During our trip home from Iowa City last weekend my teammates and I were discussing the fact that, while the number of women in these races has grown, we’re still dwarfed by the men’s fields.

Numbers to consider: Iowa City Road Race: over 160 men; less than 40 women. Old Capitol Criterium: over 140 men; less than 30 women.


The number of women participating in sports like running and triathlon is growing exponentially. The first women’s Olympic marathon was run the same year as the first women’s Olympic cycling road race. Why aren’t more women racing bikes?

The easy answer lies in the fact that cycling is an expensive and rather time-consuming sport. My running sisters do get a bit of a break here. Buying a pair of running shoes is certainly easier on the pocketbook than buying a bike and all the related equipment. And run training, even for a marathon, is typically less time-consuming than training to race bikes.

But what about the hundreds of women in this state who are already avid (and strong) cyclists? They’re spending thousands of dollars on bikes, clothing and equipment. And they’re spending hours and hours out on the trails and roadways. Why isn’t this passion translating into race participation?

My teammate Ali has a theory and I agree with her. Ali thinks that many women don’t race bikes because they take it too seriously and feel there’s too much at risk. Consider this: If the only people who ran Dam to Dam were those that could run a 7:00 min or faster pace, those of us who run upwards of a 9:00 min pace probably wouldn’t be that jazzed about participating. But the reality is that paces at Dam to Dam vary from 4:59 to 17:27 and there are thousands of people participating. The same goes with events like the Hy-Vee triathlon. The 2008 event had over 1200 finishers and finish times ranging from 1:55 to 5:16. There’s something about the event and shear numbers of participants that acts as a sort of “safety net” for those of us who aren’t going to end up on the podium. This doesn’t mean we’ll push ourselves any less hard than the elite athletes. It doesn’t mean that we’re any less vested in our results. It’s just easier to take the risk when you’re part of a larger crowd. As a solid “middle of the packer”, I understand this well.

I got pushed out of that comfort zone last weekend in Iowa City. I’ve been watching the Old Capitol Criterium since the early 80’s and swore I’d never race it. When I joined PRC I had to commit to doing it and, to be honest, I spent a lot of time worrying about it. Finding myself standing at the start line Sunday morning was surreal. There were only 11 of us starting the race so I knew my performance (or lack thereof) would be right out there for the world to see. No hiding in the crowd this time.

The whistle blew, the race was on and I was off the back almost immediately. To make matters worse, it started to rain, making an already sketchy course even sketchier. Wanna know what I did? I just kept riding!

I rode the entire race by myself. I never caught anyone and was ultimately lapped by the race winner. I finished last. Wanna know something else? I had an awesome time!

Would I have liked to do better? Of course. Will I keep pushing myself to improve? Absolutely. But I wish there was a way to describe just how wonderful it felt to put myself out there and find out that my fears were unwarranted. There was nothing humiliating in going out and doing the best I could at that given moment on that given day. People cheered for me and encouraged me all along the way. My teammates were (and always are) so supportive and positive. Who ever knew “losing” could feel so exhilarating?!

I’m sharing this experience because I want to issue a challenge to all you groovy cycling chicks out there: Come do a race with me! Do you love to ride? Prove it! If you’re nervous about jumping right into one of the “bigger” criteriums or road races, start with our Race Like a Girl series on May 28th. It’s incredibly beginner-friendly and lots of fun. Let’s see what we can do to “up” those numbers. The more of us that are out there giving this a try, the more fun it will be. What have you got to lose? That’s right- nothing. And there is so much to be gained!

This past weekend, the women of PRC raced the Iowa City Road Race on Saturday followed by the Old Capitol Criterium on Sunday. Definitely a successful weekend for the women of PRC!

On Saturday, the Category 4 women raced a 26 mile road race on the wet course with Maria finishing a close 2nd place to All-9-Yards' Dee Mable in the final sprint. They were closely followed by a group of riders including Ali in 8th, Emily in 9th, Sara in 10th and Heather in 14th. Great road race experience for all!

The women's Category 1/2/3 race brought some tough competition from nearby widwest states. After 52 long miles, the PRC duo was still in the lead group with Keely and Kelli taking 8th and 9th place in the final sprint. The Iowa City Road Race was won by Catherine Walberg of Team Kenda. And wow - Team Kenda is tough with attack after attack throughout the entire road race!

