Several of the women from PRC participated in the Hy-Vee Triathlon. When you have some time, you'll have to check out their race reports below...
Heather’s Race Report
I’ve done the Hy-Vee Triathlon the past two years but, given that I haven’t swam even once since my half-Ironman last August, I knew there was no way I could pull it off this year. The Hy-Vee Tri is such a fantastic event; I knew I’d be miserable if I wasn’t involved so I set out to put together a team for the relay. I contacted a few of my tri friends and soon got hooked up with Amy (my friend Jen’s sister) and Amy’s co-worker and friend, Tammy. After a few rounds of emails (and some nervous weeks after I was injured) I finally got to sit down and talk with my teammates two weeks before the race. It was great to find that we were all on the same wavelength-we all wanted to go out and do our best but our primary focus was to have fun!
Race morning arrived and we were all excited (and a bit nervous). It was really interesting being in the relay. It was definitely much more relaxed than being at the swim start. We cyclists and runners had to wait at least 45 min. for our swimmers to arrive back in transition so there was actually a bit of a party atmosphere.
Things got a bit more serious as the first relay swimmers started to come into transition. Amy was our swimmer and she did an awesome job! She bolted into transition, slapped the timing chip onto my ankle and I was off. I’m finding that I need a bit longer warm-up as I’m getting older, so the run to the mount line and the first 5 miles of the bike weren’t as smooth as I’d have liked. (You can be sure that the hecklers on that first hill let me know that they expected better. Thanks for the motivation!) I finally settled into a groove and focused on riding hard and picking off riders ahead of me. I was riding Keely’s TT bike and it felt awesome to be back in some aero bars. The course was an out and back with a few hills right outside the park and at the turnaround. I saw Kelli headed back to the park before I made it to the turnaround- she was SMOKING the course! I covered the last few hills before the turnaround, said “hi” to my friends there (I’ve really got to quit doing that!) and headed back in, thoroughly enjoying the tailwind. I made a few tactical errors on the way back but made it to transition in one piece, handed the chip to Tammy and off she went. I swapped stories with a few friends and then headed to the grandstands to watch everyone finish. I was thrilled to see Tammy come across the finish line a little over 2 hrs and 40 min. after we started. Tammy cut at least 30 seconds off her predicted pace, so she had a great race. We ended up placing 8th out of 40 female teams.
Thanks so much to the folks at Hy-Vee who make this amazing event happen each year. Thanks also to Rasmussen Bike Shop- the official bike shop of the Hy-Vee Triathlon and quite possibly the very best bike shop on the planet!
Emily’s Race Report
I was a bit nervous for Hy-Vee this year. Although I am fit right now and had no worries about completing the race, my training has been somewhat unstructured, so I was not sure how I was going to perform. In addition to that, I have been nursing some injuries, so I wasn't sure how my legs were going to hold out. With that being said, I went into the race with no expectations other than to have lots of fun. The swim went smoothly, the bike was a bit of a stuggle on the way out, but fast on the return, and the run hurt like heck until the turnaround when I finally got my legs underneath me, holding a strong pace with a sprint to the finish. My times were not where I would have hoped for them to be, but I had a blast and still managed to pull off 10th in my age group. Thanks to all the spectators who came out to cheer us on!
Kelli’s Race Report
This past Sunday marked my third year participating on a Hy-Vee triathlon relay team. I always enjoy the atmosphere and after last year’s event, my all female team had a blast and decided we should definitely compete together again this year.
Our relay team consists of our amazing runner, Robyn Friedman from Newton and Robyn’s friend, Sarah Patterson, as our swimmer. Sarah has a strong swimming background and is also the Newton High School Girls Swim Coach. Robyn is well known across the country for being such a great runner. Just this month alone, she placed a close 2nd place overall in the 20K at Dam to Dam and finished 3rd place overall last weekend at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth (with an overall time of 2:38, which is a 6:01 pace – yes, for 26 miles! She’s lightning fast).
We always do this event just for fun and put little pressure on ourselves. Last year, our goal was to be one of the top placed all female relay teams and we ended up over 25 minutes faster than the second place all female team so this year, we decided we’d see how our all female team could compete amongst the male and coed relay teams.
Sarah started us off with a great swim, taking over 30 seconds off her time from last year. She is so comfortable with the water that she always steps right up to the front of the men and gets ready to have people kicking her and swimming over her. Again this year she had such a smile on her face when she came running up to the transition area to hand over her time chip. I headed out for the bike next. This year, relay teams started in a much later wave so there was lots of bike traffic on the course and therefore lots of “on your left” to get through without crossing the center line. Unfortunately when I left the transition area, my right aero bar wasn’t tightened enough and therefore the arm rest fell and wouldn’t stay upright for me. I did the 25 mile course without being able to use my aero bars, but it worked out ok; just wasn’t near as aero dynamic nor as comfortable on the tt bike and therefore gave quite a neck/back ache by the end. Regardless, still a fun race and a sweet tail wind return – yea, gotta love that! I got back to transition and Robyn was ready to go. Her speedy legs gave us a finishing time of 2:06:92 and best of all, of 256 total relays teams, our all female trio had the second fastest relay time of the day. Pretty cool!
