOVE (thank you, Kris, for working with me the other night to dial her in!), and the extremely light and stiff frame is responsive. I tend to personify my bikes (giving them names and personalities - like Bernie, who loves to lead the charge at the end of races), but in this case, it literally felt like Mari WANTED to do what I asked. When I stood up to sprint or climb, she answered smoothly, quickly, and eagerly. She is comfortable, fast, crisp, and an amazing ride.

THANK YOU, SPECIALIZED for your continued support of Team CAWES!

And, did I mention that she's beautiful?! ;) I think I'm in love!

Food For ALL!!!

2012-01-26T07:52:00.000-05:00

We are very excited to announce that due to an amzing outpouring of support from the community, Food For All has been SAVED!! We really love this place and the fantastic folks who invested their time and money to save this tremendous local business are heroes in our eyes!

The store's Grand Re-Opening will be on February 10th! Come by and join us in celebrating the survival of a true gem in Mt. Airy!!

Saving Food For All!

2012-01-22T08:14:00.001-05:00

We're incredibly sad to announce the possible closure of one of our favorite sponsors, Food For All. This amazing local grocery store in Mt. Airy has come under financial stress due, in part, to a failed Groupon deal. Since the store announced it's plans to close, the neighborhood has responded by coming up with nearly half of the money that Amy needs to stay open!

We LOVE this place...and we LOVE Amy. If you can help and wish to invest in one of the most wonderful small businesses around, please contact Amy Kunkle at: amy.kunkle@comcast.net

PLEASE HELP SAVE FOOD FOR ALL!!

2011-12-19T12:28:00.003-05:00

May every star you wish upon grant success and smiles;

May caring words encourage you to go the extra miles.

May teamwork and cooperation be at the heart of all you do;

May the joy of the holiday season be with each and everyone of you.

TEAM OF THE YEAR!!!

2011-12-16T11:40:00.002-05:00

We are SO excited to announce that

CAWES/iFractal p/b Specialized

was awarded the

2011 Women's Team of the Year

by USA Cycling!!

We are so very lucky to work with such amazing sponsors, partners, and friends each and every year!

Without the support of all of you, we could not possibly serve as advocates for our sport!

We thank everyone who has cheered us on at races, high-fived us when we found the podium, hugged us when we thought we had failed, and, most importantly, stood beside us on this epic journey!

THANK YOU!!!!

Introducing: Sara Brams-Miller

2011-12-12T12:33:00.000-05:00

Race Age: 29 as of 2012
Race Category: 4 (for now!!)
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Occupation: Student/Athleta Employee
Nickname: Sarah calls me "Lemming" ...
Top Three Warm Up Songs:
"Shake It Out" - Florence and the Machine
"I Get A Good Feeling" - Flo Rida
Everything on Brandon Flowers' album!
Racing Speciality: Crits and, apparently, Time Trials...who knew??
Favorite Race: Millersburg Stage Race. Hands down!
#1 Goal for 2012: To upgrade to a Cat 3! I'm sooo close!

How did you end up racing your bike? My awesome dad got me into it. He's been a cyclist for as long as I can remember. :)

What brought you to the CAWES team? A Porkchop, a Badger, a Grizzly, and a Mitch. :) But, seriously, I love every one of these girls, and I love everything that the team represents. I can not begin to say how excited I am to race with them and work with them on the road.

What is your biggest team related goal for 2012? Personal goal? To help the team get a whole crap-load of podiums! My personal goals are to upgrade and, since I finally made it to the podium a few times last year, I would really like to win a couple of races this year!!

What is your favorite food? SUSHI!!!
If you were stuck on a desert island (with food, shelter, and water), what three things would you need to have with you in order to survive? Bubba (my bike), Catalienky (my stuffed cat-alien-monkey), and my drawing kit.
Who would you most like to be stuck with in an elevator for 2 hours? Bernie Eisel!!
If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Teleportation
What is your favorite cycling related word? Roubaix! I have a love-hate relationship with that word!
What is your least favorite cycling related word? Anything related to "doping." Those who do it give the rest of us a bad name.

Introducing: Jacqueline McClure!

2011-12-02T15:50:00.001-05:00

We're really excited to have Jackie joining CAWES for 2012. With her powerful legs and all around awesome attitude, Jackie is going to increase the power of our sprint team and lead out! Here's a bit more about new rider #1!!

Race Age: 28…it’s still 2011, damnit! (I think this means that her race age for 2012 is 29...shhhh)

Race Category: Cat 3

Hometown: Charlestown, PA

Occupation: Marketing

Nickname: Jackie-O, Sailor Jackie, Jackie Bam-Bam, Tank, JMac

Top Three Favorite Warm Up Songs:

Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)-Us3

Rockafeller Skank- FatBoy Slim

You Be Killin’ Em- Fabolous

Racing Specialty: Crit Monster, Sprinter

Favorite Race: Millersburg

#1 Goal for 2012: Increase my sprint by 5mph and Jedi mind trick myself into loving hills

How did you end up racing your bike? In 2009, my boyfriend and I did a century ride for an organization that is very close to our hearts called Best Buddies on Rt 1 in California. Less than a year later, he signed me up for my first race (behind my back) after I hung in with the Thursday night crit at GV. After that, we like to saw he created a monster…

What brought you to the CAWES team? The first thing I remember about seeing the CAWES team was their genuine fun at races. After I went onto their site, I was immediately drawn into their outreach programs such as Special Olympics (a sister organization of Best Buddies) and IMAble. I was also really looking to work with women that consistently and successfully race, have been racing longer than me, and could teach me about team tactics.

What is your biggest team related goal for 2012? Helping my team consistently podium…it was a good goal of mine in 2011 and I think WE can help make it happen again in 2012!

Personal goal? WINNING! Actually, it’s staying motivated through the winter for 2012 and finding a permanent job by the end of the year.

What is your favorite color? GREEN! Wasabi green specifically.

If you could have lunch with any three people (living or dead) who would you invite? Mark Cavendish, Mark Zuckerberg, Coco Chanel…maybe some osmosis would occur?

What cartoon character are you most like? I had to consult with one of my best friends…she said Inspector Gadget. Probably bc I have to know everything.

If you were in the circus…what would be your act? Flying trapeze

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Multiplicity

What is your favorite cycling related word? le maillot jaune

What is your least-favorite cycling related word? Fred. I think people that use this word are elitist jerks and give cycling the wrong image/bad rap. Whether it’s recreational or racing, I think it’s important to positively support all forms of cycling.

Announcement: New TEAMMATES!!

2011-12-02T07:26:00.001-05:00

Well, it's not exactly an announcement, but an interactive game for you (our loyal and dedicated fans) to play!

Rules: Answer the following multiple choice questions to the best of your ability. Post your responses as comments. Person with the most correct answers wins a prize. I'm serious about the prize, too. It might include something sweet to eat or something awesome (and green) to wear. Or, maybe both. I'm just sayin'.

1. Since the team had such a stellar 2011 season, we decided:

a. to forego inviting any new riders to the squad for 2012

b. to stop racing entirely and dedicate ourselves to the operation of the Wasabi Warrior Sushi House

c. to pull out all the stops and recruit Giorgia Bronzini

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

2. Which of the following best describes the CAWES recruitment process

a. new recruits compete in a cook off, best dish gets a spot in green

b. new recruits spend 24 hours under Federal Investigation...background checks are important

c. new recruits enjoy hours of riding time with the team...pulling at the front

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

3. Which of the following MUST be a standard part of a new recruit's vocabulary?

a. "your dad"

b. "that's what she said"

c. "WASABIIIIII!!!"

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

4. Which of the following MUST be true of a new recruit?

a. they must enjoy beer, wine, spirits, and food

b. they must not touch alcoholic beverages - our bodies are temples of athleticism

c. they must acknowledge that cookies, chocolates, and other sweets are the product of the DEVIL

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

5. What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

a. African or European

b. 10 meters per second

c. not as fast as Mark Cavendish

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

6. Which of the following rider duos have been officially recruited to join CAWES p/b Specialized for the 2011 season:

a. Bernie Eisel and Mark Cavendish (they both REALLY wanted to stay on Specialized bikes!!)

b. Johnny Hoogerland and Juan Antonio Flecha (they wanted to be on a team that was tough as nails - like them)

c. Bert and Ernie (what?? They ride bikes...)

d. Sara Brams-Miller and Jacqueline McClure (two rockin' chicks from the Keystone state)

e. all of the above

f. none of the above

This concludes our quiz for today...I look forward to grading your responses and distributing the prizes.

Check back later for an official introduction of our new gals...we're REALLY happy to have them on board for the new season!!

-Professor Porkchop

Announcement: Mascot

2011-11-30T16:44:00.001-05:00

So, we tried very hard to confirm a super special mascot for the 2012 season. Unfortunately, we ran into several problems with our choices...

The Llama: did you know that they spit? When they're mad...when they're happy...when they're hungry...whenever they feel like it...spit, spit, spit. And, let me tell you, it's not pleasant.

The Komodo Dragon: he was a good choice at first, but then his foul mouth got going. Geez...the bacteria-laden saliva is one thing, but the language...even for us, he was a bit too much.

The Bunny Rabbits: quick, perky, and sweet - we thought that this choice was perfect. Except that the old saying is true...they were always too busy trying to make us "do it like rabbits." Again, with your minds in the gutters - they kept trying to make us turn vegan!

The Lemmings: We had hoped that having a solid group of followers would be ideal, and it was good...until they started throwing themselves off of cliffs.

The Monkeys: you don't want to know what the monkeys were throwing...

So, we're left still hoping to fill the mascot opening...if anyone wishes to apply for the job, we welcome your resume...unless you're a llama.

Next update: new teammates!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to say that we are wishing all of our family and friends a very

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We hope that you are surrounded today by happiness and lots and lots of food!!

xoxo,
The Wasabi Warriors

Upcoming Announcement Goodies!!

2011-11-19T16:42:00.001-05:00

Hey All...

Just a little "teaser" post to let you know that there are some big announcements on the horizon. These may or may not be related to the following:

- a new team name
- the fact that one of our number invented a time machine so that we all can start up our love for cycling at a younger age and therefore, arrive in 2012 faster than ever before
- new team members
- a new team mascot, which may or may not be friendly to strangers
- the fact that the team has invested in a sushi restaurant - why keep paying others, when we can cash in on our food addiction?
- new and returning sponsors
- new strategies for kicking butt (yeah, right...as if we'd post those on our blog!!)
- a new calendar of race events
- the fact that the team has recently acquired several very small engines...to make model airplanes, of course....

So...keep your eyes peeled for exciting news on the horizon!!

GOOD LUCK, CHRIS!!

2011-11-03T15:04:00.000-04:00

The CAWES team wants to send a strong shout out of GOOD LUCK to our good friend (and uber-diva) Chris Kaag as he takes on the challenge of the New York Marathon!

Along with fellow athlete, Mike King, Chris will head up to New York City this weekend and compete in his first marathon. You can find Chris out riding his hand cycle on the road and trails, but this is his first major competition on a push-rim! He's done a few races and a TON of training over the past several months to get ready for the event and we know that he's going to KILL it!!

So, if you're in NYC on November 6th...be sure to give a super sturdy shout out to Chris and the other IM Able team athletes as they Get Up and Move!!

For more information about Chris and his amazing foundation, please visit them here: http://www.getupandmove.org/home.php

We Like Inflatables

2011-10-24T16:07:00.004-04:00

If you thought you'd see a different picture because of the title, shame on you. It's Halloween. We like inflatable spiders. And Santa and Snowmen.

This One's For you, GamJams!

2011-10-13T14:18:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's true...the road season is over. Which means that the CAWES Warriors are already busy making plans to take over the world in 2012.

In the "off-season", the team is undertaking several important projects...in order to do this, we have decided that the "Divide and Conquer" tactic is best.

Badger has been busy renovating her home so that we can better prepare the cookies and sweet treats which we use as bribes...errr, I mean INCENTIVES, to draw in sponsors! No one can resist Ramba's Coconut Chocolate-Chippers or the Choppah's White Chocolate Craisin cookies. No one.

Speaking of the Porkchop...in addition to taking the cyclocross world by storm (please read with appropriate sarcasm!) and getting happily covered in mud, she has completed construction of the new team training center. Housed in a secret location in the wilds of New Jersey - this new training center comes complete with a high quality wind tunnel system (aka a fan), a high tech video system (my mini TV-DVD combo), and a uniquely innovative rest interval tool (a round of Ms. Pac-Man anyone??).

Ramba has been our most active recruiting agent, spending time looking for talented cyclists in Tunisia and various other regions of the world. So far, she's garnered some interest, although we're not sure about the idea of offering travel subsidies to riders on different continents...guess we'll have to see how the sponsorship drive goes this year.

Grizzly has been showing her skillz at cyclocross this fall and continues to commute to work in ALL weather conditions, including hoards of locusts and the downpour of toads that occurred last week. She's also been training "at the mountain" which I believe to be code for something...I'm just not sure what.

Arley has been seen dressed like a Storm Trooper running around with her bike and leaping over barriers that are as tall as her! She's been KILLING it on the cross circuit - her true passion - and has been finishing top 5 in quite a few big races in the States for Twenty 20 and C3-Athletes Serving Athletes!

Nikki decided that she was bored with the good old US of A and has been sending us postcards from Italy. Geee...couldn't take us with you or anything, could ya?? At least the postcards have bikes on them and remind us of how much we miss the Raspa when she's not around!!

Leah has also jumped the continental ship and is studying abroad in the Netherlands this year. From the pictures on Facebook, however, I'd have to say that she's studying more boys than homework. Good for you, girlie...good for you.

