Last weekend, I was amongst the few athletes from Des Moines (JJ Bailey, David Carpenter, Nathan Bartels, Nathan White, and Kristin Gallagher), who flew out to Portland to compete in the USAT Nationals…hoping to earn a spot to compete in the World Championship in Australia. FYI, I did not earn a spot, but I do want to give a shout out to JJ, David, Nathan White, and Kristin because they all did! Woohoo! I am thrilled that I was able to compete in this race, but it was definitely a learning experience.

1st Lesson Learned: Don’t carry Zip wheels on the plane. The airlines don’t like them…even if they do think they are really cool. If you do choose to carry them, act dumb, stand your ground, and promise them you will never do it again.

2nd Lesson Learned: United has it out for bikes. If possible, avoid flying United or just pay the money to ship it…25lbs over weight will cost you an additional $120. If you want a discount, pull a Nathan and tell them you are 25lbs lighter because of the bike. They may cut it in half.

3rd Lesson Learned: Buy a long sleeved wetsuit. It can be really cold in September.

4th Lesson Learned: Brush your feet off a bit before putting your shoes on. That way, you don’t have debris jabbing you in the bottom of the foot for the rest of the race.

5th Lesson Learned: Remember where you racked your bike. If you swam really hard, you might be a bit delirious when you get out of the water. You may be convinced that somebody took your bike, but calm down, take a breath, and look again.

6th Lesson Learned: Just because your bike looks really fast, it doesn’t mean that you are. Throw Zipp wheels on a Ruby and it looks sick. Throw an aero helmet on the rider and she looks fast. None of it matters if the rider can’t time trial.

7th Lesson Learned: Become a better time trialist.

Overall, I had a decent race. I set a PR, but there are definitely areas for improvement. I had been wanting to compete in this race all year, so I went out there and gave it my best.

Portland is an awesome city. The countryside is striking. The ocean is surreal. The Pinot Noir taste way too good. It was definitely worth the trip out.

Alison (Ali) Doyle
Current town you live in: Ames, IA
Hometown: Ames, IA
'09 Race Age: 35


Background? I recently moved back to Iowa from Bellingham, WA . I am nearly finished with an M.A .from ISU--I am writing my thesis. With any luck I will graduate by 2020. I currently work as a Marketing Manager for the Iowa State University Research Park
Family? Nine years ago some very funny and brave soul entrusted me with the care of an amazing son.
Race results? Athletic background? I have ridden the bike leg of a couple relays, run in a few races, etc. but to date the only bike races I have participated in are spontaneous road trials--as a result of some guy I rode with talking smack, or pedaling to escape dogs. I am a self described Bikram yoga and kickboxing addict.
What excites you most about PRC? Fast women. Bike Racing 101 from women who win...how could I not be exicted about that?
What do you feel you can uniquely bring to the team? I make a mean protein bar.
How do you hope to promote more women to cycle/race? Have fun. Ride more. If you are doing something you truly love, and are conscious of encouraging and being patient with others, they will come.
Other cycling goals you have for yourself or PRC in '09? To win....followed closely by not falling off the proverbial "trainer wagon" when the snow flies and the wind howls!

PRC sponsor, ELDER CORPORATION is an earth moving company centered in Pleasant Hill. They specialize in demolition, heavy highway and commercial grading and have become one of the Midwest’s leading site development partners. If you don’t know him, Jay Elder is one of the coolest and most supportive guys. He leads a very healthy lifestyle, competing in triathlons and bike racing and really wants his employees to have a healthy, fitness oriented lifestyle as well. Because of this commitment to fitness, ELDER CORPORATION even sponsors the Flatland Triathlon Series which includes Copper Creek, Big Creek and Dutchman triathlons along with the DOathlon For Life race.



ELDER CORPORATION has been a super awesome sponsor for PRC this past year and we want to thank them for all they’ve done. Now through the end of September, PRC is running an ELDER CORPORATION promotion. When you look around Des Moines and the state of Iowa, there are hundreds of ELDER CORPORATION bull dozers, blue trucks, trailers, etc all over. Grab your digital camera or cell phone and snap a picture of equipment with the ELDER CORPORATION logo visible. Send the image with your name, address, phone number and t-shirt size to punk@punkrockcycling.com and we’ll hook you up with a free t-shirt and goodie bag, compliments of ELDER.