So special thanks to Sarah and Robyn for being such talented and great teammates! Also, thanks to the fans/hecklers for their encouragement and congrats to all competitors for the dedication and determination to train for 3 sports! I don’t know how you do it - just the bike is time consuming enough for me! Congrats to all!
Keri's Race Report
Heather’s Race ReportI’ve done the Hy-Vee Triathlon the past two years but, given that I haven’t swam even once since my half-Ironman last August, I knew there was no way I could pull it off this year. The Hy-Vee Tri is such a fantastic event; I knew I’d be miserable if I wasn’t involved so I set out to put together a team for the relay. I contacted a few of my tri friends and soon got hooked up with Amy (my friend Jen’s sister) and Amy’s co-worker and friend, Tammy. After a few rounds of emails (and some nervous weeks after I was injured) I finally got to sit down and talk with my teammates two weeks before the race. It was great to find that we were all on the same wavelength-we all wanted to go out and do our best but our primary focus was to have fun!
Race morning arrived and we were all excited (and a bit nervous). It was really interesting being in the relay. It was definitely much more relaxed than being at the swim start. We cyclists and runners had to wait at least 45 min. for our swimmers to arrive back in transition so there was actually a bit of a party atmosphere.
Things got a bit more serious as the first relay swimmers started to come into transition. Amy was our swimmer and she did an awesome job! She bolted into transition, slapped the timing chip onto my ankle and I was off. I’m finding that I need a bit longer warm-up as I’m getting older, so the run to the mount line and the first 5 miles of the bike weren’t as smooth as I’d have liked. (You can be sure that the hecklers on that first hill let me know that they expected better. Thanks for the motivation!) I finally settled into a groove and focused on riding hard and picking off riders ahead of me. I was riding Keely’s TT bike and it felt awesome to be back in some aero bars. The course was an out and back with a few hills right outside the park and at the turnaround. I saw Kelli headed back to the park before I made it to the turnaround- she was SMOKING the course! I covered the last few hills before the turnaround, said “hi” to my friends there (I’ve really got to quit doing that!) and headed back in, thoroughly enjoying the tailwind. I made a few tactical errors on the way back but made it to transition in one piece, handed the chip to Tammy and off she went. I swapped stories with a few friends and then headed to the grandstands to watch everyone finish. I was thrilled to see Tammy come across the finish line a little over 2 hrs and 40 min. after we started. Tammy cut at least 30 seconds off her predicted pace, so she had a great race. We ended up placing 8th out of 40 female teams.
Thanks so much to the folks at Hy-Vee who make this amazing event happen each year. Thanks also to Rasmussen Bike Shop- the official bike shop of the Hy-Vee Triathlon and quite possibly the very best bike shop on the planet!
Emily’s Race ReportI was a bit nervous for Hy-Vee this year. Although I am fit right now and had no worries about completing the race, my training has been somewhat unstructured, so I was not sure how I was going to perform. In addition to that, I have been nursing some injuries, so I wasn't sure how my legs were going to hold out. With that being said, I went into the race with no expectations other than to have lots of fun. The swim went smoothly, the bike was a bit of a stuggle on the way out, but fast on the return, and the run hurt like heck until the turnaround when I finally got my legs underneath me, holding a strong pace with a sprint to the finish. My times were not where I would have hoped for them to be, but I had a blast and still managed to pull off 10th in my age group. Thanks to all the spectators who came out to cheer us on!
Kelli’s Race ReportThis past Sunday marked my third year participating on a Hy-Vee triathlon relay team. I always enjoy the atmosphere and after last year’s event, my all female team had a blast and decided we should definitely compete together again this year.
Our relay team consists of our amazing runner, Robyn Friedman from Newton and Robyn’s friend, Sarah Patterson, as our swimmer. Sarah has a strong swimming background and is also the Newton High School Girls Swim Coach. Robyn is well known across the country for being such a great runner. Just this month alone, she placed a close 2nd place overall in the 20K at Dam to Dam and finished 3rd place overall last weekend at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth (with an overall time of 2:38, which is a 6:01 pace – yes, for 26 miles! She’s lightning fast).
We always do this event just for fun and put little pressure on ourselves. Last year, our goal was to be one of the top placed all female relay teams and we ended up over 25 minutes faster than the second place all female team so this year, we decided we’d see how our all female team could compete amongst the male and coed relay teams.
Sarah started us off with a great swim, taking over 30 seconds off her time from last year. She is so comfortable with the water that she always steps right up to the front of the men and gets ready to have people kicking her and swimming over her. Again this year she had such a smile on her face when she came running up to the transition area to hand over her time chip. I headed out for the bike next. This year, relay teams started in a much later wave so there was lots of bike traffic on the course and therefore lots of “on your left” to get through without crossing the center line. Unfortunately when I left the transition area, my right aero bar wasn’t tightened enough and therefore the arm rest fell and wouldn’t stay upright for me. I did the 25 mile course without being able to use my aero bars, but it worked out ok; just wasn’t near as aero dynamic nor as comfortable on the tt bike and therefore gave quite a neck/back ache by the end. Regardless, still a fun race and a sweet tail wind return – yea, gotta love that! I got back to transition and Robyn was ready to go. Her speedy legs gave us a finishing time of 2:06:92 and best of all, of 256 total relays teams, our all female trio had the second fastest relay time of the day. Pretty cool!