Mitch has been working hard to protect our borders. Most recently, she's been working to counteract the fact that another team (who shall remain nameless) has managed to place Leah and Nikki on the "do not allow back into the country" list (yeah, it really exists) in a weak attempt to cripple the CAWES force for 2012. Not to worry - Mitch is on task!!

BChan has been developing our newest strategy - the old switcheroo - by moving from Philadelphia, to DC, back to Philadelphia, and then to several locations in the city. She's become so good at covering her tracks that we don't even know where the hell she is half the time. BChan...if you're reading this, please check in. kthnxbai.

K...I think that's it for now. Check back soon for news on returning and new riders, sponsors, and more news on the Wasabi Warriors!

Most Important Podium

2011-09-05T15:14:00.004-04:00

Today may have been the most important podium finish of the season for the CAWES girls. Today, BChan took 2nd in the Donut Derby!

This super important and prestigious event includes a 37 mile test of wills near Trexlertown, PA, and two rest stops at which one must attempt to consume as many Krispy Kreme donuts as possible before completing the ride. For each donut that you down, 3 minutes is shaved from your overall finishing time.

In typical Porkchop fashion, I was determined to lead my teammate to victory - over the donuts. And BChan, in a move that shocked even me, managed to down NINE donuts to finish on the 2nd step of the podium!

This event can really only be understood in photos...so, here you go.

Won't our sponsors be proud!!??

Squish and nom for effectively quick downing of multiple donuts simultaneously.

Oh...just ONE more...that can't hurt, can it??

Post-race donut eaters remorse... followed by the joy of the podium!!

The reality is that we rode pretty hard, averaging over 22 mph for the 37 mile ride and having a GREAT time throughout. Now, we're looking forward to the NJ Farm Stand Ride, the Lancaster Brewery Tour, and the Ice Cream Ride. I'm feeling a theme here....

UPDATE!! Unfortunately, due to a "scoring" error, Becky's 2nd place finish was recalculated to a 3rd place finish. Still on the podium - so that's a big YAY! On the BRIGHT side, this same correction to the results landed the Porkchop at the TOP of the podium in the 30-39 age group, garnering yet ANOTHER podium finish for the CAWES ladies in 2011. AND, forcing us to begin plans to defend the Derby title in 2012!!

Season Recap

2011-09-03T10:42:00.003-04:00

Obviously, the lack of blog posts recently speaks to the fact that the CAWES girls have mostly hung up the racing shoes for the year. We're still out there riding, of course, and some of the gals (BChan and Badger) continue to do some racing on the track. But, most of us have turned our sights to the glory of Fall riding and the season of "Paying it Forward." We will be busy in the upcoming months with the Charm City Cross event, the Junior's Day Out and Special Olympics event, lots of longer charity rides and fun jaunts around Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, and preparations for the 2012 season!

2011 was a very good year for the Wasabi Warriors....

Cat 2 upgrades for BChan and Ramba

BChan and Badger both upgraded to Cat 3 on the track

We brought home 4 state titles

We achieved 32 podium finishes

We raced in over 10 different states

We participated in over 50 different events

We loved every second of our time on the bike together!

A huge thank you goes out to our amazing sponsors, families, friends, and fans. We continue to remind everyone that it is the amazing support that all of you provide that helps us to keep training and racing hard. THANKS!!

Tour De Millersburg

2011-08-15T09:18:00.006-04:00

The Tour de Millersburg may be one of the best and hardest local stage races in Pennsylvania. The courses are demanding and technical, the competition is ALWAYS tough, and it's in August when many folks are at their best in terms of performance.

CAWES hit Millersburg with 5 riders - Arley, Alaina, Ky, Sarah, and Leah. Our goal was simple...RAWR. That's pretty much it.

The TT went as expected, with Alaina, Ky and Sarah hitting the $$ in the top 7.

The Crit was HARD and technical. Unfortunately, we lost Alaina to a crash with 2 laps to go. She got up and finished the race, but was unable to continue with the road race on Sunday. The Road race went well for Ky and Arley, but Sarah and Leah had rough days and finished off the pace a bit.

While we ended up with a strong 6th place finish in the GC by Ky, it was not the racing that we really enjoyed over the weekend, but the amazing people that we spent it with.

Ice Cream became a very important part of the weekend...

and our slumber party in the Hillside Christian Fellowship church (THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING HOSPITALITY) was an event that none of us will soon forget.

Not to mention getting to witness Michelle Bishop's interesting warm up practices - and who knew that she could pogo??

We are already looking forward to going back next year, staying at the Church and kicking some butt! Thanks, Millersburg, for being absolutely AWESOME!!

Know the Rules

2011-07-30T17:20:00.004-04:00

"Get that bike on the sidewalk!!"

"Get off the road!"

"HONK!!!!"

"Hey - you're wearing spandex!"

Yep, we've all heard these things - and others that I cannot post on our PG-13 blog! We've all encountered the furious, the angry, the jealous, the irate, and the inconsiderate driver AND cyclist out there on the road. So, the big question is...who's right?! It's pretty amazing how many people (cyclists and non-cyclists alike) don't know the rules of the road associated with bikes. Heck, I was even told once - BY A POLICE OFFICER - to get on the sidewalk!!

So, in an effort to help all individuals on two-wheels and four, we would like to encourage you to click and print out this handy-dandy guide to the rules of the road in Maryland!!

You can click on the images here and print them.

Print, laminate, and carry it with you when you ride.

Maybe make an extra or two - that way, you can help enlighten others while making your daily cycling rounds!

Happy and SAFE riding to you all...now, get your spandex-lovin' butts out on that bike!!

CAWES and effect...

2011-07-30T13:41:00.003-04:00

BeCAWES Gurski is such a good time trialist, she often finds herself atop the podium. The effect of this is that she has a nice collection of these...

She added another one to her collection today after taking the "Big W" at the PA Master's Time Trial Championships!! Rounding out the podium was Sturdy Girl Dana Hanchin and Cheri Fager of the Pallas Athene Racing Team. Way to go, ladies!!

Congrats to the Grizzly on another rawr-tastic win!!

Grandview-Liberty Weekend

2011-07-25T16:39:00.005-04:00

It was a Pennsylvania weekend for the ladies of CAWES. On tap were the PA State Crit Championships (more commonly known as The Grandview Grand Prix) and the Liberty Crit (more commonly referred to by the Porkchop as the 7th circle of Hell).

Both races were going to be hard - they were both filled with sprinters and the races themselves are suited for sprint finishes - although it is possible to get away at Grandview. So, we went into them with our typical tactics: attack, attack, eat a sammich, attack, attack, attack, knit some socks, attack.

Both races went well in terms of tactics - we raced hard and I feel that we animated both events with aggressive racing, which is typically our goal. Unfortunately, the results were not there for us...this time. A great shout out to the ladies who were out there this weekend - the gals from Kenda, Pallas Athene, Alliance Environmental, XO Communications, and others who made it FUN to race!!

We may not have had the best finishes, but these photos prove that we were out there putting the hammer down...thanks to Bob Wellmon for the great shots from Liberty!

CAWESshowercam.com

2011-07-24T21:30:00.004-04:00

What else is there to do after racing all weekend in 100+ degree heat than clean bikes in the shower with you teammates?
You mean Mark Cavendish and Bernie Eisel aren't??

CAWES works with the future of cycling

2011-07-21T15:43:00.006-04:00

On Tuesday, July 19, 2011, the ladies of CAWES met up with a formidable group of junior racers from the Rock Creek Velo racing club.

The skills clinic started with our first lesson to becoming a better bike rider and/or racer: paying attention to other riders so you can learn to emulate 'em or avoid 'em. How exactly does this work you ask? Well, we asked the girls to ride as a group with CAWES for a 3mile lap around a local training course and to watch our interactions with each other and other riders, vehicles, and pedestrians on the road. At the end of the lap, we asked the girls to tell us what they saw that looked 1) unsafe; 2) stupid; or 3) just plain silly. The girls passed our test with flying colors. Some of the behaviors they immediately picked up on included taking our hands off our bars to push another rider over, riding around with earplugs in both ears, changing lines in a corner, half-wheeling teammates in the pack, and jumping to chase onto the back of a vehicle to draft that vehicle. We discussed the consequences of each of these actions and how they could learn to avoid riders who exercised poor judgment when racing or training.

During the clinic, the girls practiced moving up in a pack, pacelining, and had a brief intro to cornering safely and efficiently with a group. CAWES had a great time meeting these extremely talented young riders and we look forward to more clinics and opportunities to see them on the podium (ahem, Juniors Day Out, Saturday Sept, 24th)...

NJ State Road Race

2011-07-18T07:31:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the New Jersey State road race Championships. I've been wanting to win this race for quite some time now...having finished 2nd as a Cat 4 and a Cat 3. I was unable to race the event one year because of a friend's wedding and last year I missed it because we were racing in Maryland. This year seemed like a good opportunity to make something happen. So, we headed to Mullica Township with a strong team of 5 riders: BChan, Ramba, Leah, Grizzly and me.

We had very specific tactics in mind for the day that included launching numerous 30-second attacks on the field. We started this as soon as we made the first turn in the race. First, Alaina went, then Ky, then Becky, then Leah. I tried a few little attacks, but was clearly being watched closely by the field. This continued for the majority of the first lap, with Pro Pedals and EPS riders doing a lot of chasing.

At one point, Leah was off the front with a good gap. I decided to try to bridge. I got about 3/4 of the way to her and realized that the field was closing. I sat up a bit and let them catch me about when I caught her. Naturally, Beth Bonilla of Pro Pedals launched a counter-attack just after that. She took quite a few riders with her. I got on Becky's wheel and she started to pull us up...as we were catching, Beth and the other attackers sat up a bit. I yelled to Becky to GO...and boy, did she GO! We made the two right hand turns leading into the start/finish area with a slight gap. We learned afterward that we came through the start/finish with one lap to go (19 miles) with an 8 second gap. But, we were COMMITTED. We were going to make this work or blow up trying.

By the time we turned the first corner, we had 35 seconds. Later, we learned that we had 55 seconds, at which time Becky says, "Let's make it a minute!" and starts hammering. Our last time check was 1:20 as we were heading to the two final turns.

It was a glorious feeling to have made it to the finish line off the front AND with an amazing teammate, who turned herself INSIDE OUT today to make the break work. I made it a point (I hope someone got a photo) to point to my team name as I crossed the finish line. I could NOT have done it without the help of my team today. They were truly amazing and racing with them is a humbling and wonderful thing.

So, the ending of the story is that I now have a gold medal and another state champion jersey to wear...and CAWES took a strong 1-2 on the day! Since Becky is a PA rider, we took a few podium shots, but I only have the one official one for now that includes the top 3 NJ riders:

NJ Podium: Anne Racioppi in 2nd, Beth Bonilla in 3rd!
I have such a goofy smile on my face...I am really happy!!!

TEAM podium!! With our Specialized Tarmac, of course!

YAHOO!
other photos will follow as soon as we get them!! :) Here are a few! Thanks to John Dutra for the great shots of the finish!

Is This Toona Bad??

2011-07-10T08:26:00.004-04:00

Well, at least I didn't get food poisoning from the Toona!

It was a rough week for me and the team. The time trial stage went very well...especially since I missed running headlong into the curb at 30 mph on the turn up 16th street. We all made it through safe and sound (except for Charlie - hope you're healing well, my friend) and me, Ky and Sue were all within one second of one another! Jess was sitting comfortably in the top 35 and Kacy killed it and ended up in the top 30 after the TT.

The 1st road race stage was not so successful. The race started and started fast. The first major climb that we hit blew the back end apart. Sue managed to claw her way back up to the pack, but Arley, Ky and I were blown. Arley and I made a decision at the time that seemed logical, but one that came back to bite us in the butt later. The race had a time cut. Considering that we were already outside of it when we hit the feed zone (and still had a 20 miles to the finish) we pulled at the feed zone, only to find, when we got to the finish, that they had decided mid-race not to have a time cut. We were out. That SUCKED.

What didn't suck was Kacy's result. She had finished Stage 2 in 12th! She moved up to 15th in the GC and was sitting pretty for an amazing overall result in the race. Jess had launched a gutsy attack with Alison Shanks of BikeNZ at the bottom of the Blue Knob climb. It was unsuccessful, but it was a smart, strong move! She finished a few minutes off the leader at the end of the stage.

We started Stage 3 with 4 riders - Sue, Ky, Jess and Kacy. The 91 mile race ended up being over 100 miles as the motos and directors of the race got the women's (and men's) pelotons lost SEVERAL times. To add to that, Kacy had a crash prior to the first feed zone and ended up unconscious on the road for about 10-20 minutes. She woke up in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. No broken bones, but she's trying to be all "pro" by ending up with a bad concussion. ;) Sue, Jess and Ky all finished the stage and will live to see the Crit today.

Thanks to the girls for an interesting, fun, entertaining, and enjoyable few days of racing. Best of luck on the crit today, chicas!

In other news, our pink-clad friend Jon finished 2nd in the Men's Cat 3 road race and will try to take the yellow jersey today in the crit. And, Arley left Toona early to race the Iron Hill Twilight Crit and ended up in 8th!

Best news of ALL - BADGER raced solo at the MABRA Master's Championship Crit! After racing a VERY smart race, she outsprinted her competition for the
WIN in the 35+ race!!
YAHOOOOO!!!!

Upgrade Congratulations!