Thanks for participating and especially, thanks to Jay and the ELDER CORPORATION for all of their support!!



*** Please be cautious of your photo size before sending! Thanks!

Each week we’ll introduce you to a couple of team members for our 2009 team. We’ll go alphabetical order so up first… meet Alaina!!




ALAINA SPAUR
Hometown: Pella, Iowa
'09 Race Age: 17

Background Info: I am a junior at Pella high school. I'm taking as many art classes as I can to prepare me for my artistic career. I currently work at Dairy Queen in Pella. Unfortunately, I am too young to be married but I do have a boyfriend who's up to letting me be in Punk Rock Cycling. My parents have been very excited for me and this opportunity. They're glad they can see me finally getting somewhere with biking. I'm thinking about moving to Texas after I graduate.. I'd like to go to Austin and the University of Texas for Visual Arts. And I thought since it's so warm down there, I could also get some great biking there. (And Lance Armstrong lives there!!!) Lance is my biggest idol.

Past race results? Athletic background? Biking has pretty much been my biggest sport since high school. I started racing in 2005 doing the Iowa Games, road race and the time trial and the Pella Criterium. I didn’t race in 2008 but am excited to get back into it.

What excites you most about PRC? I love how it's a woman's team. Not many girls are into cycling and this is a perfect thing for it. The girls seem great and I’m excited to have girls I can talk to about cycling! What do you feel you can uniquely bring to the team? I've heard I'm the only junior.. so that's a unique thing and I feel my attitude is like a rocket. I'm very happy when it comes to riding my bike. I'll be the happiest and silliest girl you could ever find in a quite strange, but good way.

How do you hope to promote more women to cycle/race? I'm thinking about posting stuff around my school, and talking with other girls about it. Just getting the name of Punk Rock Cycling out there. And they'll ask about it and I'll happily tell them.

Other cycling goals you have for yourself or PRC in '09? I just hope to race a lot more, and dedicate myself to biking more than I have than the last two years. I've never really had any motivation except for the love of it.. no one has pushed me. And I do believe this could be a great push for me! I'm just excited to ride with girls!

Tonight will be the final PRC Ritual Ride of ’08. Please join us at Ritual Café for a 5:30pm ride. The PRC Ritual Ride runs April through Sept so no worries, we’ll start this up again in the spring. Thanks to everyone that has come out and joined us this year. It’s been a blast! We hope to see you tonight!

Click HERE to view pictures from our rides this year.

PRC sponsor, ELDER CORPORATION is an earth moving company centered in Pleasant Hill. They specialize in demolition, heavy highway and commercial grading and have become one of the Midwest’s leading site development partners. If you don’t know him, Jay Elder is one of the coolest and most supportive guys. He leads a very healthy lifestyle, competing in triathlons and bike racing and really wants his employees to have a healthy, fitness oriented lifestyle as well. Because of this commitment to fitness, ELDER CORPORATION even sponsors the Flatland Triathlon Series which includes Copper Creek, Big Creek and Dutchman triathlons along with the DOathlon For Life race.

ELDER CORPORATION has been a super awesome sponsor for PRC this past year and we want to thank them for all they’ve done. Now through the end of September, PRC is running an ELDER CORPORATION promotion. When you look around Des Moines and the state of Iowa, there are hundreds of ELDER CORPORATION bull dozers, blue trucks, trailers, etc all over. Grab your digital camera or cell phone and snap a picture of equipment with the ELDER CORPORATION logo visible. Send the image with your name, address, phone number and t-shirt size to punk@punkrockcycling.com and we’ll hook you up with a free t-shirt and goodie bag, compliments of ELDER.

Thanks for participating and especially, thanks to Jay and the ELDER CORPORATION for all of their support!!

*** Please be cautious of your photo size before sending! Thanks!

Ana Nelson, PRC's cat-4 state road race champion, solidly promotes the eating of hamburgers before races. "It all started at the state road race," Ana said, "I had a hamburger and then I won." Since then Ana has been eating hamburgers before every race and her pre-race hamburger luck charm has not failed her. After taking the title of state road race champion, Ana took her second state championship in the criterium. Look for Ana at your neighborhood burger-slinger restaurant soon!

Christina Maravvveelas (as heard by many race announcers this year), happy birthday! We hope that you’re having a great day. Thanks for the organization, creativity, enthusiasm and talent that you bring to our team. There’s never a dull moment with Chris around. Have a super great birthday!! We love you!