So special thanks to Sarah and Robyn for being such talented and great teammates! Also, thanks to the fans/hecklers for their encouragement and congrats to all competitors for the dedication and determination to train for 3 sports! I don’t know how you do it - just the bike is time consuming enough for me! Congrats to all!
Keri's Race ReportCompeting in the Hy-Vee triathlon this year makes it my 3rd tri. Third time for Hy-Vee, and third triathlon. My first triathlon experience was great. I had plenty of time to train, and I finished 4th in my age group. I was pleased. The second year, well wasn't as successful due to a flat about 10 miles into the bike course. Now for this year. For starters, having a 4 month old doesn't allow a ton of extra time for training. On top of that, my work has been extremely busy. I probably swam, oh 7 or 8 times tops, I have been riding as much as possible, so I wasn't real worried about the bike, and my running consisted of pushing Bo with the longest route being about 4 miles. So when I was standing at the start line on Sunday morning I was nervous, but I was doing this because I wanted to have fun and finish. No pressure. Right! The swim was tough for me, the water was choppy, I kept getting slapped in the head, and hit on my feet. Getting on the bike was refreshing, until I realized there was a headwind the entire way out, and my legs felt like dead weight. The way back to transition, however, was very fun, fast. At first, I honestly didn't think I was going to make the run, but once I got going I felt a lot better. I finished. Still alive and breathing, and to my surprise only 16 minutes slower than my first tri. Then, Ali, Ana and I found the best thing I have ever had after a race, an enormous chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. Oh boy, did that hit the spot and not for one second did I feel guilty eating it!
We’re going to end the season with some racing in our own backyard!Mark your calendars- the East Village Criterium will take place in Des Moines on Sunday, Aug. 30! This event is being sponsored by the women of Punk Rock Cycling, Rasmussen Bike Shop (and the Rasmussen DS5000 men), DMOS/RDMB Race Team and Holmes Murphy.
This race is the Iowa Cup Points finale and double points will be awarded! The Iowa Cup awards ceremony will take place following the last race of the day. For a complete list of the day’s races and registration information, please visit the race website.
The East Village Criterium should be a great event for racers, their families and fans of all ages. Details are still being worked out, but we hope to provide all kinds of entertainment in addition to some fantastic racing.
If you’re interested in adding your name or that of your business to our list of sponsors, donating items for prizes/primes or just want to know how you can help, please contact the team at punk@punkrockcycling.com.
PRC would like to thank everyone for coming out to Union Park on a beautiful Thursday night for ‘Race Like A Girl’ powered by Elder Corporation. We had a great turnout. Thanks to the DMOS, All 9, Rassy’s, Iowa State teams and all for showing up and making it interesting. Thanks to all of the kids and future stars of the sport too. We had a great time and hope to see you next month.Scratch Race
Mens A: Derek Cassady, Iowa State
Mens B: Jon Meyer, DMOS
Women: Kelli Mente, PRC
Miss’n Out
Mens A: Lane Anderson, All 9 Yards
Men’s B: Keely Shannon, PRC
Women: Dee Mable, All 9 Yards
Unknown Distance
Men’s A: Lane Anderson, All 9 Yards
Men’s B: Jon Meyer, DMOS
Women: Emily Schaapveld, PRC
Kids Race Under 6 Years: Calla Robinson, All 9 Yards
Kids Race Over 6 Years: Emma Hopkins, All 9 Yards
Photos from the evening can be found HERE.
Good news - we got word the trail is dry enough to moutain bike tonight so we hope women will join us! We're trying to get more info the sport ourselves while encouraging others to join us. Tonight, meet at 5:30pm at Ashworth Pool parking lot. We hope to see you there!
Oh Yeah - PRC Will TRI This Weekend~
Posted Friday, June 26, 2009 by the Pulchritudinous Women of PRC
The women of PRC are looking forward to the weekend! It's the famous Hy-Vee Triathlon this weekend in Des Moines. It's pretty cool that little Des Moines hosts a World Cup Triathlon each year. We've seen the professional triathletes from all different countries out training this week, pretty dang cool.For the age group triathlon on Sunday at 6am, all the women from PRC will be out on the course - Emily and Keri are doing the individual full tri while Heather, Ali and Kelli are each doing the bike leg on separate relay teams. Keely, Sara and Maria will be with the crazy fans/hecklers on one of the hills cheering their hearts out for PRC and all! Should be a great weekend and best of luck to all athletes, especially our PRC teammates. If you're free, head out to West Des Moines and watch the action on Sunday morning.
Special shout out to the amazing Hy-Vee sponsor bike shop, our good buddies at RASMUSSEN BIKE SHOP. They will be working their fannies off this weekend between the shop hours, hosting a full expo tent, along with pumping up wheels and answering quetions in the professional wheel pit and the age group transition area. Little sleep, but they do it all and pull it off each year! Amazing, amazing Rassy boys!