2011-07-07T12:42:00.009-04:00

CAWES is proud to share the exciting news of two Category 2 upgrades this season! For the 2011 season, CAWES welcomed Ky (aka AK or Ramba) and Becky (aka BChan or Turbo-Can-Chan) to its roster and both riders have roared through this season with one fantastic result after another. Ramba has shown her overall versatility as a racer with her wasabi-smackdowns that included taking a podium every day at the Tour de Syracuse Stage Race (1st-RR, 2nd-TT, 3rd-Crit) to secure a sprinter's jersey and overall GC and her 2nd place GC finish at the Tour of Washington County. BChan's sprinting prowess secured her two WINS in the Tour de Syracuse Crit and the Ride Sally Ride Criterium and a fantastic top 20 finish in her first NRC race at Tour de Somerville. Congrats ladies!

When CAWES Attacks

2011-07-04T21:13:00.002-04:00

The ladies of CAWES were out and about this weekend at various and sundry locations. Some were chilling their legs in preparation for the big week at the Tour de Toona. Others were warming their legs up (and wearing them out) at some local races in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The crew descended upon the Heart House Omnium in several forms - Kacy, Sarah and Becky attacked the Saturday race, keeping the pace high and trying to cover and counter strong attacks by Stacey Jensen of Kenda and Amy Miner. The race ended in a field sprint with the Choppah leading a line of riders through the final corner and Kacy and Becky taking 3rd and 5th in the field sprint.

3 and 5 came back to haunt us in Sunday's race when Sarah, Becky and Leah lined up for day 2 of the 3 day omnium. This time, it was Becky who took 3rd, Sarah 5th and Leah 6th from a 6 woman breakaway. Though we attacked and attacked, Colleen Gulick, Victoria Hanks, and Amy (mentioned above) were extremely attentive and wouldn't let us go.

The third day was just for the BChan, who headed back to finish off the omnium. Narrowly escaping a crash in the final corner, Becky sprinted for 5th on the day and 3rd in the GC overall.

Kacy took her legs to Rodale on Sunday to face off with Arley against some wicked competition that included Christine Fennessy, Dana Walton, Jess Chong and Sue McQuiston (honorary Wasabi Warriors at Toona), and others. Rumor has it that Arley was an attack-throwing monster and that her tremendous work set Kacy up for a great field sprint finish for 2nd.

All in all, it was a very successful weekend for the team.

Inspiration

2011-06-23T15:45:00.004-04:00

There are many people in this world that inspire me. But, all of them have one major thing in common...none of them have ever given up. Though they face challenges, seemingly impossible barricades, distractions (oooh, shiny thing!!), temptations, or simply exhaustion, they keep going. They push just a bit harder, just a bit longer, just a bit more...and succeed. Succeeding does not always mean winning...but meeting a goal and a challenge.

If you're feeling low on motivation today...just watch this...and get some inspiration...

From our friends at the IM Able Foundation.

Tour of Washington County

2011-06-19T19:16:00.004-04:00

Grizzly, Ramba, BChan, and the Porkchop headed out to the Tour of Washington County stage race this weekend while Arley, Leah and Badger hit up the Tour of Washington County Kick-Off Crit on Friday night!

It ended up being a great weekend for the Wasabi Warriors!

Arley finished 5th in a very fast and pretty stacked Friday night crit. Leah and Robin finished 16th and 17th, and the team took 1-2 in a prime lap. It was a tough race that included a hefty climb on the back side, and the gals put on a great show for the downtown crowd.

Saturday morning began the Stage Race.

We had some major goals for the weekend - of course finishing high in the GC was on the top of that list. Most important, we wanted to race hard, race strong, and race smart.

The prologue was tricky - it was a toss up as to whether or not to use a TT bike as it included several little ring climbs, but some fast flat sections as well. It was a fast time trial and ended up with Ky sitting in 3rd, Alaina in 5th and the Choppah in 7th. The legs were tired leading into the Road Race, but we managed to launch a few good attacks - the Choppah was solo for part of a lap and Grizzly and Emily Joyner of Virginia Asset Group were off the front for a few laps mid-race. In the end, all was brought back - due much to the work of Sara Clafferty from ABRT - and it was a group finish. At the end of the day, our GC positions were essentially the same and we were ready to head into the TT/Crit day.

The TT course was tough, but fun...with some hills and descending on the way out and lots of false flat climbing on the way back. BChan took the smart route and saved her legs for the crit - but managed to take in some important historical information while riding past the Antietam Battlefield. In typical fashion, Grizzly, Ky and Choppah all finished within 10 seconds of one another and 4th, 5th, and 6th in the TT. Going into the crit, we had great positions as 3rd, 4th, and 7th in the GC. It was time to ROCK.

The crit was, not to be redundant, critical for us. We were hoping to move Ky and Alaina up in the GC and/or get a win with the Beer Can...I mean, BChan. :)

After the 2nd time bonus prime, Alaina launched a wicked awesome attack. She got away with Sara Clafferty on her wheel. Ainhoa Perez-Diaz bridged up to them and though Monika Sattler and Emily Joyner tried to chase, we teamed up with ABRT to shut down attacks and counters. At one point, Ky launched a massive attack and managed to bridge up to the lead group. She and Alaina ended up 3rd and 4th on the stage. Choppah led the field for about 8 laps through to the finish and then brought BChan to the final corner to take 2nd in the field sprint!

The great moves that occurred during the crit moved Ky into 2nd in the GC!! It ended up being a GREAT day!

Thanks to Mike Birner for being an AMAZING director today and taking us through an incredible race today. YAY!!!!

Thanks to Jim Wilson for the GREAT photos today!! :)

Wild and Wooly Weekend!

2011-06-12T20:40:00.002-04:00

Well, it was a wild one out here on the east coast. With the PA State Time Trial in town along with 8 members of both Colavita's and Tibco's pro women's teams...it was bound to be a weekend of extreme highs and not so extreme highs.

Some of the better moments of the weekend include:

The Grizzly winning the PA State Time Trial AGAIN this year!! A slim margin of 9 seconds separated her from the powerful second place rider Jess Chong. Way to go, Grizzly!!

Saturday also found Kacy atop the podium at the hilly Mt. Nebo road race. A VERY challenging course, Kacy broke away from the field with Nadia Latzgo and eventually took the win. 23% grades have NOTHING on Elbows!!

Arley's AMAZINGLY awesome ride at Clarendon. While the rest of us failed to meet the challenge of the wickedly hard and fast race, Arley's experience, race smarts, and speedy little leggin's kept her in to the finish! We got a good workout cheering her on!!

A GREAT Crystal Cup race for the team included 3 riders in the top 20!! Huge props go to Kacy (14th), our guest rider Jocelyn (15th), and Nikki (18th). Though flats claimed the wheels and races of a few riders, we held our own with the pros and came out with a great team finish.

We even got a shout out in the early edition of Cycling News!! Sweet.

Congrats to all of the riders on a great weekend of racing. It was fast, it was hot, it was wickedly tough...and it was awesome!

CAWES Wins Ride Sally Ride

2011-06-08T11:47:00.013-04:00

As BChan and Badger headed to Ride Sally Ride last Saturday, the car ride was eerily silent. We were nervous for our teammates in Philly who were pre-riding the Liberty Classic course in preparation for Sunday’s race and we were nervous about our mission to conquer Ride Sally Ride with just two wasabi warriors. The field was small with maybe twenty riders, but three teams of solid leg power had representation of 3 or more riders: Kenda, Syn-Fit and ABRT. Every one of those ladies has the legs and smarts to win or make you suffer to take the W from them.

There were 32 laps (20miles) and with four primes the race was rarely slow. ABRT and Kenda took turns attacking on almost every lap and with 14 laps to go a break had formed with an ABRT, Syn-Fit and Kenda rider. Not us. Sh*t. While the break was always in sight with maybe a 15 second gap, we were the only unrepresented team and understandably no solo rider wanted to get out in the wind to chase. I tried a couple times to close the gap but just didn’t have the legs to do it solo. BChan gave a good effort to close the gap and so did an Artemis rider who jumped hard to bridge to the gap. I tried to respond to that, but my legs said, “oh hellz no” and she easily dropped me back into the pack. It took a huge chase effort by NCVC (Catherine Miller) to rally the field to keep at it and the gap finally closed within striking distance. With 6 laps to go we caught the break and then ABRT and Kenda did a fantastic job of attacking constantly which meant BChan and I had to jump with every attack to shut it down. Every time Sue (ABRT) jumps, I whimper inside because my legs know what’s coming if I want to keep up. I was so spent I seriously debated pulling out with 4 to go, but the field seemed to regroup and I was mentally preparing for my lead-out role.

2 laps to go and lots of nerves. Speed was up. I saw BChan move to the front 6-7 riders. I was maybe 10th. Second to last turn on the final lap, I pulled wide and drilled it for all I could on a loooong straight-away that starts to slope up to the final turn. I was 75% to the final corner and BChan must have seen me fading so she yelled at me to "keep going robin keep going." She pulled off at the corner and I sat up with burning legs and watched as BChan hauled ass. Hauled friggin ass. With my legs firmly cooked, it was all I could do to fist pump the air in victory as I watched her seal the W. It was so friggin awesome to see her sprint and keep the field off.

Meanwhile, on this final lap my husband is jumping up and down and hollering like a banshee. I think he is more proud of himself than us because he gave us a plan and we followed it (and he was right). Well, to be fair, the plan---or lecture rather on "how you need to win the race" started Friday night post-dinner and continued through to Saturday morning as we were walking out the door. He was still at it, yelling "start the lead-out on the second to last corner and get through the last corner first; lower the pressure in your tires so you can take corners at speed." Check. Check. Check.

In the great words of Ricky-Bobby: If you’re not first, you’re last. The wasabi warriors were first this weekend.

We So Tired

2011-06-05T20:47:00.005-04:00

But we SO happy!!

The race today was (overall) a great success for the Wasabi Warriors.

A lot went right on a cool (for once) June day in Philadelphia. The Porkchop was unfortunately laid up at the end of lap one by the return of pretty bad pain in the tendon (thanks AGAIN, Bike Jam....oh, how I hate thee!). But, the other girls all stayed in there and ripped it up!

Kacy finished a strong 32nd place in the main pack and made the whole team very proud. Arley, Jocelyn, Nikki, and Alaina all finished the race strong, safe, and with smiles on their faces (most of the time).

(What the hell am I doing with my arm?? Geez!)

We cannot thank our amazing sponsors and friends for the constant cheering, the amazing post-race tent, the decorated roads upon which we raced, and the hugs, pats-on-the-back, and kisses that met us when we finished. THANK YOU - you make it amazing for us!!!

More photos to come!

Philly Race Weekend

2011-06-03T19:34:00.005-04:00

Philly Race weekend is upon us. For the local gals, it means a variety of things including the building anxiety as we watch them erect tents, fences, and slowly (oh, so painfully slowly) patch the seven zillion potholes around the course.

This year, it also included (for the first time) press events! Because we have some local riders in the field, we were invited to participate in a few fun events around the city. Some of them were fun and silly - like riding up the Wall with Fox News anchor Jenn Frederick. Others were typically humbling and "oh, man, why am I even here?" events like the press conference at TD Bank...where the Porkchoppah was announced beside the likes of Giorgia Bronzini, Theresa Cliff-Ryan, Meredith Miller and Carmen Small. Itty bitty tiny fish...HUGE gigantic ocean!!

(As a side note...BChan and I had a great time on a 3.5 hour ride with a few of the Colavita gals the other day....including Ms. Bronzini herself...

It was pretty wicked awesome. OK...back to Philly race stuff...)

On the way out of the press conference, I was briefly interviewed by 6 ABC. In typical TV news fashion, they asked me a random question about the fans at the race...then proceeded to use my clip as part of a piece on the crack down on rowdy spectators at the race! Oh geez! I have nothing but good things to say about the crazy folks on the Wall that yell their brains out for us whether we are in the front, the middle, or way off the back. They rock. They help us local yokels survive this crazy race!

So, we head into the weekend with a strong crew of motivated racers. Kacy is ready to ride up the Wall so hard that she erodes it from a 17% grade to more of a pleasant 7%. Jocelyn is poised to take a chomp out of the eastern field with her west coast climbing and sprinting legs. Arley is charged to hide herself neatly within the pack, use her ninja skills to weaken the field, and make another strong finish. The Grizzly, the Raspa and the Porkchop have their own special agenda - to work their butts off to make sure that the above issues are resolved peacefully, elegantly, and with as much Wasabi Whomping as possible!!

We can't wait to put on a good show for our sponsors, our friends, our loved ones, our favorite rabid beavers, and all the other folks that just want to cheer on the cyclists! Thanks for coming out and supporting our favorite sport!

Careful what you sign....

2011-06-02T21:38:00.003-04:00

I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CYCLING IS AN INHERENTLY DANGEROUS SPORT AND FULLY REALIZE THE DANGERS OF PARTICIPATING IN THIS EVENT
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No wonder my head hurts...

Tour of Somerville

2011-05-31T16:36:00.005-04:00

Despite a rough day at "Da Jam" on Saturday, the Warriors returned to fight another day in Somerville. Well, most of us did...Mitch was home nursing a bruised behind, Nikki had come down with the flu, and Ky discovered (after a trip to the ER) that she had a nice infection and a hairline fracture in her arm. Awesome.

Somerville was nice, as usual. It's a great, quick course with a lot of spectators out along the roads. That always makes for a fun time. The World Champion was there and she definitely made herself noticed during the race. She jumped, she chased, she hung back, she jumped again. And, all that time, she was doing what she could for her teammate...totally awesome. In fact, the whole Colavita team was amazing, as usual. They're phenomenal team work is truly inspiring to anyone who identifies (as I do) as a "worker-bee" for teammates. To watch them put themselves under the gun, to burn themselves out, to put the pain on an entire field so that their sprinter can do HER job is awesome. Then, it's just the pressure to seal the deal - which Theresa does with style!