After constant rain all night, things were beginning to dry up in time to start the Women's Category 4 Criterium race. Unfortunately, just a few laps in, the rain let loose again and made for some slick corners. PRC stayed strong though with Maria again taking 2nd place in the rain. She was followed by Ali in 4th place, Sara in 7th place and Heather in 10th place. Unfortunately, a flat tire on the first lap for Emily.

The tough competition from Kenda, ISCorp, BH and Mercy returned for the Category 1/2/3 crit on Sunday. Team Kenda's Kristin Wentworth, Catherine Wahlberg and Kim Eppen of Mercy took the top three spots with Kelli and Keely finishing 11th and 12th respectively.

Special congrats to Maria for her 2nd place finishes in the Category 4 races both days!! Stay tuned for pictures from the weekend.

What is the best bike I can get for $200?

One of my coworkers wants to buy a bike, so of course, everyone directs her to me for advice. After a few questions I found out that her top dollar was $200 and she wanted to bike a mountain bike because she likes straight bars and wider tires. She wants to be able to ride her bike on the paved trails and possibly commute to work, but will likely never ride off-road. With that, I told her that an inexpensive used cross bike would be a better option for her, but once I told her that they don’t just come with straight bars, she immediately shot it down. She has never tried regular road bars, but was very set that she would not like them. I really don’t want to put her on a hybrid because, well, that’s just no fun. She also does not want to buy a junker brand, so she asked for a suggestion of what to look at and what to steer clear of.

So, to put this all together, she wants a legit bike, good brand, wider tires, and straight bars…for no more than $200. Oh yeah, and she wants an aluminum frame because it is lighter. I might be able to talk her into spending more, but when I threw the $700 number at her, her jaw dropped, so I took that as a no.

Anybody have any good ideas?

As you may know, PRC’s Designs For Women week is here! What does this mean? This is your chance to see some of the latest and greatest bikes and products that Specialized offers women. The best part? Specialized has a demo team that brings all of the goodness right to Des Moines, so don’t miss out! It doesn’t matter if you’re female or not, we’d love to have you stop by and visit us!!! Here’s the calendar:

Tuesday night from 6-8pm, stop by Rasmussen Bike Shop. PRC will be there to hang out, share wine and show off new product. Come and test ride one of the sweet bikes!

Wednesday night, join PRC for our Wednesday night ‘Papa John Ride’. We’ll even have tasty Papa John’s pizza (URL) back at the bike shop following the ride. Come test ride a new bike on the ride.

Thursday night, we’ll have the D4W vehicle set up at Union Park for our ‘Race Like A Girl’ Series. Sponsored by Elder Corporation, ‘Race Like A Girl’ is a cheap, beginner friendly, race for women and men. Come out and give it a try!

There are many opportunities next week to see PRC and check out the wonderful products by Specialized.


So who is the lucky driver that gets to drive around the Midwest and show off the new product? We want to introduce you to Amy Kippley.



PRC: Amy, where are you from?

AK: Minneapolis, Minnesota.

PRC: What got you interested in bikes?

AK: My dad had a big part in getting me onto and keeping me into bikes. Ever since I took that leap from big-wheel to banana seat I’ve never looked back.

PRC: Personally, you prefer road or mountain?

AK: I prefer riding on the road, but crashing on the mountain. I went to state in crashing big, so when it comes to making a fool of myself on the trail, I don’t mess around. Bring on the dirt.

PRC: Have you raced bikes?

AK: Yes, mainly of the single-speed variety.

PRC: Other than Iowa, where is the coolest place you have done a demo?

AK: Tricky one, since Des Moines truly is party capitol of the Midwest. Is it cheating to say Minneapolis? I think so. I’ve got a soft spot deep in the heart of Texas- Austin has some great folks and some fun trails. The riding in Devil’s Den (Arkansas) is also some of my favorite.

PRC: Any good demo stories?

AK: Each demo is completely different so each one usually has its own amazing tale to tell. From riding hinged swing tall-bikes in Springfield, MO, getting caught in a hail storm during a night ride through San Antonio, TX, and surviving only on wasabi peas and a jam packed 80’s mixed tape on a power drive from Tyler, TX straight through to Cleveland, OH- It’s been an exciting five months on the road.

PRC: What is the best part about your job?

AK: Meeting so many new people & conquering so many new trails. Great food, folks, and bikes- I’m one spoiled lady.