Alright fans, now is your chance to own a sweet custom pair of Oakley's...the same ones worn by the women of Punk Rock Cycling! We are auctioning off one pair of Flak Jackets and 1 pair of Oakley Radars. I am sure you have seen us sport them on our rides and at races....well, and anytime you see us as we wear them often. And of course, they are all over the website as well. We have gotten numerous compliments and we think they are the best sport glasses ever! So, if you would like to have a pair of these smokin' hot glasses, go to the Ebay listings below to place your bid!Oh, and did I mention that "PUNK ROCK" is etched in the lower left lens? It doesn't get much cooler than that.
Click HERE and HERE to view our 2 Ebay auctions. Auction ends on July 2...HURRY and Happy Bidding!
YEA! It's Thursday which means our monthly 'Race Like A Girl' event is here. 'Race Like A Girl' powered by Elder Corporation, is held at Union Park, Des Moines. Registration begins at 4:45 and racing begins at 5:30.Tonight we'll have Men's A and B races, Women's Races, a Kids Race; plus a bonus race.
Thanks to all of our sponsors for the great schwag and special thanks to Rob Versteegh for the sweet Oakley's we'll be raffling off tonight and also to Rod and Tom from Baby Boomers for the chocolate chip cookies for all participants in the kids race. We really appreciate all sponsor support!
Also, we'll be taking orders for our sweet Punk Rock Cycling shirts shown here on our site so sign up tonight!
We hope you can join us!
So you want to look as hot as the Punk Rock Cycling chicks? Well, it’s not easy, but you can get one step closer by wearing what we wear.
We’re selling Punk Rock Cycling t-shirts for men, women and children. All shirts are $15 and the proceeds go toward helping the women of Punk Rock Cycling continue their mission of beefing-up the women’s cycling community.
Here’s the stitch: All of the t-shirts that you see below will be sold through our Web site until July 31, 2009 and will be available to be picked up from Rasmussen’s Bike Shop at no charge or sent to you, which adds $3 shipping for 1 item and $5 shipping for two or more items, in mid-to-late August.
How To Order: And you’ll want to order! Send an email to punk@punkrockcycling.com that includes
your name
your address including your city, state and zip
your phone number
the shirts you want
the sizes you want them in
if you’ll be picking them up at Rassy’s or would like us to send them to you
Sorry, we don’t do PayPal but we assure you that your information is safe with us; plus it keeps t-shirt price down. Once you send us your order, you’ll get a reply email from the women of PRC stating that we’ve received your order and let you know where you can send your check (made out to Punk Rock Cycling).
If you would like to try on a sample size to see how it fits, go to Rasmussen’s Bike Shop this week and look for the Punk Rock Cycling t-shirt display. There should be sample shirts for you to try on. If you have any questions email us punk@punkrockcycling.com
I’m a Little Punk sizes:
infant onesie: 3-6 month, 6-12 month, 12-18 month, and 18-24 month
toddler tee: 2T, 3T, 4T
youth tee: XS-XL
adult tee: S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Women’s Black Tee with White Bike and Maple Leaves on the Front
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Women’s Black Tee with White Bike and Maple Leaves on the Side
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Women’s White Punk Rock Cycling
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Men’s Black Capital City Velomen
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Men’s White Cat 5 World Champion
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Here’s the stitch: All of the t-shirts that you see below will be sold through our Web site until July 31, 2009 and will be available to be picked up from Rasmussen’s Bike Shop at no charge or sent to you, which adds $3 shipping for 1 item and $5 shipping for two or more items, in mid-to-late August.
How To Order: And you’ll want to order! Send an email to punk@punkrockcycling.com that includes
your name
your address including your city, state and zip
your phone number
the shirts you want
the sizes you want them in
if you’ll be picking them up at Rassy’s or would like us to send them to you
Sorry, we don’t do PayPal but we assure you that your information is safe with us; plus it keeps t-shirt price down. Once you send us your order, you’ll get a reply email from the women of PRC stating that we’ve received your order and let you know where you can send your check (made out to Punk Rock Cycling).
If you would like to try on a sample size to see how it fits, go to Rasmussen’s Bike Shop this week and look for the Punk Rock Cycling t-shirt display. There should be sample shirts for you to try on. If you have any questions email us punk@punkrockcycling.com
I’m a Little Punk sizes:
infant onesie: 3-6 month, 6-12 month, 12-18 month, and 18-24 month
toddler tee: 2T, 3T, 4T
youth tee: XS-XL
adult tee: S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Women’s Black Tee with White Bike and Maple Leaves on the Front
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Women’s Black Tee with White Bike and Maple Leaves on the Side
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Women’s White Punk Rock Cycling
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Men’s Black Capital City Velomen
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
Men’s White Cat 5 World Champion
Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)
PRC is excited to announce weekly women’s mountain bike rides. There seems to be very few women showing up for the local mountain bike races, and PRC wants to change that. So we will host weekly rides for us to learn from each other. I encourage experienced riders to show up to help out the beginners. Men are of course welcome to come along and learn and teach too and help us encourage more women to embrace the sport of mountain biking!Mondays, beginning June 29th at 5:30
Meet as Ashworth Pool parking lot.
We hope to see you then!