For us, it was a day of mental recovery and survival. That was apparent from the start, when our number one goal was to come away from the race with the same amount of skin that we had going in. We needed a little reminder that racing is fun and safe and, oh yeah, fun.

It was nice to line up with a host of local gals for the race and it was nice to see those local gals hold their own against the Colavita Armada. Andrea Luebbe took a beautiful flyer at one point to score a $100 prime! Jen Rasmussen-Gros launched a blistering attack on the final lap. Two local ladies, Erin Silliman and Christine Fennessey were in the top 10 and Lenore Pipes stood on the third podium step. For us, Kacy was 13th, Becky was 18th, Sarah was 24th, Robin 25th, and Arley was 46th (on a beautiful yellow Mavic neutral bike, no less!!).

Most important, we made it through the day with smiling faces and all of our bodies and souls in one piece.

This week, we plan our assault on the Wall. And I plan out my assault on Lemon Hill for the best beer feed ever! ;)

Bike Crash...no, Crash Jam....no, BIKE JAM...that's it!

2011-05-29T15:41:00.006-04:00

Well, yesterday was a rough one. The majority of the team headed down to Baltimore for Bike Jam. This has typically been a race that I have really enjoyed. Even though it has a reputation for being crashy and sketchy. Still - I've always felt like I had good legs there and enjoyed it.

Yesterday was a different story. While I still like the course, I have a hard time understanding how this race seems to be jam packed with crashes - that often send folks to local area hospitals.

The race started out fine...Grizzly and I did exactly what we were told - went to the front to hold pace for the first lap. As we came up the slight rise to the finish line, we heard it. The sound of carbon on cement and the inevitable tumult of crashing noises that followed. Knowing that we had a total of 9 riders in the field, it was inevitable that at least one of us had gone down in that massive pile-up. Unfortunately, it was Ky - who suffered some pretty severe road rash on the right half of her body and a helmet-crushing slide into the curb. She fared better than our dear friend Cass King, who went to the hospital on a stretcher and was later confirmed to have several broken parts (rib and finger), gashes big enough for stitches, and a possible concussion.

A few laps later, we again heard the sound of trouble when a tire blew to the right of me and a domino of riders took me endo-ing over my bars. Oh joy. I have to say, I'm glad we did those tumbling drills early in our training sessions with Mike. Not to be too self-satisfied or anything, but I definitely gave myself a 10 on the style chart for my excellent roll! I came away with a scraped elbow and lots of bruises, but nothing else. Mitch found herself less well-off with some bone bruising and major contusions on her back.

By that point, my impetus to race hard and take chances was pretty low. Still, I took my free lap and got back into the race. We tried to continue our "tactic" for the day - we spent a lot of time at or near the front and trying to keep Arley protected and trying to move her up. But, I was pretty blown. Mentally, emotionally, and physically.

I know that there are individuals out there that might simply ignore the fact that people were hurt. Who only care about themselves and their race. But, I am not that person. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about Mitch, Ky, Cass, etc. It took the wind out of my sails at the end of the race. I was happy to finish, but I am far happier to know that my teammates and friends are okay.

The bruises, scrapes and broken bones will heal, we will all go out there and race again (Monday, to be sure), and we will continue to love the bike.

Tour de Syracuse AKA Pillage of the Village

2011-05-23T16:45:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, BCHAN, Ramba and Bennie the dragon headed up north to race Tour de Syracuse. And by race we really mean Pillage a Village. The 3-part stage race was in a bit of an odd format (crit on Saturday, TT and Road Race on Sunday) but the CAWES ladies were still primed to attack.
The weekend started out strong with BCHAN winning the crit after a solid leadout from Ramba. The crit was fast throughout. With 16 primes being awarded on a 22 lap race (yes, the promoters went a tad bit overboard) there was rarely a lap without a sprint. The Wasabi warriors hung near the front, covering a few moves and pushing the pace a few times. Just prior to one to go, BCHAN gave a “Ramba” call and I worked up to the front to set up for a nice leadout. Started the leadout with about 1k to go (coming out of a corner and up a small rise) to bring the mighty wasabi warrior in for part one of domination. (GC standings – BCHAN 1st, Ramba 3rd)
On day 2, a rolling TT course gave Ramba a chance to try out the new ride (thanks Kris for the quick turn around on getting a fit) and the warriors to see how the legs were fairing. After a sub-7min effort (who knew so much pain could result from so little time…) the warriors were squarely in control of the podium. (Ramba tied for 1st GC and BCHAN in 3rd)

All that was left to pillage was the roadrace. The seemingly “rolling” course was far more brutal that the drive let on. At the first QOM spring, Ramba went with a break that held a blistering pace for the remainder of the first lap. The heat and humidity of central NY were definitely putting a hurt on, and there were a few times I wanted to puke through my eyeballs. The group finally settled into a consistent paceline through the back stretch. When we approached the first of two steep climbs in the mid-point of the lap, the group pushed it again and we whittled down to just three. After trying to kill each other on the second climb, we settled into a rhythm again for the final 8 miles leading into the finish climb. Starting the climb, I hung in the back of the 3, letting one of the women set the pace up the first half of it. With 800’ to go (per the ground markings) I put my head down and went with everything I had left. I figured I’d either completely blow up in about 5 seconds or win. I didn’t look up until I heard my number called first crossing the line. The woman who came in second (from team Nalgene) commented that I looked like a “fury or calves and elbows” climbing to the finish line. After telling a woman that I was “the rapture” and BCHAN roaring with Bennie the dragon, domination was the only option. The RR win cemented Ramba’s control of the GC, and BCHAN finished with enough points to hold on to third.
All in all it was a great weekend. Many team complimented us on our strong riding, our working together during the crit, and general seeming to have fun throughout the weekend. The promoters also complimented us on coming up and making the most of enjoying the weekend. Big props to the promoters for keeping a women’s field and treating us equal as well.
Looking forward to BikeJam and Sommerville with the full warrior clan!

We REALLY love our sponsors

2011-05-16T11:47:00.003-04:00

So much so that we like to flaunt them at business meetings Monday morning....

Tour of Washtenaw

2011-05-15T13:45:00.003-04:00

So, a trio of Wasabi Warriors (accompanied by a Sturdy Girl of epic awesomeness) descended upon the wonderful state of Michigan (aka The Mitten) to race the Tour of Washtenaw. The race, part of a new series of Roubaix races in North America, consisted of a 55 mile loop with 6 dirt sections that amounted to 40% of the length of the race.

The course was awesome. It was consistently rolling with smooth paved sections of respite from the bone-jarring washboards of the technically difficult dirt sections.

The field was small, but powerful. We had checked over the pre-reg list and previewed the course to get a sense for how things might unfold. We knew who to watch and we figured that everyone else would be watching us. After all, we were the largest team there and were total unknowns.

The race started to unfold at the first dirt section where Porkchop, Ky, and Nikki started to put the hammer down and gunned it! We continued to push the pace each time we hit dirt and pacelined each paved section. We found that we were in a group of 7 within about 20 miles and that group ended up staying together to the finish line.

The finish was uphill - with a few decent sized climbs leading up to it. Ky was the leadout QUEEN on the day and started the ramp up with 3K to go. She led the Choppah up through the first hill and to the base of the finishing hill. The Choppah finished it off with a 2nd place finish, after getting outsprinted just at the peak of the hill.

We ended up with 2nd, 5th and 6th. All in all, the Wasabi Warriors left their mark on the Mitten this weekend!

Food For All!

2011-05-11T06:45:00.004-04:00

Check out this awesome article about one of our fantastic sponsors: Food For All!

Maybe you'll get inspired by one of the yummy recipes on the page, or by Amy's story about how she started this unique grocery. Either way, we hope you'll stop in and say hello to the ladies in Mount Airy and try some of their delicious concoctions!

Click HERE!

Hmmm...

2011-05-10T19:32:00.004-04:00

What's better than starting a TT from the back of a giant PLANE?

WINNING

the TT that started in the back of a giant plane!!!!

Three cheers for the Grizzly!!

Time Trial Domination 2011 has begun!!

Hard Work Pays Off

2011-05-03T17:19:00.002-04:00

Our hard work late last season and at the start of this season has paid off...

CAWES got an official invite today to compete in the 2011 Liberty Classic!

We're VERY excited about the chance to race this event again this year!

See you all at the top of The Wall!

(It even has it's own Facebook page!!)

Bennington Race Weekend/Tour of the Dragons

2011-05-02T19:18:00.002-04:00

Two wasabi warriors raced in the mountains of Vermont this weekend, and by the time Ky rolled up to the time trial she had traveled by helicopter, car and bike to get there from Quantico in less than 24 hours. Kacy and Ky worked through their travel-weariness with some really sweet TT equipment from Twenty 20 cycling, but over the weekend these time trialists found their best work to be in the speed department!

In the criterium, Ky broke away from the 3/4 field, snagging the green sprinter's jersey and soloing in for the stage win. Kacy busted out some quickness too, taking second in the Pro 1/2 crit and trailing the powerful Stacey Jensen for second in sprint points.

The road race involved 4000 feet of climbing on dirt and paved roads. Ramba took 6th in the stage, securing 5th in the GC and defending the green jersey. Kacy hauled down the final boulevard in a 5-woman breakaway, taking 2nd in the sprint and moving up to 3rd in the GC. It was a great weekend for the green in the Green Mountain state!

CeraSport to the Rescue!!

2011-05-02T15:49:00.003-04:00

So, this past weekend was the Tour de Ephrata. It's a great 3-event stage race that includes a wicked uphill time trial, a fun and rolling road race, and a fast and challenging crit.

The road race was fun and a bit frustrating as a small break of 5 had gotten away. We tried to pull them back in, but to no avail. The team did score a 6th place finish with Arley winning the field sprint.

CeraSport came to the PorkChop's rescue Saturday evening. For some reason, probably my intense training of late, my legs felt particularly crampy after the race on Saturday. In order to ensure their successful return to form for Sunday's grueling uphill TT and Crit combo, I drank myself CeraSport-Silly. Knowing that I needed the electrolytes and other goodies inherent in the Ex-1 that I love, I downed a few bottles on Saturday evening. I also spent some quality time with my stick, my foam roller, and my 2xu's!!

I woke up Sunday morning feeling GREAT! My legs, though still a bit sore when I spun them out before the Time Trial, came around and managed to drag my porky behind up that climb in 8th place! Heading into the Crit, we had Arley sitting 6th in the GC and the PorkChop in 10th!

The crit was a BLAST. We spent some quality time at the front pulling back breaks that were away, we launched some attacks and got the Choppah off the front for a couple of laps. Finally, the Grizzly pulled at the front to lead Arley up to the critical final two turns. Arley launched and pulled out a wicked 2nd place finish in the crit!

In the end, we held 5th and 8th in the GC and had a great weekend!

New Steeds!

2011-04-25T07:00:00.002-04:00

A HUGE thank you to Mike Abrams and Specialized for outfitting the team with some amazing machines this year. We are so happy and so proud to be riding the new S-Works Tarmac SL3 for 2011!

An additional enormous shout out to the crew at Twenty20 Cycling! Thanks for fielding dozens of phone calls, building bikes, doing fits, and just generally treating us like VIPs! We promise to always walk through your door armed with cookies, beer, or other delicious and tasty treats!

Here's to a great 2011 season!

Ninj-uries

2011-04-19T09:02:00.002-04:00

Can't click, can't draw, and it appears that the bonk to the head has compromised my design skills too...

I can go home and haz a ice cream now?

- Elbows

Top Secret, Super-Special Kits!! REVEALED!

2011-04-18T06:38:00.002-04:00

This weekend's racing included a windy, off-and-on rainy day at Chantilly and a sunny day with riders at Carl Dolan in Maryland and Lower Providence in Pennsylvania.

All in all, the Ladies in Lime had a great showing...hitting the podium on both days and scoring 4 top 5 finishes! We're still working on getting the kinks out of our leadout train - but we are working together more smoothly every time we hit the road!

Weekend results...

Chantilly Crit:

Mitch 2nd - PODIUM

Kacy 4th

Robin 6th

Carl Dolan:

Mitch 3rd - PODIUM

Arley 5th

Ky 8th

On Sunday, the girls revealed our top-secret special kit!! For those of you who weren't out and about at the races...here's a peek!

Maxxis to the Max

2011-04-12T17:12:00.003-04:00

I've been rolling around all winter on Gatorskins. It is, afterall, quite nice to have nice thick tires on your bike when you're out on ugly winter roads. But, unless your racing Battenkill or another Roubaix style race, they are not the most ideal.

So...the morning of the Naval Yard Crit, I switched my Gatorskins out for Maxxis Cormets. I figured that they were the perfect tire for the day - a little heftier for an urban crit that could have some debris on the course (there wasn't much), but still built for speed. Little did I know how AWESOME these tires would be.

These tires hugged the road like Elmyra embracing a cute little bunny rabbit.

These tires were smooth and light and racing and riding on them was a dream!

Thanks, Maxxis!!!

The Battenkizzle...

2011-04-11T14:27:00.006-04:00

Looks like Canada is already sweating the Wasabi. Peanut Butter & Co. is next!!

http://poststar.com/sports/article_fce405c2-63f2-11e0-b5cc-001cc4c002e0.html

Race Goal: Top 20 and finish in the front group

Plan A: Let the course whittle the pack down. Don't go with any break unless Anna McLoon is in it.