PRC: What is the worst part about your job?

AK: Racking up truckloads of hotel awards points. One too many continental breakfasts and I start to get a bit weary.

PRC: What a big rocking van to drive around? Are you a future mini van owner now?

AK: I think I paid my dues as a mini-van driver. Once I get back to having a place where I wash & fold my own towels, I’ll be trading in my keys and investing in sturdy bike trailer for hauling the heavy.

PRC: What are some of the coolest Specialized 'must' ride bikes?

AK: The new Era/Epic. Ferocious bikes!

Today, Kelli, Maria and Keely are road tripping south for an omnium stage race in Hermann. They’ll do a 10 mile time trial on Saturday morning, followed by a downtown criterium and then a hilly road race on Sunday. Click HERE for details on the race.

Good luck PRC! Ride fast, ride smart, be safe and most of all, have fun!!

WOW! With just a 2 day notice, what an amazing turnout last night for the bike safety rally. News reporters estimated over 500 cyclists biked the streets to the steps of the capitol!

Special congrats to one of last night’s speaker’s, PRC’s own Maria Ruhtenberg! She did an amazing job speaking in front of such a crowd. Definitely a powerful night for Des Moines and especially for Doug! Thanks to all who attended.

And we have good news about Doug. Most of the PRC girls have had the opportunity to stop over and visit Doug in the hospital this week. Although quiet sore and a long recovery still ahead of him, his spirits are up and he’s definitely motivated to get well!

Through his time at the hospital, we want to cheer him up with some get well wishes! Please click HERE to send Doug a get well message through the hospital website. Doug is at Methodist Hospital.

We got more fan mail from Diana in Colombia. This gal is so cool!


HI...THANK YOU FOR THE PUBLICATION, ALMOST DIED OF HAPPINESS, I COULD NOT BELIEVE, I HOPE TO BE FAN NUMBER ONE, THE DOORS ARE OPEN WHEN MY HOUSE WANT TO VISIT COLOMBIA, I HOPE TO SOON. I LOVE VERY VERY MUCH PUNKROCKCYCLING!!!

YOUR FAN NUMBER ONE!!! -DIANA


Wow this trip to Colombia looks more and more appealing every day. Right now tickets are running about $680- yikes.

We love getting letters from just about anyone - if you want to be as awesome as Diana you can write us as well... send your emails to punk@punkrockcycling.com!

Last Saturday was Rob’s Big Day Out with CITA starting with a 6:45am departure to ride gravel down to Summerset, followed by 3 hours of trail work, Papa John’s pizza for lunch, and finally a lap around the now ready-to-ride 5 mile loop at Banner Lakes in Summerset State Park.

About mid-week I committed to riding with Rob in the morning, helping with the trail work, and riding back home. Well, I am a fair weather rider, I really enjoy sleeping at 5:30am, and I have a very rigid routine of enjoying a salmon omelet and coffee at La Mie every Saturday morning. That being said, I bailed on the 6:45 ride and headed down to Summerset after breakfast. Thirty-three volunteers showed up to finish the last of the bench-cutting, branch snipping, bridge building, rut digging, trail raking work. They entrusted me with giant snippers, so I spent the morning clearing branches and raking away debris.

After filling my belly with a slice of delicious Papa John’s sausage pizza and a Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi, I hopped on my mountain bike to test out the trail. I am used to the Center Trails, so this was definitely a change of terrain…it used to be an old mining field so there are lots of packed gravel mounds with some steep pitches and tight hairpins. I soon realized that my technical skills…or maybe confidence level…are not quite ready for those trails. BUT, I plan to get better, so watch out Banner Lakes…I’ll be back.

Special thanks to Rob for a great day out and big thanks to CITA for all the work you do for the trails we enjoy!

Click HERE for more info on the trails.

Hey PRC fans, just a reminder that tonight is our Wednesday Papa John Ride. Looks to be great weather! We hope you can join us. Our ride leaves from Rasmussen Bike Shop at 5:30pm and heads south of town for 24 miles (or 31 if you make an extra park loop).

Trying to decide if this ride is for you? PRC strongly recommends bringing a road bike, helmet, nutrition and sports drinks/water as needed. Although this is a 'no drop' ride you should be able to ride at least 24 miles at an avearge of 15mph or better. Got questions? Email us at punk@punkrockcycling.com and we'll gladly help.