Join us tomorrow for our Wednesday night Ritual Ride. The Ritual Ride runs from April through September so just two more weeks left and luckily, we should have some pretty warm weather for tomorrow night’s ride. We’ll leave from Ritual Café, Des Moines at 5:30pm. We hope to see you there!!

So wow, it’s been quite a year….and where did it go? Was it that long ago that we were riding trainers indoors and getting bundled up to race at Kent Park?!?

When I look back at just one year, it’s truly amazing how much cycling has changed my life (and my free time!). I’ve met so many great teammates, sponsors and even the guys we train with who make us stronger and kick our @ss on the TNWC ride (honestly guys, thanks for the invites, encouragement and tips! We do appreciate it.) And special thanks to the sponsors who have generously helped our team so much! We are all so lucky to have your constant support. Through biking I was lucky enough to meet Terry this spring and even took a position as an IT Project Manager for our team sponsor, Visionary Services. Thank you David and VSi; I love my new job! So seriously, cycling has completely changed many aspects of my life!

Also, exciting… In just our team’s first year, Punk Rock Cycling has had such a positive impact on women’s cycling in our community and the support, followings and recognition that we’ve received is overwhelming. Our Wednesday night Ritual Ride has been a huge success and it’s very cool to know that so many other women out there are wondering how we do it and wondering how they can become a PRC member. Pretty cool.

We’ve had great success while racing too. We’ve won a ton of races, with podium spots divided amongst every member of our team and four of us were able to upgrade categories. And Donny, no worries, we’ll continue to rock both the local scene and race scene next year. Thanks again for all of the help and support this past year; you’ve been a ton of fun and more importantly, just a great friend. Thank you.

So looking back, wow, what a great year and I wouldn’t change any of it (well, maybe except for that one small pileup back in April… ouch… but luckily, it healed quickly.) I can’t wait to see what next season brings for PRC... And finally, drumroll, we have nearly doubled the size of our team with 11 riders for ‘09! (Stay tuned for our full roster). ;)

Should be another great year just around the corner!

Last night was the final Elkhart time trial event with an awards ceremony following. PRC’s Kelli Mente took top honors winning the women’s overall time trial series while PRC’s Jane Riessen took second place.

For the women’s category 4 series, PRC’s Maria Ruhtenberg took 1st place honors, bringing another gold home for PRC.

Congratulations on a fabulous series ladies!

PRC sponsor, ELDER CORPORATION is an earth moving company centered in Pleasant Hill. They specialize in demolition, heavy highway and commercial grading and have become one of the Midwest’s leading site development partners.

If you don’t know him, Jay Elder is one of the coolest and most supportive guys. He leads a very healthy lifestyle, competing in triathlons and bike racing and really wants his employees to have a healthy, fitness oriented lifestyle as well. Because of this commitment to fitness, ELDER CORPORATION even sponsors the Flatland Triathlon Series which includes Copper Creek, Big Creek and Dutchman triathlons along with the DOathlon For Life race.

ELDER CORPORATION has been a super awesome sponsor for PRC this past year and we want to thank them for all they’ve done. So, you have 22 days and counting…

Now through the end of September, PRC is running an ELDER CORPORATION promotion. When you look around Des Moines and the state of Iowa, there are hundreds of ELDER CORPORATION bull dozers, blue trucks, trailers, etc all over. Grab your digital camera or cell phone and snap a picture of equipment with the ELDER CORPORATION logo visible. Send the image with your name, address, phone number and t-shirt size to punk@punkrockcycling.com and we’ll hook you up with a free t-shirt and goodie bag, compliments of ELDER.

Thanks for participating and especially, thanks to Jay and the ELDER CORPORATION for all of their support!!

Putting the Psych in Punk Rock Psych-le

Cat 4... At the line up there were riders from DMOS, All 9 Yards and obviously PRC – maybe others too. This was an awesome race from my saddle. I got to sit in and take a free ride. Lacey from DMOS took the lead near the start of the first lap and stayed near front the entire race with Ana and Maria taking turns shelling our Cat 4 field with attacks. All the while, I sat in position and confused the field where I was to do one of two things... Do nothing or salvage a win if things don't go as planned. Turns out both Maria and Ana rode their hearts out while I coasted for 14 circles. In the 15th lap Ana and Lacey were battling it out for first; Maria was somewhere not far behind. At this point there was no way of knowing who was going to win the final lap or the sprint as the three ladies had been pushing and pulling for so long, now my job was to bridge the gap to ensure a strong podium presense. Unfortunately I started bridging too late, but fortunately Ana had played a smart game of cat and mouse and came in with a great finish in first, Lacey from DMOS took second and Maria put PRC bookends on the podium with third. All three ladies, Lacey, Maria and Ana road a great race and as a side note -- Maria had no mechanicals!!