Plan B: If the pack stays together, sprint like hell.

I expected the mileage and climbing to break up the field more than they did. Juvederm had a bunch of riders at the front controlling the pace and occasionally launching failed attempts at breakaways. Lots of people crowded the yellow line, and I had to give a few riders the ol' stink elbow to defend my space. McLoon attacked on the 3rd hill (paved road) and broke up the pack, but the group came back together on the descent. The next hill was a dirt/gravel stair step in 3 sections. It was easier to spin up it in the saddle to keep traction. I hung on Anna's wheel and hoped she would attack on the dirt descent. Yes! She went screaming down the dirt with me and a Cyfac rider in tow. We had a gap and I was committed. Anna and I pulled through several times, but Cyfac lady blew up. It wasn't going to stick so we sat up and waited for the pack. The final dirt sections whittled away some of the strong riders, but the swarm behind us was still bigger than I expected.

The last 10 miles and final climb were a total clown show. Really slow. Juvederm kept attacking and then sitting up. Crap, this was going to come down to a field sprint. I couldn't figure out who Juvederm's designated sprinter was, so I decided to avoid them all lest they sit up and block. I sat in somewhere around 8th wheel, took the inside corner on the final 2 turns, and passed everyone but Lex Albrecht (Juvederm) to take 2nd. Holy crap. Peter came rushing up with a hug and kept telling me that I sprinted like a missile. Finally when I asked how his finish was, he was all like, "Oh yeah, I won." Holy Crap. Congrats to Pedro on winning by 40 seconds as a newly minted cat 4!!!

Finally, instead of trying to TT away like a hyperactive monkey on coke, I accomplished the goal with the secret weapons of 1. Elbows, 2. Brain, 3. Spring. I can't believe how much I'm already learning from the team, Mike, and Bob.

Congrats to all on their great races this weekend!

-Kacy "Elbows" Wander

3 States, 2 Days, 1 Wicked AWESOME Podium

2011-04-11T07:47:00.008-04:00

The Wasabi Warriors were out in force this weekend, taking on races in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Whether it was a technical and flat crit, a hilly road race, or the unyielding gravel roads of the 'Kill...the Grrls in Green made it a point to put their stamp on the races.

With 2 top 5 finishes, 6 top 10 finishes, and a great amount of teamwork at the Naval Yard Crit, CAWES had a great weekend of racing!

Brief summary of the weekend's results:

Cherry Blossom Crit:
Becky Chan - 8th place
Kacy Wander - 12th place
Alaina Gurski - 15th place

Fulton Road Race:
Ky Hunter - 9th place

Naval Yard Crit:
Arley Kemmerer - 5th place
Becky Chan - 8th place
Sarah Iepson - 12th place

Ky Hunter - 13th place
Alaina Gurski - 18th place
Robin Meidhof - 19th place

And...

Tour of the Battenkill:
Kacy Wander - 2nd PLACE!!!!

Every Clime and Place

2011-04-05T21:31:00.005-04:00

The Marines' Hymn may say that Marines fight in "every clime and place where we could take a gun," but resident Marine Ramba takes it a step further. Proving that every climb and place is more suited to riding than fighting she found herself (with wasabi warriors, of course!) on top of a snow covered mountain and, less than 48 hours later, in shorts riding around the DC Cherry Blossoms in 80 degree sunshine. With options like this, Ramba may be trading ooh-rahs for cries of wwwaaaassssssaaaaabbbbiiiii!!!!!

Camp CAWES

2011-04-05T19:15:00.003-04:00

The team headed to Virginia this past weekend for Camp CAWES! It was destined to be a great adventure, and with the mountains still covered with white caps of snow, we were not disappointed.

A quick stop at Twenty 20 (I hope Kris shared the cookies!!) on the way south led to a great collection of goodies from our favorite bike sponsor Specialized!! We can't thank Mike Abrams and Specialized enough for the amazing shoes, helmets, and saddles.

Friday started out on an interesting note with the Porkchop being hit up by a nasty stomach flu! Not to be outdone by the Porkchop, Mike, Arley and BChan got a bit turned around while out on an evening ride and had to be rescued by the Sheriff from the far side of the mountain. Needless to say, it was an interesting start to the weekend!

We enjoyed some great riding on Saturday, with a team tactic clinic in the morning and a jaunt up Reddish Knob in the afternoon. We celebrated the Ramba's birthday Saturday night with a fantastic birthday dinner of short ribs, wasabi mashed potatoes, and daikon radish cole slaw. It was a very nice end to a tough day on the bike! Sunday was a simple, quiet ride about the valley (Porkchop actually joined in that day and had a smile on her face the whole time!).

All in all, it was a fun weekend of riding, bonding, and (of course) eating!! We can't wait to get some racing underway this upcoming weekend - the Wasabi Warriors will be hitting the road in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania this weekend!

Desert Diva

2011-04-02T13:39:00.015-04:00

So unfortunately, work interfered with my attendance at the team training camp this year. I found out with a couple day's notice that I had to head out west to Tucson, Az for a series of meetings. Fortunately, there is an awesome shop out there that takes really good care of me and Tucson is one of my favorite places to ride. My trips here usually start and end with a visit to Miles Ahead Cyclery where Geoff and Todd always make sure I'm ready to ride.

After my meetings ended for the day I was able to make it over to Mt. Lemmon before sunset for some great climbing, even better views, and one of the best descents ever!!

The roads in Tucson are great for cyclists. There are bike lanes on almost every road and there is great climbing and great views right outside of the city limits.

However, there is one very important lesson to remember....When you are used to riding in 30-40 degree weather, don't go try to climb a desert mountain at 1pm in 100 degree heat! If you do, your face might just end up matching your brand new Miles Ahead hot pink water bottle!

We Are Able!!!

2011-03-14T11:16:00.005-04:00

It only took 2 months for us to FINALLY get together for a ride with our partners at the IM ABLE foundation! Originally (and very optimistically) planned for a weekend in January...our ride was derailed by snowy conditions until this weekend. On Sunday, we managed to enjoy a beautiful (albeit windy) day on the Schuylkill river path with an amazing crew of riders.

The day started out perfectly with some Twenty20 Coffee (of course) to wake up and get ready for a great ride. Mitch, Badger, and the Ramba met up with the local PorkChop and about 20 other folks for a 30 mile round trip ride into Manayunk and back out to our starting point.

The group being led by the Marines...
Wasabi Divas!!

Robin pretending that Chris' bike is a "Chopper!" Complete with awesome Rudy Project shades and leather jacket!
I remember how impressed I was with Chris and the other hand-cyclists at the Grandview Grand Prix last summer. I got the chance to ride Chris' rig around the parking lot after our ride. After about 2 minutes of spinning about, I thought that my little chicken arms were going to fall off. All I could think was that he had just ridden this bike for 30 miles. Each rider that joined us had a story of tragedy - motorcycle accidents, degenerative illness, etc - but these stories were completely overshadowed by the joy and positivism that overwhelmed the day. We laughed our butts off and had an amazing time. We're already into the planning of our next event and ride.

Team Clinic

2011-02-27T20:24:00.003-05:00

Our first team clinic involved some interesting events. We started with some somersaults to practice graceful falling! :) We're hoping that our fantastic acrobatics will not be needed during the 2011 season, but...just in case...

We then hit the road for a nice 3 hour jaunt. In addition to practicing our pace-line, we did a few attacks and chasing drills during the latter hour of the ride. All in all, it was a BEAUTIFUL day out there with the gorgeous ladies in wasabi green. Mike was, as usual, a Slave Driver - which we secretly LOVE and we had a blast donning our new kits!! :) Everyone just looks so FINE in LIME!!

Embrace the Power!!

2011-02-15T09:32:00.001-05:00

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words....

Oh, YEAH!

Southern Spinning and Shopping Spree

2011-02-13T07:40:00.003-05:00

Another weekend, another great time with the team! Part of the team took advantage of great Mid-Atlantic weather this weekend to get out for a great ride and to descend upon our sponsor shop, Twenty20 Cycling, for a fantastic shopping spree!

The ride was a 60 mile jaunt (80 for those who rode out to Robin's house from DC) that took us out to the rather interesting little town of Boyds, Maryland. The sun was shining for most of the ride and other than the gale force wind gusts that threatened to send us off to OZ for a visit, it was a fantastic day in the saddle! Made, of course, most fantastic by the fact that we were together! There really is nothing more fantastic than being able to spend quality road time with quality teammates!

After that, we all got dolled up and headed up to Hampden to visit the shop! We are so excited to be working with Kris, Johnny, and the rest of the crew at Twenty20 this year! The shop is awesome, complete with power washing bike bathtub in the back room and a full stock of Specialized gear! Kris took time to set each of the girls up with gear to complete our incoming Amira framesets - gruppos, seatposts, handlebars, wheels, computers - you name it, we bought it! While Kris was working with BChan, Kacy and Mitch, Ramba and Porkchop worked on their echelon drafting technique and pain faces.

We then twisted the arms of Kris and Johnny and took them out to dinner at a local spot. We had a great evening and came home stocked with goodies and with many things ordered and on their way!

I'm thinking it's going to be a good year!

BIKE GIRL POWER!!

2011-02-05T09:10:00.005-05:00

So, apparently, it is not just the ladies of CAWES that find inspiration from our bike girl logo, but our cycling friends as well. A good friend of the team displayed this beautiful work of art for me the other night!

An amazing image that tells the story of her cycling life, she sees the tattoo as a source of great inspiration for training and racing. I guess it really is true that if you really love cycling, it can't help but get under your skin.

Of course, now we have to charge her royalties anytime anyone sees it!

JUST KIDDING!!

CAWES Lands on Podium & Ice at Snotcycle Mountain Bike Race

2011-02-02T16:54:00.027-05:00

Ramba, calm, cool, collected (pictured left) took 1st and Badger (praying that her front wheel would grip something other than ice and keep her upright before the photographer or tree felt her impact) pictured right took 3rd in the Women's Beginner Category at the 2011 Snotcycle Mountain Bike race in Leesburg, VA.

As the title suggests, the CAWES riders landed on the podium and ice. . . the shot of my calf (or thankle because the thigh swelling through the knees is still apparent) sums up the day of pain and grueling determination to just finish, at all costs. My husband warned me that it would be a grueling event. He told me to "just have fun" and "try to finish" -- in that order. He didn't mention "stay upright" because this was my first mountain bike race and only the third time I'd ever ridden a mountain bike.

This was Ramba's first mountain bike race, too. However, the fact that we wore matching jackets and hats set us up for some friendly heckling at the start. One spectator announced that should the two "clearly sponsored" riders end up on the podium, the results would be tarnished. We both protested that we were beginners to the sport of mountain biking. Lest we were not convincing enough, as soon as the race started, Ramba and I darted out front -- fast-- like the wind -- and we kept going . . . right on past the first left turn onto the course. Hearing "no no no stop, you've missed the trail" I immediately used my beginner-reflexes to nail both brakes on my bike. And with that I had my first crash of many for the day on a very unforgiving, icy road. The bruising on my calf is nuthin' compared to this Badger's bum. Turns out I wouldn't be riding my bike again until an hour later since 80% of the race looked like this.

Lots of hiking with bike. Fortunately, this race was going to be a test of fitness, not mountain bike handling. I'd shown my bike-handling-skill-cards early.

The Cat 3 women started behind the Cat 3 men, but unfortunately the snow was still too deep to do anything but trudge along with the bikes at our sides. Ramba got out in front of the women from the get-go and kept going, passing Cat 3 men at every opening in the single-track path. I was fortunate enough to find the friendly wheel of Elaine (from halfwaythere cycling team) and we encouraged each other while politely asking if we could "just scoot by" some men who were defeated early on by the grueling march. I stopped counting the number of riders who were turning around and heading back. At one pass, a Cat 3 male encouraged us to keep up the pace because we were sitting in 3rd and 4th place. That's all the incentive we needed to start running with our bikes. We settled into 2nd and 3rd place and soon could no longer see anyone behind us.

Fast forward an hour later....we run across several women who we hadn't seen since the start and we were bewildered. Turns out the promoters, realizing the conditions of the course were slowing down estimated finish times, had cut out the 1.5mile detour...but the top four Cat 3 women missed the cutoff. So, yes, we're all wearing badges of honor and pride for suffering through the full course. I'd pat myself on the back, but still too bruised.

Ramba securely took 1st place and Elaine 2nd and I crawled in at 3rd, bonking and aching in pain, but happy. I had fun and I finished. Mission accomplished. To learn later that only 5 of the 13 women who started our race actually finished makes me that much happier with our efforts.

Specialized and CeraSport

2011-01-27T10:49:00.003-05:00

The perfect combination!! I recently read a review about the new Specialized Purist bottles. Since I am both a water bottle hoarder (just ask my husband) and a Specialized addict (just ask anyone who knows me or works at a bike shop), I simply HAD to get my hands on these.

The bottle is AWESOME! They've put a new squirt valve on the bottle that saves you from the annoying opening and closing of valves while on the bike. It's always "open," just grab and squeeze! They've lined the bottles with silicon dioxide so that cleaning is amazingly easy. The silicon coating prevents the growth of mold, discoloration of the interior of the bottle, AND keeps the bottle fresh and clean. And, for those who fear the terms "silicon dioxide" in relation to a coating that could chip off - a quote from the Specialized site, "Even if it could be removed, silicon dioxide (at the levels found inside of the bottle) occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, and nuts, so ingestion is not a problem. "

Combine this awesome bottle with my delicious CeraSport and you have a winning combination! Ahh, CeraSport, how do I love thee...let me count the ways, "One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand!!"