If you can't join us this week, no worries, same thing each Wednesday from April through September.


*** Parking note: If you are driving to the ride, please park your car in the far lot WEST of Charlie’s Filling Station. We do not want to block customer parking for either Rasmussen Bike Shop or the bar next door. Thanks in advance!!

Our route map is shown below:

We found this picture of Quikstep rider Tom Boonen. And well, we don't know what to say. So maybe you have some ideas? Leave your captions in the comments. And think of something funny! And if you're like any of the girls on PRC you've probably used a good amount of company time searching for moderately naked pictures of Tom Boonen. For those girls out there that are like us - here is our collection of Bear-Bones-Boo-Boo pics. Enjoy.

A lot of people say they love animals, but then, when they come across one that has a scar, is a little bit skinny, or is coughing up blood, they just turn their heads. Well, I love animals of all shapes, sizes, and disabilities. That's why I devote all of my free time to finding and caring for diseased and deformed animals. I just can't get enough of those smelly, limping critters! I'd never be so cruel as to turn away a stray dog, just because his care requires that I siphon fluid from his lungs with a plastic tube every four hours. If you only like animals that sport silky fur or have tongues, then you can't say you truly love animals. I love all of the earth's creatures—those with and without tapeworms.

Just take one look into my Siberian husky Clancy's pus-encrusted eyes. How could you not love him to pieces? He's so special to me, as are the five or ten cats dragging themselves around my house any given week. I give every animal a name, no matter how close he or she is to death. Add one more to the list of little buddies in cages stacked on, or hanging from, every available surface in my home. Muffin, a guinea pig with a tumor three times the size of her head, may need a little more care than a so-called "normal" guinea pig, but I'm more than happy to put in the extra effort. Every mange-covered, rasping animal is a gift from God. Sure, sometimes the smell can be overwhelming, and sometimes the animal hair clumped on my couch, clogging my kitchen drain, and clinging to my clothes can be a bit unpleasant. But once you've bottle-fed an abandoned, three-legged ferret, like I do every morning with little Tripod, there's no turning back: You're a true animal lover.

Every animal deserves tender loving care, even if he or she is well beyond hope of ever living independently. I have an iguana with chronic pneumonia, and a 17-foot boa constrictor with a skin disease so advanced it turns the vet's stomach. Then there's Señor Oink, the epileptic pot-bellied pig I found in the giveaway section of the classifieds. I love little Oinky, no matter how many times he's accidentally bitten me or destroyed one of my lamps during an episode. I can't believe someone actually wanted to get rid of him! Not all of the animals I own are pets that were left to die in a sack on the side of the road. I've rescued my share of wild animals, too—everything from birds with broken wings to Smokey, a raccoon that swallowed a tin-can lid.

Just last year, I rescued a deer. My then-boyfriend Larry and I spotted the little guy lying on the side of the highway, covered in blood and barely breathing. Of course, I insisted that we heave him over into the back of Larry's pick-up and take him home. There, I wrapped him in a blanket and kept him on my front porch, where I hand-fed him corn that I chewed up myself. I even outfitted him with toddler-sized diapers, which stayed in place because his back legs were paralyzed. I feel good knowing that, even though I couldn't save the deer, I kept him alive for almost a week. Larry thought we should put him out of his misery by running over his head with the pick-up. So much for that relationship! I dumped Larry, as soon as we unloaded the deer's carcass back at the same spot by the road where we first found him.

People might wonder where I get all the time and energy to take care of such an interesting menagerie. I won't lie and say it's easy. I need a giant calendar to keep track of who gets special-diet food and whose festering wounds need irrigating. But just when I think I've had enough of mopping secretions off of my floor eight times a day, someone like Toby—my little beagle with mild dysautonomia and a severe allergy to grass—does something adorable. I can't stay mad at these enfeebled and contorted little guys. It's not their fault that they have so many problems. If you really care about animals, you're going to love a Siamese cat like Phantom, who lost half his face in an exhaust fan, twice as much as you love a cat that has his whole face.

Really, what these animals need most of all—even more than lots of very expensive medication—is affection. Sure, I have a lot more broken furniture than most people, because of my pets' seizures and emotional outbursts. But does that mean I stop loving the little guys? These animals just need hugs, patience, and plenty of time to romp around outside. Except Patches, who can't be exposed to direct sunlight.