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Who says there is no racing in Iowa in June!? In addition to the Green Days Crit, the Hummer Hammer, the new Rose Festival Crit and Altoona Crit, there is the always fun RACE LIKE A GIRL, powered by Elder Corp, this Thursday June 25, 2009, at Union Park in Des Moines. Registration opens at 4:45, racing begins at 5:30.If you haven't raced this event, this is your month. It is perfect for beginner and veteran racers alike. (Rumor has it there may be a "hairy leg" race, so grab your non-racer, ragbrai biker friends and bring 'em out to experience what racing is all about) We of course will have the traditional men's A and B category races, women's races and a kids race. Women may also race the men.
This month we are looking forward to all central Iowa teams showing up and bringing your kids to race (cookies from Baby Boomers for all kid racers!) Yes, we want to see pink, green, black, orange, blue, yellow, red, everyone! Lots of fun prizes for the adults too.
Hope to see you Thursday at Union Park!
Four Punk Rockers ventured into our own backyard for Saturday’s Green Days Criterium in Johnston. Heather, Emily, Sara, and Keely competed in the Women’s open race. We rolled up to the line to find a lot of orange. 6 DMOS against 4 PRC… bring it! The course was unlike any others; a short loop on Pioneer Pkwy around the median. Therefore, it had just two 180 degree turns.The race started off with Julie ZC from DMOS pulling the pack around the loop a few times, keeping a steady pace. About 10 minutes into the race, Keely made a small attack, which bumped a couple women off the group. From there out, the pack consisted of three PRC and three DMOS. Emily made an attack with two laps to go, but DMOS didn’t let her off the hook that easy and the group bridged back up.
The pack stuck together, making it a sprint finish for the win. Keely started her sprint into the last 180 degree turn and kept a good gap for the win. Emily got nipped at the line but still managed a strong finish in third, while Sara came in 5th. Heather worked nicely with an orange lady after dropping off the lead pack. Heather got away from her for a 7th place finish.
Overall, it was a successful race for PRC, and hey, we didn’t have to travel!! Thanks to DMOS for putting on the race and for the SWEET trophies!
PRC Wins Race at Tuscany DevelopmentEmily, Kelli, and Heather take 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively at the trial run for the newest local race series hosted by All9Yards Realty. Between you and me, we were the only three women there, but hey, you can’t win if you’re not there, right?
The course was a lollipop with four 90 degree turns and one 180 degree turn. There was a long gradual downhill on the stem headed north, which made for a challenging climb on the return. Last night’s conditions were hot and humid, with a 15 mph wind out of the south, making for a grueling 30 minutes of bike racing.
PRC stayed together for the first 6 laps, with Emily making the first breakaway heading into lap 7. Kelli caught her about half around, with Heather fast approaching. We were together again for next lap, then lost Heather in the final lap, making for a tight two person race to the finish. With Kelli on her wheel, Emily holds a steady pace around to the finishing stretch. Kelli pulls ahead to lead out Emily for the hill. With 50 yards to go, Emily pulls around for a sprint to the finish.
Special thanks to Lane for hosting last night. Can’t wait for the next race on July 16!
Last night, a couple of the women from PRC headed over to Altoona to race their first of 4, Thursday night series. Emily, Kelli and Heather had a good time working on team rotations and somehow, we took 1st, 2nd AND 3rd place! Yea, yea! Congrats to our three teammates for racing and special thanks to the guys from ALL9Yards for putting on the event. We enjoy having week night races to break up our training rides. Next month, we hope to have competition from our local pink and orange teams - anybody, anybody? Come join us!Tonight, PRC will be heading up to State Center to race in the Rose Festival Twilight Criterium hosted by the Colorbiotics team. Racing begins at 4:30pm with the last race going off at 7:45pm. The women's open and women's Category 4 race is at 6:15 tonight. Click HERE for Friday night race details.
And tomorrow, Saturday, several of the women from PRC will be racing the local 3rd Annual Green Days Criterium in Johnston. The women's open race takes place at 2:50 in the afternoon. Click HERE to view the Green Days Criterium race flier.
Good luck PRC and come out and race/watch if you can!
PRC Will Race New Thursday Night Local Series~
Posted Thursday, June 18, 2009 by the Pulchritudinous Women of PRCThe men in green, have set up a 3-race Thursday night series in Altoona. The series will be July 16, Aug 6 and Aug 20. There will be a separate race for Women, Men's A and Men's B.
City of Altoona is going to close the roads for us this Thursday, June 18th for a trial run. Thanks to ALL9Yards for another training opportunity. Please join us tonight!
Altoona Thursday Training SeriesBrought to you by ALL9Yards Realty
July 16, Aug 6, Aug 20 Trial Run is June 18
6:00 - Women - 15 laps 7:00 - “A” (Cat 1,2,3,4) - 20 laps 8:00 - “B” (Cat 5) - 10 laps Course: 1.2 mile rolling circuit. 4 corners and 1 hairpin turn each lap.
Registration Opens at 5:00, closes when you are too late to pin your number
Entry: $10/rider. No one day license required
Directions: From the corner of 1st Ave and 8th St in Altoona (HyVee) go east on 8th St SE (NE 46th) to NE 80th on the East edge of town. Go south on NE 80th to the “Tuscany Development” at 17 St SE. Turn east into the development, registration and start/finish is at the corner of 17th St SE and 17th Ave SE. Each race of the series will have merchandise prizes for the top 3 as well as possible primes during the race. Depending on participation, there may be an overall cash purse for the series.