To try your own Purist bottle - check out the Specialized website!

To try CeraSport, click on the link HERE! If you used "CAWES" as a coupon code, you'll even get 15% off your purchase!!

Mountain Ninjas

2011-01-23T15:20:00.004-05:00

Who needs light to ride a bike?? Ramba, aka AK, and the Badger took to the trails on a hiatus from the roads due to the colder temps, and a touch of insanity. Just to add to the ninja-ness of the wasabi warriors, we did most of the ride in the dark.

Where Would YOU Go?

2011-01-23T07:35:00.004-05:00

OK...now, I know that some folks out there (crazies) enjoy the cold weather (loonies). But, most of us (normal people) probably don't like it too much. Certainly, if you're spending this winter in the Mid-Atlantic region, you're facing one of the coldest winters in recent history. Of the many news reports I've heard, watched, read...the statistics have mentioned temperatures up to 10 degrees below the average for this time of the year. I mean, when your car's temperature gauge reads 9 degrees...that's COLD.

So, some of us (non-insane) dream of warmer climes. Some of us (non-loonies) picture blue skies, warm sun, green fields, and no snow. Ahh...to see the rolling roads and 45 degree temps in Girona, Spain would make my little porkchoppy heart so happy right about now.

If you dream of warmer places...where would you go? Where would you spend your wintery months?

BTW - I don't really think cold-weather lovers are crazy...just far tougher than me!!

Party Time!

2011-01-22T16:56:00.002-05:00

The CAWES gals got together for a little party to celebrate the start of a great season and the birth of the Porkchop. We managed to gather together a few dozen of our closest friends and eat a bunch of delicious food and drink some great wine. It was a great way to start off the new race season, introduce some of our new riders to some of our local Philly-based sponsors, and spend some time together!
The night ended with an after party at the "Manor Bar" in New Jersey and then Mike managed to convince Jason and Robin to drive over to Philly for cheesesteaks. Mind you, this photo was snapped at about 1 am. Yum.

Rough Days

2011-01-20T17:22:00.003-05:00

I'm sure that everyone has them....but there are days (especially when it's cold and snowy - BLECH) when I can't help but feel like this...

This is not a particularly nice way to feel, as you can imagine. When I do feel like this

there are really only a few people in the world that can make me feel better. My teammates certainly do a wonderful job, as do my husband and best friends. But, even they cannot match the power of two super important people...Dan and Marnie. For the past few years, I have been visiting Dan and Marnie at Still Waters Holistic Health Therapies. Whether it's my legs giving me trouble in a power workout or my brain having trouble focusing on work and dissertation studies, these two have never failed to help me feel less like this...

And more like THIS.

Thank goodness for them...no one wants and Angry Porkchop on their hands. I hear they can be as deadly as Angry Grizzlies and Badgers.

Porkchop's First Roll...

2011-01-15T15:04:00.005-05:00

2011 is the year. The year that the Porkchop learns to ride the rollers. I have literally NEVER ridden rollers before today. Leah and I finished our workout this morning and I attempted my first roller ride! Thankfully, my mantel is the PERFECT height for rollers, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Of course, as is REQUIRED of the first roller attempt...it must be videotaped! So, here it is.

I didn't land on my face, so I'd consider the Porkchop's First Roll as a success! Can't wait until my Kreitlers get here, so I can practice JAMMING on them!!

Blending with BCHAN

2011-01-05T19:35:00.007-05:00

Well, the road season is upon us. (YAY!!!!!!) As the seasoned cyclist knows, recovery is almost as important as the time you spend beating yourself up on the bike. One of my favorite aspects of recovery is the post-ride recovery smoothie.

What is so awesome about the recovery smoothie, you ask?

Let me explain. Today for example-- almost four hours in the saddle, post ride core workout + stretching is done, my toes have defrosted, and I'm STARVING. Unfortunately, it's only 5pm. Too early for dinner, but eating another Clif Bar or those carrots I have in the fridge just aint gonna cut it...

Enter recovery smoothie.

I've been on a sunflower butter and banana smoothie kick lately. Yeah, it's a little fattier than your typical fruit smoothie, but hey, I also just burned 2,000 calories.

All you need is:

1 frozen banana (frozen is key! it maintains the overall consistency of this frozen delight)

Couple ice cubes

Splash of orange juice or other liquid, even tap water will do

A small dollop of sunflower butter (soooo much better than PB!)

2 dollops of low- or nonfat-plain yogurt

2 spoonfuls of Gold Medal Aminos (I just started using these and so far they work really well for recovery!!), or your recovery aid of choice.

Throw it all in a blender, magic bullet, food processor, or, heck, I suppose you could even use one of those old fashioned hand held beaters (though if you choose this option, let me know how it goes for ya**). Pour your well blended treat into a glass, and zing! you've got yourself a recovery smoothie!

Bon Appetit!

Here's to recovery smoothies. And the 2011 Season. It's going to be awesome. I can feel it.

**Pics or it didn't happen!

The END is Near!!

2010-12-28T21:36:00.004-05:00

It's nearly 2011. Which means, of course, that the end of 2010 is NEAR! (What did you think I was referring to with the post title?!) As any good end-of-the-year-must-mean-apocalyptic-event-fearing individual, I have decided to stock up...

In addition to my box of Luna protein bars, my tub of Orbana, my bucket of Endurox, and my stockpile of Twinkies...I mean Gu power gels...I recently added a very important member to the year-end pantry...

Oh yeah...I think I'm set for a while. This stuff is SOOOO awesome! I have been telling myself to place an order for MONTHS - and I finally sat down and bought myself a GIANT box of delicious on-the-bike goodness! I am actually looking forward to sitting on my trainer tomorrow simply so that I can enjoy a bottle of the most Pomegranate-y scrumptiousness known to man! Ahhhh....

Dear Santa, I'd like some race wheels. . .

2010-12-20T12:30:00.008-05:00

Visiting Santa in the mall is overrated when you can go riding in sub 30 degree temps for several hours and cap off the ride snuggling with an inflatable Santa and Mr. Snowman.

Alaina G!

2010-12-14T10:41:00.004-05:00

Alaina G Designs! You may not know this, but our resident Grizzly is an artist! She makes absolutely gorgeous jewelry! This past Sunday, a few wasabi ladies made our way over to Still Waters (one of our newest and greatest sponsors!) for their annual Holiday Craft Fair. In addition to the other vendors there selling photos, awesomely smelly soap, cute little aprons and wallets, and warm and fuzzy scarves, Alaina G was on hand to decorate our necks, ears and wrists with some gorgeous gems!

Alaina's table o' goodies!

Doing a little on the spot alteration for one of her customers!

It was a great day to spend with friends, teammates, and sponsors and we're so proud of Grizzly's work! The day after, both the Porkchop and Ramba donned their latest purchases!

We've got a lot of talent on this team - both on and off the bike, it seems!

2011 is right around the corner, kids...hope you're getting your winter training on! Battenkill will be here before you know it. Just ask O'McChanDougle...she knows the exact day count by heart!!

Shhh.... be vewy vewy quiet.....

2010-11-29T16:47:00.005-05:00

......I'm hunting Bambi....

In the spirit of the early settlers, I spent the day before thanksgiving, stalking my food. Though the day was chilly, and the morning early (I do have a thing for sunrises... and waking up at 4am to do anything outside beats waking up at 6am for work any day) it was also a success. Armed with an AR-15, cammie pants and a down jacket (and a bit of blaze-orange... safety first), I trudged through the woods of Crozet, VA in search of Bambi (or his dad, or mom, or really any distant relative). Lucky for me, the grown - up and non-animated version of the creature wandered into my field of fire within an hour of my arrival.

I'll chalk it up to cross training... and good practice for hunting down other teams come spring. (Not to mention delicious Noms!)

You got dropped finalist?

2010-11-29T10:49:00.006-05:00

Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday is a busy one, so this post will be short.

I was fortunate enough to be the Chief Referee for the final cyclocross event of 2010, the MABRA Cross Championships/Taneytown Turkey Chase.

Despite the 30 degree temps, the day was--in my mind--a complete success: no reported injuries, not one protest of our results, and over 250 competitors. The day finished off with a Tandem race of no less than 13 registered teams! You guys and gals are a trip. Without further ado, I'll just post a video link I pulled from the http://www.cxhairs.com/2010/11/29/tandem-cross-tutorial/ website.

http://vimeo.com/17279505

This was priceless. I haven't laughed so hard in a while.

In honor of the tandem-troopers, I got home and had a PikesTandem beer. Thanks again to Tracy Lea and Team FUJI and G.S. Silver cycles for an awesome event. See you next year!

Sponsors!! Get your sponsors here!

2010-11-24T11:31:00.006-05:00

Hey, you!

YEAH, YOU!!!

Visit our sponsors and buy some stuff! It's the holidays, after all!

Get something to protect your favorite cyclist's precious parts!

Maybe some special fuel to keep you going?

A massage for that someone special (yourself, of course)?

A quick adjustment for better Turkey eating posture?

A free range turkey to capitalize on that new perfect posture?

Some yummy drinks to wash it down?

A coach to make sure your eating form is good?

A bike to work off all the extra calories?

A place to buy the bike?

Tires to put on the bike?

A great little shop to ride to after you get your bike?

Some AWESOME clothes to wear while you're on your bike?

A recovery product to use after you've survived it all?

Warm wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving and a beautiful holiday season to all of our sponsors and friends!

Dress For Success

2010-11-24T07:40:00.006-05:00

At least, that's what I've always heard people say...right?

So, that's what we're trying to do. And thanks to the crew at Nightmare Graphics, we are definitely going to look as wicked cool off the bike as Verge has made us look while we're riding!!

A HUGE thanks to Robert, Julie and Jessica at Nightmare Graphics for helping us create these simply awesome t-shirts!

If you want to help support the team, or just think our biker chick logo is pretty sweet, drop us an email at teamcawes@cawescycling.com to purchase a shirt of your very own!

We're working on a "Gear" page for the website, where you can pick up additional items with our "Biker Girl" logo (hats, stickers, headset spacers, and more goodies!). For now, visit the "Gear" page and tell us what you would like to see for sale! THANKS!

Sponsor Weekend!

2010-11-23T15:37:00.000-05:00

Though only a small portion of the team was present - Badger, Porkchop, Ramba, Princess Leah and a possible new addition(? oooh, that sounds like a juicy new bit of gossip, doesn't it?!) - we nonetheless wanted to show the love to some of our returning and new sponsors. So, here's how CAWES shows the love!

We took Michelle from Teaism out on a ride on Saturday morning! It was a BEAUTIFUL day - we couldn't have asked for better weather. The joys of being out in the sun for a few hours was evident on our faces at the halfway point...

Michelle, Leah, Sarah, Ky, Robin, Nikki

Even our bums were happy!

And, Michelle completed her longest ride of the year - hitting over 60 miles by the time she got back to her front door. GO MICHELLE!!!

Not only did she spend a stunning day with us on Saturday, but as we were headed out Sunday morning, we saw her on the road AGAIN getting ready for another jaunt! I don't know about you, but Michelle definitely did more miles than me this weekend!

Saturday evening, we ate sushi (GASP! I know, you're totally surprised, right?) and then...we prepped for our Sunday adventure by making cookies. Ramba (the real marine) directed the troops in the kitchen (check out those WICKED T-shirts!) to make walnut-cherry-chocolate chip deliciousness! Then the Badger followed that up with a snaptastic batch of Ginger Snaps!

Sunday met with an easy ride in the morning and a trip to watch Kris (Twenty20 Cycling) and Mike (Mid-Maryland Coaching) race at the 2nd race of Howard County Double Day Cross Race. It was a great race - and it was easy to shoot the two of them, since they were busy marking one another throughout the race! In the end, they took 4th and 5th on the day. Nice riding, guys!

And, of course...we fed them cookies! :) They were looking a little too skinny, anywho.

All in all, as usual...it was a great weekend with the Wasabi Wonder-Women! We're getting more and more pumped about the 2011 season and our awesome sponsors.

Partners!

2010-11-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

We are really, really excited to announce a special partnership for the 2011 season!

This year, the ladies of CAWES will be working with the IM ABLE foundation to help encourage people to "Get Up and MOVE!"

The foundation, created by Chris and Gretchen Kaag, helps to provide support to disabled riders by raising money to purchase hand cycles, racing chairs, and adapted skis. In addition, they are advocates of a healthy lifestyle for all individuals! We hope to work with the foundation and with local racing promoters to add categories for disabled athletes to their events, to organize rides and events that pair disabled and able bodied athletes, and to help raise money for this outstanding organization.

Please visit the Partners page on our website or the IM ABLE foundation at their website!

Help us promote and support these incredible athletes!

Food For ALL!

2010-11-08T20:38:00.000-05:00

I think that folks may be seeing a pattern in our blog posts. When we aren't talking about riding our bikes, we tend to focus on food. So, it's no surprise that we would take notice of a super awesome, totally radical, uberly healthy new shop that recently opened its doors in Mount Airy just around the corner from Casa de Grizzly!

Food For All is a new artisanal grocery that specializes in organic, allergy-sensitive food! In addition to making and selling delicious goodies on site, they also sell loads of fantastic noms for you to take home.

So, it was natural that the team would stop by this adorable market on Saturday night before heading out for our sushi feast. We were all thrilled by the amazing selection of rice pastas, quinoas, gluten-free bread and pancake mixes, jams, jellies, juices, and just fantastic stuff!