A special mention for Dee Mable who took a little slide out on turn 4 and got back on her bike, finished the race and I believe opted out of the free lap all after getting hit by a car last week and totaling her bike. Obviously a tough nut to crack! Hope she's not still feeling the crash.

Cat 1,2,3... Huh? Why am I writing anything on this??? Well, lucky me, I got the nod to cat up from Mark. DQ gave my son $20 to stay with my daughter (they were my excuse to go home early) so I could race. Genius. DQ had yet another plan up his tattooed sleeve which was for me to go fast (DQ also just applied to NASA as a rocket scientist). Our PRC lineup was Jane, Kelli and Me. At the start, the lovely lady from Specialized (Connie) took the lead.

NASA's instructions were to go fast so I sat in for a bit and as we rounded the 3rd corner I was climbing a lot easier than Connie and decided that this must be where I should follow the orders so I picked it up and time trialed. I gained a small lead the first lap, maybe 5 seconds, then 10, I don't know what I got it up to but DQ said to look for Kelli on the straights because she was going to bridge up and relieve me after 5 or 6 laps. Then “Chris, Chris!” WTF? I was expecting Kelli to bridge, but not after only 3 turns -- Dang, she's got some legs on her! Kelli pulled me, actually it was more of a drag - Kelli dragged me around the course for a lap or 5, until we started to get a little system of turn taking which was 80% Kelli dragging me, then 20% me keeping Kelli's speed to a minimum.

On one of the laps I took turn 3 a little too fast and caught my inside pedal on the pavement and didn't get up righted in time to miss the curb which caused me to do something that hurt but I'm not real clear what. Again DQ witnessed and ran over to check the PRC equipment (me and the bike) to make sure we were all in working order -- turns out we were. I ride up to Mark and tell him that I crashed and want back in the race. Kelli's on her way down the hill, I get on my bike, wait and hope. Kelli passes me (yah, did I say she's fast) and I jump on her wheel (although that sounds a lot smoother than it was) with 13 laps to go.

The turn taking gets back in order with probably the same ratio as before but our lead had grown a lot by lap 23. Lap 24 was to solidify the win and 25 was a technicality, just get across in one piece. Kelli was very strong and came in first, I was very lucky to have Kelli there to pull me in for second and then there was Jane. Poor Jane has been sitting in the pack the entire race, twittling her thumbs not able to attack or even lead because the rest of her team is out front and she knows the risk of trying to bridge up... what a boring day for Jane. See Jane ride. Jane sat in today. See Jane attack. We weren't able to witness, but I'm sure it was an awesome attack that Jane launched to make such a gap between her and the rest of the field. See Jane take 3rd. PRC took an impressive 1,2 and 3.

Nice work out of all the PRC ladies and DQ. Everything came together today thanks to our group effort... it's been a great season!

Sad news for PRC but exciting news for DQ… Although we’re sad to announce and we’ll miss him like crazy, Donny has recently been offered, and accepted, a great job with Specialized in Morgan Hill, California. He will be working as one of the SBCU Fit Professors. Specialized has a school that trains retailers from across the world on product knowledge and how to best fit their customers to bicycles. Specialized uses the same technology from Dr. Pruitt and the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in their fitting assessments, 2D, and 3D fit programs. Donny’s job will entail, among many other things, conducting classes teaching product information and the specifics of our fit methodology.

Donny will be greatly missed amongst our PRC team and Rasmussen’s but have no fear, PRC will keep rocking races and building the women’s cycling scene just as we did this year. We have even bigger plans for 2009! Kelli Mente, Chris Maravelas, and Maria Ruhtenberg will act as riders and the team directors in 2009.

DQ, we don’t even know where to start thanking you but wow, what a great ride it’s been and thanks for living PRC 24/7 this past year. We have learned so much from you and your talent & dedication made for a very successful season. Thanks again Donny and best of luck in Cali! CONGRATULATIONS!!!