It's Wednesday which means another Papa John Ride! We should even have warm weather tonight!You know the drill - leave from the far west lot from Rasmussen Bike Shop at 5:30 pm and head south of town for some trail riding, flat ground and hills.
We hope you join us and bring your friends!
Last week, our neighbors to the north put on the biggest race in the Midwest known as the Nature Valley Grand Prix. It is a stage race with 6 stages, including a time trial, 3 crits and 2 road races. It is a large and grueling race that attracts many of the big names in bike racing. Floyd Landis, Rory Sutherland, Tom Zirbel and Michael Creed were among notables that raced this year. Iowan Tom Zirbel held the leaders jersey most of the week, only to loose it to Rory Sutherland on the final stage, the Stillwater Crit. This crit has a hill that makes Snake Alley look like the Tuesday night hill.Nick Fry, who is from Des Moines, also raced very well all week, holding the best young rider and the best amateur jerseys until the final crit as well. Amanda Miller, from Burlington, finished 4th in the Stillwater Crit to take the best young rider jersey in the women’s race. Sydney Brown, a very talented racer from Nebraska who we see at a lot of races around the Midwest, also raced very well and earned the best amateur jersey.
Special congrats to all of them - way to represent the Midwest!
AND as a special treat, Nick Frey will be riding the Tuesday Night World Championships this week, so everyone should be there to ride with one of the best racers from Iowa! Hope to see you there!
Click HERE for a link to Nick’s page on their team website and click HERE to view Nick’s personal blog.
Sara Finishes Copper Creek Tri.I’ll admit. I was a little freaked to be doing this triathlon. I’ve spent so much time on the bike that I knew my overall fitness was okay, but the swim and run training fell to the wayside. Well, it really just didn’t happen. But I have a background in swimming. (I was on the Urbandale/Johnston/Waukee high school swim team. Go Jayhawks!) And I had a lot of running miles under my belt from the off season and had been running a few times before the big day, so I knew I would survive. And I did.
Not only did I survive, I had so much fun! I did the tri with my friend Dania. It was her first triathlon ever and what a great starter for her. The event was so well put together, which I didn’t expect anything less from Jay Elder of Elder Corporation. Every aspect of the race was flawless. We went to packet pick-up and got all of our AWESOME schwagg, including a Zoot backpack, a stainless steel water bottle, Hammer gel and electrolyte tabs, and one of the best ball caps for working out in. I think it took us less than 10 minutes to get everything we needed, including some supplies from Rasmussen’s Bike Shop, which was there for support.
Dania and I arrived on the big day with just enough time to get our tires pumped by the Rassey’s support van (thanks, Sterling!) and our transitions set up. We got our chips, Dania put on her wet suit and we were ready to rock. We just had to wait for the fog to settle. It was so dense that we couldn’t even see the buoys. While we anxiously waited for the races to begin we talked with old friends, met some new friends, and watched the sweet fireworks display. Finally, the race officials decided that the fog had lifted enough that it was safe for us to start the show. And one-by-one the groups ran into the freezing cold water.
I had a water start, which was a little scary. A few girls swam right over top of me, which hadn’t happened in other triathlons I had done. I was a little spooked, but I sang Dori’s (yes, Dori from Finding Nemo) song to keep me calm, “just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” And I was surprised how much that helped. The water was clean, I could see the buoys, and I just kept swimming. Finally, that was over. I ran out of the lake, hopped on my bike and went for a ride. I was doing this for fun, so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t killing myself so I could still run after. But I felt good and was having a good time on those hills! I knew the water must have done something to me when saw the big hill and said to myself “f*#@ yeah!” I don’t think normal people do that. The bike was obviously my favorite part because I love the bike, but it was also great to have my teammates out there along the way to cheer me on. Thanks girls!
Unfortunately, the bike had to come to an end and I had to run. Boo. The first mile was awful, but after that was much better. I made it my goal not to walk, and I accomplished it. I love this sport because along the way friends were cheering for me, people were giving high-fives, and everyone was so awesome!
At the finish line, I was handed a big water bottle and directed to the food. YEA! I was done. I survived. And I can’t wait for next year!
Not only did I survive, I had so much fun! I did the tri with my friend Dania. It was her first triathlon ever and what a great starter for her. The event was so well put together, which I didn’t expect anything less from Jay Elder of Elder Corporation. Every aspect of the race was flawless. We went to packet pick-up and got all of our AWESOME schwagg, including a Zoot backpack, a stainless steel water bottle, Hammer gel and electrolyte tabs, and one of the best ball caps for working out in. I think it took us less than 10 minutes to get everything we needed, including some supplies from Rasmussen’s Bike Shop, which was there for support.
Dania and I arrived on the big day with just enough time to get our tires pumped by the Rassey’s support van (thanks, Sterling!) and our transitions set up. We got our chips, Dania put on her wet suit and we were ready to rock. We just had to wait for the fog to settle. It was so dense that we couldn’t even see the buoys. While we anxiously waited for the races to begin we talked with old friends, met some new friends, and watched the sweet fireworks display. Finally, the race officials decided that the fog had lifted enough that it was safe for us to start the show. And one-by-one the groups ran into the freezing cold water.