Speaking of pancake mixes - I just HAD to pick up this apple pancake mix for Sunday's breakfast! Made with applesauce (we actually blended fresh apples to mix in!), fat free milk, and an egg, this made for an absolutely scrumptious pre-ride breakfast! Since Mitch and I didn't use the whole mix for pancakes, we made some muffins from the rest when we got back from our ride (after finishing off a bag of Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary chips)! Also fantastic!

I can't wait to get back to Food For All to try a few more of the goodies that I was eyeing upon the shelf!

2010-11-08T18:22:00.000-05:00

Greetings Devoted Readers,

This past weekend a few of the southern ladies made the trip up to Philly to hang out and ride bikes. The weekend started with some pre-ride noms at The Lovely Porkchop's house, complete with pamcakes and egg casserole. From there Mitch left on a long run while the rest of our contingent made the journey to Newtown, PA. It was a gorgeous (albeit chilly) day for a ride, and we met up with our pal, Fred, who showed us a really nice route.

We managed to get in some nice little climbs and dirt roads into our ride. We even had time for a group photo-op.

Things were going wonderfully. Well, at least until The Unicorn broke a spoke, snapped her chain and sheared off her derailleur. Needless to say, this all occurred at exactly the furthest point away from Fred's house.

Fortunately for us, The Unicorn is cool in crisis, emerging unscathed from the entire incident. We were able to get her and Pedro a ride back (Thanks Mo!!) while the rest of us finished our ride and headed back to Philly.

That evening we met up with Le Grizz and a tired Mitch (hey, you would be too after running 18 miles!) for some sushi. After 3+ hours in the saddle and so much sushi we had difficulty hearing, we called it a night. The next morning, we enjoyed our extra hour of sleep and a couple of us went for an easy spin through the ritzy 'burbs of Philly.

All in all, a really fun weekend of riding!

Eight is Great, Nine is Divine!

2010-11-07T19:06:00.001-05:00

Hey there, loyal readers. Just wanted to give yet another new introduction!!

While eight is certainly great, we think that nine is truly divine!

Please join us in welcoming the newest (and youngest) member of CAWES!

Leah Oppenheimer comes to the team from Colavita's regional squad. A strong track rider and sprinter, Leah hopes to stretch her domestiquing legs on the CAWES squad for 2011. At just 20 years of age, Leah has already been on the racing scene for 5 years!

We are very excited to have Leah join the squad for 2011 - she's going to look AWESOME in Wasabi and Orchid!!

We Save Animals, too!

2010-10-31T14:58:00.000-04:00

The ladies of CAWES are also known for their important efforts in aiding animals. Just this morning, whilst out riding, Kacy and Sarah helped rescue a Downy Woodpecker from most certain squashing. She was sitting in the road as we went by and we made sure that she was safely off the road.

Good karma for the ride was felt and we did our good deed for the day.

Happy Halloween!!

CAWES visits the Rally to Restore Sanity

2010-10-30T16:07:00.000-04:00

When Michelle and I headed out this morning to check out all the costumes and fun signs, we were able to maneuver quite easily around the capitol on our bikes. No problemo. Until 11:50am when the masses descended like the swarm of bees Colbert threatened to release. Trapped with bikes at our side, we wormed our way through thousands of people between Constitution and Madison. Mayhem, but in a good way. Not an adventure for the claustrophobic or anyone in a rush to move...an inch. 45 minutes to go one block.

One rather tall gentleman offered to open a gap in the crowd for us and thanked us for cycling (instead of driving presumably). Others looked at my SRM and noted that my average mph and stats were going to suck for today.

We finally escaped the crowds that just kept coming down 7th street and ducked into Teaism for some limeade and Salty Oat Cookies. And the best part, Michelle pulled up the rally on live feed so we could see and hear everything while nestled in the shop where the air was thick with the sweet scents of tea. Visitors came in to watch with us and remarked how incredible the day was. Jon Stewart requested no douchebags and the masses listened. There was a light-hearted sanity in numbers, we think close to a million, but we'll wait to hear what's reported later this week.

Going (Gone?) Nuts!

2010-10-28T20:56:00.001-04:00

I think that this might actually be a moment when a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Thank you, Nuts Online for providing the Porkchop with some of her favorite on (and off) the bike snacks!

On The VERGE!

2010-10-28T20:44:00.000-04:00

We were very lucky to work with the great folks at VERGE on our newly designed 2010 kits. For 2011, VERGE has become one of our official sponsors and we are super excited to be working with them again. Our bums were never happier than when they were propped upon a VERGE chamois. And our arms and legs were wrapped in warm, fuzzy goodness every time we pulled on our arm and leg warmers. Most important, we loved the way the clothing fit and allowed us to look fantastic out on the circuit! Hey - as David Lee Roth once said, "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how good you look!"

THANKS, VERGE...for making us look WICKED awesome!!

NRC Calendar Announced

2010-10-28T20:18:00.001-04:00

As we finalize our team roster (more announcements to come) and continue to recover from the 2010 season, USA Cycling is already scheduling our lives for 2011. Yesterday, the 2011 NRC Calendar was announced.

A few surprises appeared with the unveiling of the calendar, the most exciting and frightening is the addition of the Tour of the Battenkill to the NRC circuit. Already an extremely difficult race, Battenkill now becomes even more challenging with the addition of a field of professional women! YIKES! You know it's scary when Evelyn Stevens describes the race in one word...EPIC!!

The complete calendar appears below. At the very least, you will be able to catch the gals in Wasabi and Orchid at the highlighted events below. We hope to make at least one or two Stage Races this year, so Cascade or Nature Valley could end up on the short list!

2011 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar

Mar. 30-Apr. 3: Redlands Bicycle Classic Stage Race

Apr. 9: Sunny King Criterium

Apr. 16: Tour of the Battenkill Road Race

Apr. 27-May 1: SRAM Tour of the Gila

Apr. 30-May 8: USA CRITS Speedweek

May 5-8: Joe Martin Stage Race p/b Nature Valley

May. 14: Tour de Grove

May. 21-22: Wilmington Grand Prix

Jun. 5: Liberty Classic

Jun. 11-12: Air Force Cycling Classic Omnium

Jun. 15-19: Nature Valley Grand Prix

Jul. 3: Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic

Jul. 5-10: Tour de Toona

Jul. 19-24: Cascade Classic Stage Race

July 27-31: Tour de Nez

Aug. 6: Presbyterian Hospital Invitational

Aug. 20: Grand Cycling Classic

Aug. 21: Evanston Grand Prix

Aug. 27-28: Chris Thater Memorial

Sept. 2-5: Labor Day Omnium

Oct. 2: CapCrit p/b WCSA

Yet Another Addition!

2010-10-27T06:22:00.000-04:00

Good morning, Campers!

CAWES would like to announce another new rider to the 2011 team.

Please join us in welcoming Cyclocross Superstar Arley Kemmerer to CAWES!!

Arley was a guest rider for us at the Liberty Classic in 2010, and has been a fixture in the road race and cyclocross scene of the Mid-Atlantic for several years. Previously of HUB racing and currently racing cyclocross for C3 Athletes Serving Athletes, Arley has posted podium finishes this year at Granogue, Charm City Cross, Concrete Crater Cross, and wins at Ellison Park Cyclocross and DCCX.

Arley is also deeply committed to developing Women's cyclocross in the region and has already hosted several Women's-Only Cyclocross clinics.

We're thrilled to have her on board for 2011!

Keeping Austin Weird

2010-10-25T12:44:00.000-04:00

I apologize for a lack of pictures... I suppose it's the occupational hazzard of traveling/racing alone and just trying to make sure I remembered everything for race day. But here you go:

In short….
I swam, biked, ran and then collapsed into a heap of trembling jello, not knowing which way was up. And managed to qualify for 2011 Word 70.3 Championships.

In a little more depth…
I arrived in Austin a bit overwhelmed, befuddled and disheveled. Traveling with the bike just simply sucks, and traveling alone with a bike, a huge bag and a feeling that you’re in completely in over your head is probably the level of hell that resides in the lost manuscripts of Dante’s Inferno. In the week leading up to Austin I had experienced every emption – fear, joy, relief, excitement, and anger. I’m still not exactly sure what each was directed at, and some was most likely a result of tapering and having a slow week at work, but nonetheless by the time I boarded the plane Friday afternoon I was just wishing it was Sunday night already.

However, here’s where I have to give due credit to Ironman. Screw UPS… Ironman loves logistics… or at least blows everyone else out of the water with them. From packet-pick up to a pre ride of the course, to racking my bike to swimming, everything ran smoothly and my nerves began to calm. I chatted with a few people about the course and started to feel ready to go.

Sunday… race time…. The curse of being in the women’s 30-34 age group is that we always tend to start last. While in theory this sounds nice (an 8:30 as opposed to 7am start), the transition area still closes at the same time, so it makes for an hour and a half of standing around and getting nervous waiting to race. It’s also a huge age group (over 180 starters in my wave) which, for a non-swimmer such as myself, can prove a bit intimidating. When the time finally came, I waded myself into the lake, positioned somewhere near the middle front, and just hoped for the best. All in all the swim was one of my best. Though there were a few washing-machine churning moments, for the most part I felt in control. And then something strange happened… I actually started passing people. It took me a minute to realize they were actually women in my heat, not stragglers from the heat prior, as this is not a situation in which I find myself typically. Trudging out of the water I heard the announcer say something to the effect of “the beginning of the women are starting to come out of the water now.” Beginning? I’m never in what could be considered the “top” few coming out of the water. Must be talking about something else. I plopped down to have my wetsuit peeled and ran to my bike.

The transition was when it really hit me. “There are still a lot of bikes here.” I remember thinking to myself. Followed by “holy shit that means I have to actually RACE this thing.” I didn’t dally around transition, but grabbed my helmet, threw on my shoes (after multiple warnings of the stickers and thorns in the grass I opted to wear my shoes out of transition – good call) and portaged my bike ‘cross style (again fearful of thorns) through the grass to the bike exit. As the course unfolded I was thankful for my shoe-wearing/bike-carrying exit from transition. Multiple people were fixing flats or stopping to pull barbs out of their feet. Neither seemed like fun situations. The bike course unfolded along rural central Texas rolling hills. The rollers were such that I was able to stay aero and in the big ring. As I started passing people, the thrill of racing actually caught up with me. Another porps to Ironman for a well-marked and incredibly well supported leg of the course. With the exception of the women who told me she didn’t want me to pass her (well, then you’re going to have to ride faster, lady), I blissfully lost myself in the race. The ride actually felt good…a nice surprise given my feelings on the relative elevation change of the course.

I wish I could say the same for the run. I honestly don’t remember too much about it other than it was not fun. It was half pavement/half grass and all torture. Though I was moving pretty well through the first lap, the big ball of flame that is the central Texas sun decided to rear its ugly head and spew fire upon me. Though the DC summer was hotter than usual, I had started to grow accustomed to fall in the mid-Atlantic. Apparently fall is some sort of cruel joke in Texas, with nice, pleasant mornings and then soul-sapping afternoons that thrive on blasting the hopes of out-of-state racers. With each aid station I passed I tried to calculate how far until the next one. Iced sponges were a cool oasis in the misery, but only temporary relief. As the mercury climbed up, every step felt like hot coals were being jammed up my legs. Ahh… sweet pain. I help a fairly respectable 7min-ish pace until the final two miles, when my body became physically incapable of moving forward. One hears talk to “hitting a wall”, and I’ve run enough marathons to know that said metaphoric wall rears its ugly head. However this was a literal wall… as I had, in my heat-induced delirium ran into the barrier meant to turn the course into the finish stretch. (it’s pretty sad when the “finish stretch” is two miles…) Quickly ascertaining that something was amiss, I managed to turn left and start up the false-flat of doom into the finish area. My somewhat respectable miles pace was gone by now, and after the love affair with the barrier, just moving forward made me happy. I kept telling myself that I could hang on for 15 min (lies!) and that being able to see the finish line somehow would make it all better. In a hodgepodge of noise and lights (the course went in and out of an area twice in the final mile, the contrast between the sunlight and the fluorescent lighting reaking havoc on my eyeballs) I somehow managed to pass at least one more women to solidify my position in the top 10, and top 5% of females overall, qualifying me for Worlds. I was handed a medal and a hat (go Ironman, again, for actually giving me something useful) and slumped down somewhere on the floor until I got enough wits about me to wander to find something to eat. The wonderful people at Ironman outdid themselves once again, and provided mini-milkshakes. Because nothing brings Ramba back from the dead like a milkshake.

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. However, my one logistical suggestion to Ironman is that they provide all the single women traveling a lone with hot porters for post-race bike carrying and massage. Or, at the very least, give the bike packing, putting-back together and cleaning ninjas my correct address. My bike is still in the box, but I’m already planning the road season and working on gearing up for worlds.

Grr, Kill, Eat Babies,
Ramba

Website Updated!

2010-10-22T21:37:00.000-04:00

Utilizing the latest app for iPhone, we realized that our old website was considered "ugly." In an attempt to increase the aesthetic pleasure of our site visitors, we updated our design, revamped our pages, and gave the CAWES team site a little boost!

Please check it out and be aware that it is still in the works - things will be added, changed, updated, improved, and otherwise edited so that we can score a solid 10 on our iPhone by the New Year!

http://www.cawescycling.com/

Hustling like a Hillbilly

2010-10-08T21:43:00.001-04:00

Alaina and Ky hit the dirt at the Hillbilly Hustle this past weekend. Here's a great video made by friend Carlos Cabalu. Thanks for sharing, Carlos!! :)

Hillbilly Hustle 2010 in HD from Carlos Cabalu on Vimeo.