I had a water start, which was a little scary. A few girls swam right over top of me, which hadn’t happened in other triathlons I had done. I was a little spooked, but I sang Dori’s (yes, Dori from Finding Nemo) song to keep me calm, “just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” And I was surprised how much that helped. The water was clean, I could see the buoys, and I just kept swimming. Finally, that was over. I ran out of the lake, hopped on my bike and went for a ride. I was doing this for fun, so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t killing myself so I could still run after. But I felt good and was having a good time on those hills! I knew the water must have done something to me when saw the big hill and said to myself “f*#@ yeah!” I don’t think normal people do that. The bike was obviously my favorite part because I love the bike, but it was also great to have my teammates out there along the way to cheer me on. Thanks girls!
Unfortunately, the bike had to come to an end and I had to run. Boo. The first mile was awful, but after that was much better. I made it my goal not to walk, and I accomplished it. I love this sport because along the way friends were cheering for me, people were giving high-fives, and everyone was so awesome!
At the finish line, I was handed a big water bottle and directed to the food. YEA! I was done. I survived. And I can’t wait for next year!
This past Sunday, the women of PRC could be found either participating or volunteering at the Copper Creek tri in Pleasant Hill. Our wonderful teammate Sara was brave enough to race the sprint triathlon with the rest of the PRC team helping with bike course support. Nice job Sara!! We're proud of you!PRC sponsor, Elder Corporation, is the primary sponsor of this triathlon and Jay Elder himself has been helping as a race director. Lots of time was spent in preparation for Sunday so we're glad the weather worked in their favor this year and so glad the race was such a success! Congrats to Elder Corp and all of the race directors!
Click HERE for results from the Copper Creek Tri.
Last night was a successful evening of racing up at Elkhart for the women of PRC. Heather, Keely, Kelli and Sara all put on their skin suits and decided to suffer a few LONG minutes of pain.Kelli and Keely went 1/2 in the women's open category with Kelli winning the event in a time of 17:26 and Keely taking second place in a time of 18:37. In the women's category 4 race, Sara took 8th place with a time of 20:52 and Heather received 2nd place in the Women's Eddy Merckx category with a time of 20:55.
Congrats to all 4 of our PRC teammates and special thanks to the guys in green for putting on another great event! We appreciate it and enjoy the opportunity to race close to home!
Season Ending….This year was my third season racing road bikes. My second year on PRC. My races last year were a little frustrating. It seemed to be a comedy of errors for each road race, dropped chains at the exact wrong time, flat tires, lost seat, and a couple crashes. My goal for this year was to concentrate on the spring races and attempt to upgrade. The reason I wanted to upgrade? More experienced racers. Now, I know crashes happen in every category, but you know what I mean. So I had a pretty decent spring…at least no mechanicals and a few good finishes. My hope for Memorial Weekend races was to finish snake alley, do better in Melon City than last year, and do well in my first Quad Cities Crit, as I had been told that flat, multi-cornered course would suit me.
I had a horrible start at Snake Alley and ended up in the back of the pack and never stood a chance at a decent finish, (especially since I am anything but a good hill climber). But I finished and had a good time sitting on the Snake and cheering on all of my friends. Next up, Melon City Crit. Prior to the race, we actually all got together to try to discuss a little strategy. This was different from Snake Alley, since the strategy for the Cat 4s on the team was to stay upright and hopefully finish. The Melon City race began and, as usual with the Cat 4 field, it was very fast. A few laps in there was an attack. That split the field. I made it into the front group. However, I chose the wrong wheel to sit on and during the 5th lap, the bike in front of me went down, and I ran over the rider and also went down. This happened on the fast downhill at about 30 mph. I landed on my face and abdomen. I couldn’t breath. I was scared. I thought a lung was punctured. I was bleeding from my face.
I was taken to the hospital. No damage to the head, neck., no broken bones, but I kept saying my belly hurt. Then one more CT Scan. Belly full of blood. Ruptured spleen. It had to come out. I was really scared, since I had never had surgery before. I have to give a big shout out to Emily for staying with me in the ER and helping me through it and keeping my family informed. In prepping for surgery, they had to take my contacts out, so I couldn’t see. They rolled me down to the operating room, and, waiting for me in the hallway was my anesthesiologist. He was nothing but a blurry blob named Larry, and I couldn’t pick him out of a lineup, but thanks Larry for getting me through the surgery! Thanks Dr. Helmsworth and all the nurses in the ER and the ICU…especially thanks to Mike for the chocolate and coffee. I got great care in Muscatine. The surgery was successful. After a week in the hospital and 10 days at home, I am finally getting the stables out and hope to step up my recovery.
I can’t get back on the bike for another few weeks. My season is over. My role on the team is a little different now. But I will be back on the bike. I’m thinking…..mountain biking???????
Join Us Tonight - PRC Papa John Ride~
Posted Wednesday, June 10, 2009 by the Pulchritudinous Women of PRC
It's Wednesday and beautiful outside! Please join us for our weekly Wednesday PRC Papa John ride leaving from Rasmussen Bike Shop at 5:30pm.We hope you can make it!