2011 Roster Update!

2010-10-01T13:51:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

Well, the big day is finally here! We're announcing our 2011 Roster!!

Returning to the team for the 2011 season will be longtime teammates Robin Meidhof and Michelle Hart. Alaina Gurski and Sarah Iepson will also be coming back to the team for another awesome season in green.

Joining these returning riders are newcomers:

Becky Chan

Kacy Wander

and

Ky Hunter

Becky Chan comes to the team from Sturdy Girl Cycling. A strong sprinter, Becky hopes to upgrade to a Cat 2 during the 2011 season and intends to score some wins as both a sprinter and lead out woman!

Kacy Wander joins the team from Quaker City Wheelmen. An extremely talented rider, Kacy will become the team's #1 climber! With 2010 wins at the Lost River Road Race and the Green Mountain Stage Race, Kacy's mountain goat tendencies are a huge addition to the team.

Ky Hunter dons the green and magenta after a long tour of duty in camouflage! Ky is a Marine Corps Officer who is returning to the racing scene after several deployments overseas. A strong rider and domestique, Ky also hopes to upgrade to Cat 2 this year and will be a fundamental part of team tactics!

Please join us in welcoming these women to the squad - and keep your eyes peeled for more roster and sponsorship news. We are all VERY excited about the upcoming season and can't wait to see you all on the road!

Special Olympics and Junior's Day Out

2010-09-28T12:39:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, the ladies of CAWES helped out with a very important event in Sykesville, Maryland...the annual Special Olympics and Junior's Day Out race. Held in conjunction with Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day, the event included several time trial and road race events for Special Olympics athletes and several BAR points events for Junior riders.

In addition to marshaling the events, CAWES was on hand to help out with a "prize" table that included a vast array of donated clothing, shoes, tools, and other gear for the cyclists competing in the day's events. The table, coated with every color of the rainbow, was made possible through donations from fellow cyclists from Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey and brought amazing smiles to the faces of both athletes and parents. Thank you to everyone that helped us collect items for this fantastic day.

Here are a few photos of the event:

Unlike the 2009 event, which was a bit on the cool side, this year's event was graced with warm temps and sunshine! Fortunately for all of the riders and volunteers, CAWES sponsor CeraSport provided thirst quenching goodness! The huge orange coolers full of CeraSport Citrus Concentrate kept everyone hydrated and full of electrolytes throughout the day! The coolers were bone dry by late afternoon (I think everyone liked it!)! THANKS, CeraSport!!

More photos can be found at this Winkflash site.

New Recruits

2010-09-28T12:36:00.000-04:00

Our new director (see the blog post below) has taken it upon himself to find us some wicked ninja recruits. Seen here in rare photos (they aren't often caught on camera due to their speedy reflexes and sneaky nature) are....

the Sushi Ninjas

Very dangerous, these two. Watch out for them next year - if you can find them, that is. So glad they're on our side!

Happy Heineys

2010-09-18T14:58:00.000-04:00

These are very important to folks in our sport. Happy Heineys, I mean. The opposite of course is the Painful Posterior. We don't like these.

This is why I love my Specialized saddle and DZBliss chamois cream! :)

They make bums happy (especially slightly out of shape Porkchop buns that haven't been on the bike in 2 weeks and then venture out for a 3 hour pedalfest with some hills...but I digress)!

2010-09-17T18:04:00.000-04:00

5:20am - Woke up to meet some friends for a morning ride. Fall training has officially started.

5:20pm - Received new supply of FlexPower (pictured right). Long fall rides will now begin. God bless you FlexPower and the healing goodness of arnica. . .

More News: CAWES Branches Out

2010-09-13T06:17:00.000-04:00

After much consideration, CAWES has decided to add a Hiking/Spelunking team to the roster. These ladies will spend much time breathing heavily while walking, scooting through narrow rock canyons and making veiled and not so veiled references to popular culture and 80s movies. Here's a short video of what they were up to this past weekend!

And some photos:

ALWAYS stay hydrated.

BREAKING NEWS - In talks with new director

2010-09-10T22:28:00.001-04:00

CAWES has a new team director, Dave the Judo-Chop guy. And just remember, "Don't go Ninja-ing, nobody that don't need Ninj-in'."

PA State Crit Championships

2010-09-05T17:04:00.000-04:00

The Grizzly and the Porkchop were on hand at the Pennsylvania State Crit Championships on Saturday. With one major goal on the table for the day - preserving the Grizzly's first place position in the PA Bar competition - the two were ready to see what they could do against a tough field. The riders sitting 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the PA Bar were all in attendance, so we had our work cut out for us. It was pretty obvious that they were not going to let the Grizzly get away, but that didn't mean we weren't going to try!

Hurricane Earl (by then downgraded to a simple Tropical Storm) was also making an appearance at the race in the form of a wicked headwind down the long back stretch that seemed to change direction and become a cross-wind as we made the final turn to the loooooong finishing sprint.

Porkchop got away once for a few laps and jumped off the front a few additional times during the race to make the other riders chase. In doing so, the Porkchopper banked $40 in cash primes and a $10 Gift Certificate prime to the local pizza joint! That made for a yummy post-race dinner!

In the end, we didn't take the win or the podium on the day, but we DID hold onto the 1st place PA Bar position, which was the #1 goal! We also got to race with these lovely ladies...

Stacey Jensen of CRCA (the day's winner), Grizzly, Jess Chong of Morgan Stanley, and Andrea Luebbe of Human Zoom

The Porkchop and Becky Chan of Sturdy Girl

Thanks to Joe Mallis for the great photos!!

New Jersey Crit Championships

2010-08-29T14:24:00.000-04:00

I have been looking forward to this race for some time now. In the back of my mind, this race was tagged as a big one and one that I wanted to win, but I was trying not to get too worked up about it. In the past couple of years, I have finished 2nd THREE times in State Championship races. Twice in the road race and once in the crit. I admit it, I was tired of taking 2nd. Granted, I took 2nd to some wicked chicks, who really deserved the win, but I was thinking that my time had come. I wanted this one.

The race is at my home course at Greentree. YAY. That right there makes it all the more fun for me. After all, I spend nearly every Thursday night there getting whomped and sometimes whomping the boys! So, why not spend a beautiful Sunday morning there with the ladies!

The field was relatively small, with about 15 Cat 1/2/3 women and 3 Cat 4 ladies on the start line. There were certainly some riders of note in the field - Beth Bonilla (who won Medford last weekend and took 1st in the Crit Championship last year), Jackie Paull, Betty Tyrell, Beth Renner and some of the other Riptide gals, and a crew from Montclair Cylery. With two teams of women there, I wanted to make sure that I raced SMART.

I tried to be patient at the start. I went to the front to set a pace that I hoped would be upheld as the race continued. It worked, for the most part, and the tempo stayed relatively steady throughout the race. Betty, Beth and I all launched attacks early on in the race. I got away at one point, but got reeled back in.

Then, with about 12 laps to go, Betty and Beth launched an attack up the hill on the right hand side. I was on the left side and weaved through a few riders to get on Beth's wheel. I came around her as we rounded the corner and floored it. When I came around the next bend and looked behind me, no one was there. I just kept going. Beth and I had talked before hand and one of our strategies was to get one of us off the front solo and to have the other bridge up. So, I figured that she was going to do her best to bridge up to me. Apparently, there were a few attempts behind me by folks to bridge, but none of them were successful. I was just up there gunning it the best that I could - keeping my pace high and my cadence steady.

I was nervous for a while, even while I was getting time gaps: 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 MINUTE! With about 4 to go I realized that barring a crash or a flat, I was actually going to win this! With 1 to go, I was euphoric! Coming across the line with a massive victory salute about 3/4 of a lap in front of the field was AMAZING! Beth won the field sprint for 2nd, which was also awesome!

I am so happy! And so glad that my coach George and my former teammate and good friend Dana were there to cheer me on! THANK YOU for being there! It was awesome. Thanks to Teresa DiSessa for the photos from the race! :)

Winner, winner, Porkchop dinner!!

Tour de Medford

2010-08-23T20:41:00.000-04:00

Now, it's no secret that the Porkchop doesn't mind driving to races. Heck...this year alone, I've put a few thousand miles on my car driving to Lancaster County, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, DC, and various sundry places. But, it's ALWAYS nice when I can race right in my own backyard! So, it was a glorious thing to drive 15 minutes to race this past Saturday in Medford, NJ!

The Tour de Medford Crit is a really fun race. It's a technical three corner crit with a slight uphill rise to the finish. It comes right through the center of town and draws a local crowd out to volunteer and cheer on the riders. It's a really nice day on the bike.

The field was small, but tough...including the standard leg-ripper-offers like Jess Chong, Beth Bonilla, and Tricia Carnila! It was going to be a fun one. Jess attacked early on and was away for a few laps with Beth, Tricia and I chasing her down. We finally put in a few massive efforts and got her back - we were now in a small break group. A few little attacks were launched here and there, but nothing was sticking. With 2 to go, Jess launched another attack that caused a gap. Beth eventually bridged up and right before the final turn on the last lap, Tricia, Jackie Paull and I caught up to them. We were too tired from the effort to sprint for 1st, but Tricia and I duked it out for 4th and 5th. I ended up taking 4th on the day.

It was a really nice day out there...beautiful weather, beautiful roads, and great women to race with. The local South Jersey paper, The Courier Post, had a videographer on hand who asked me to do an interview afterwards. The video can be found on the Courier Post website. Just scroll down to the "latest videos" link at the right.

Tour de Millersburg

2010-08-18T18:23:00.000-04:00

Two of our favorite animals...the Grizzly and the Porkchop headed out to Millersburg for the fantastic stage race that is the Tour de Millersburg. The race is a favorite of the PA contingent, who finished 7th and 8th in the 2009 edition (while racing for different teams). It seems that these two are always finishing right behind the other....it's sort of our thing. This year was no exception.

The Time Trial is a perfect race for Sarah and Alaina. Mostly false flat downhill on the way out and false flat rising on the way back. There are a few small rises throughout the course, but they're grinders, which suits both of these ladies. Posting strong times, Alaina finished 2nd in the time trial with Sarah just 5 seconds back in 3rd place.

With two riders from the New Zealand national team at the race, it was no secret that the Crit was going to be wicked hard. The course was run opposite to 2009, so the course included two right hand turns at the start, a looooong steady drag up to turn 3, and then a screaming descent into turn 4 and the finish. There was literally NO recovery, as we pedaled down and through the start/finish line on every lap. Once we had come down the hill, the road immediately went back up. By the 3rd lap, the field had started to shatter. The Kiwis took turns attacking until one finally got away. The other stayed in the field for a few laps and then countered and jumped up to her teammate. They were never seen or heard from again!

The rest of us launched the chase, which further broke the field. Jessica Chong of Morgan Stanley attempted to bridge up to the Kiwis, but got caught in no man's land. Sarah was part of a three woman chase behind Jess that included Kacy Wander of QCW and Patty Buerkle of Fruit 66. The three eventually caught Jess and the 4 sprinted for 3rd on the line, with the Porkchop taking the final step on the podium in the crit. Alaina came in with another chase group in 9th.

The Road Race again was going to prove difficult - not even considering the constant rain that greeted us in the morning. Sarah was now in a Kiwi sandwich - sitting 2nd in the GC between the two strong riders. The same tactic was run by the New Zealanders to break down the field. It worked. Unfortunately, both Sarah and Alaina were victims of the wicked legs on these girls. We finished 13th and 16th respectively, but still maintained strong positions in the GC.

When it was all said and done, the Porkchop and the Grizzly stood next to one another on the podium in 5th and 6th in the GC.

All in all, it was a great weekend of racing...not to mention staying with the most amazing Amish family ever...the Smuckers. The family took wonderful care of us during our stay - stuffing us with more bacon than we usually eat in a year, and giving us amazing support when we rode past the farm during the road race. It was so awesome to have all of them yelling and cheering us on as we came past the house!

Specialized Transition!

2010-08-18T18:13:00.000-04:00

Now, we know that part of the reason that the Grizzly keeps kicking butt in Time Trials is that she has the fastest legs this side of the Schuylkill, but it's also because of her wicked ride.

A special shout out to our favorite bike sponsor, Specialized, for outfitting our Time Trial specialist with the raddest Transition in the land...

Thanks to you....the Grizzly has posted the following results this year:

3rd - Somerset Circuit Time Trial

2nd - Deep Blue Delaware State Time Trial

3rd - Philly Amateur Time Trial

1st - PA Elite State Time Trial - defending champ takes the title for the 2nd year!

4th - Tour of Washington County State Race Time Trial

1st - Butler County State Race Time Trial

1st - PA Masters State Championship Time Trial

3rd - USA Cycling 2010 Masters Nationals, 40-44 Age Group

2nd - Tour De Millersburg Stage Race Time Trial

Phew....and she's not even done yet!

Master's National Podium

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A major shout out to our resident Time Trial Aficionado...

Grizzly took 3rd place at Master's Nationals in Louisville last weekend!!

Alaina also had some great finishes with a 9th in the Road Race and 12th in the Crit!

We'd also like to send our congratulations to some of our MABRA friends...

Jennifer Maxwell of Kenda took 4th in the Time Trial, and 10th in the Road Race and the Crit!

Leslie Jennings took 2nd in both the Road Race and Crit in the 35-39 Age Group!

Marni Harker of Kenda took 7th in the TT, 6th in the Road Race, and 5th in the Crit in the 45-49 age group!

Really great racing down there, ladies! Congrats to you all and to all the National Champions!