Oakley Rob hooked the lovely ladies of PRC up this year with some wicked cool shades. He took time out of his schedule before our season started to sit with all of us and give us the chance to pick out our own custom frames and shade colors. We ended up with the awesome shades you see above, which include the Flak Jackets and Radars. And we ADORE them! They even have PUNK ROCK laser-etched into the frame! Pure awesomeness.Want your own custom Oakleys? Check out www.oakley.com where you can custom design your own pair!
Thanks Rob Versteeg - YOU ROCK!
Last weekend, PRC's Sara, Keely and Kelli traveled down to Tulsa to race in Tulsa Tough. They have put together a collection of photos to illustrate the fun and success they had. There are race pictures including the PRC win at Tulsa Tough along with pictures of our Tulsa friends - Malcolm and Tim, pictures of the pro race including Floyd Landis with PRC and other great pictures from the weekend.Click HERE to check them out.
The Soundpony is a glorious place. The funky, cycling-inspired bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma is unlike any other in the country. I’m instantly happy when I walk inside. Bikes and bike frames—mountain, road, or cruiser—hang on display from the ceilings and walls, some for sale while others are broken. I pull up a stool that’s probably been collected from a garage sale or antique shop, and sit belly up to the big bar and rest my feet on old handlebars mounted to the floor. And as I sip down a cold one, I stare in adoration of the all pictures of cyclists (who I don’t recognize but can imagine they’re good) and bike posters from past to present that color the dingy walls and listen to the live beats that fill the place with loud punk sounds. It’s amazing.And the coolest part? Maria’s 2008 PRC jersey is flying above the scene among kits, jerseys, and skin suits of riders like Floyd Landis. It’s awesome. You can’t miss it. It hangs right in the corner above the bar, so you see it right when you set foot inside the door.
The fact that our rockin’ jersey represents isn’t the only reason why I love this place so much. It’s the owners and the people there (no, I’m not talking about J. Jolly) and their love for my newfound favorite sport. During the Tulsa Tough races this past weekend, the owners, who are cyclists themselves, would run out to the course with numerous beers in their arms and hold them out for the racers to grab as they completed their cool-down lap (or sometimes their warm-up lap). When one of our cyclist friends was kicked off the back after winning a prime, he walked right into the Soundpony and they handed him a free beer claiming that all dropped riders get a brewski on the house.
Our PRC+ group hung out right outside the bar as we watched the Saturday Tulsa Tough races and we were surrounded by loud, fun people who had drums, trumpets, tubas, a loud speaker, water guns, and I think I even saw a clarinet! On Sunday, the people of Soundpony brought the party to the top of the big hill on the course. They were spectacular: They waved the Soundpony flag, sang songs, and wore outfits like a speedo and sombrero! I was in awe. (I’ll try to get a video of the madness posted to YouTube soon!)
Whether your racing or riding, climbing or cruising, you know you’re among friends and you’ll have a good time when you step inside the Soundpony.
Rain, rain, go away… join us tomorrow night for our Wednesday night Papa John Ride leaving from Rasmussen Bike Shop at 5:30pm. We’ll head south of town towards Brown Woods State Park for a 24 mile loop (or 31 miles if you do the far loop twice).Best of all, when we return to Rasmussen’s, we’ll have Papa John’s Pizza waiting for us! That’s right… pizza after the ride tomorrow. Tell your friends and join the fun!!
This past weekend, Kelli, Keely and Sara headed south to race at Tulsa Tough. As expected, it was such a well run and well funded event with $150,000 in prize money which brought in pro teams such as Rock Racing, Ouch and Bissell to name a few. Special congrats to our friends Malcolm, Tim, Chris and all of the other race promoters and race directors for a successful race weekend. It was quite a weekend and the PRC girls definitely enjoyed themselves! Also, special thanks to our friend Ken Brune, for hooking us up in his beautiful downtown pad again. What a convenient location to our races. Thanks again Ken!Saturday morning was the Brady District Criterium, downtown Tulsa. There was a nice big field with 47 women at the start line for the women Cat ¾ race. The criterium is relatively flat with a two block gradual climb followed by a slight downhill. Kelli went for an early cash prime on lap 4 of the race and never looked backed. She proceeded to do a 35 minute, 15 lap time trial effort to easily hold off the field and bring the gold home for PRC. Congratulations to Kelli for the big win! Keely also had a great race and was able to stay with the chase group, taking 5th place in the final sprint. Unfortunately Sara wasn’t in position to make the break but she also had a solid effort for the day finishing in 27th place.
Following the race, PRC had a great day sitting on the hill outside of Sound Pony watching the other races, including the pro’s. Thanks to Floyd Landis (we know you read our blog, Floyd!) for the pictures and get well autograph for Maria. She’s going to LOVE it!
Although only 40 minutes long, Sunday’s Riverside Criterium was definitely a more challenging course. As the Tulsa Tough website reads, “the grueling course will test even the most fit racers” and it definitely gets tiring after several laps of the steep climb. The lead group stayed together the entire race, coming down to the final sprint with Kelli taking 3rd place. Keely had a great sprint for a late cash prime she won which left her off the lead group but still finished in 14th place and in the money. Unfortunately, poor Sara lost the lead group when dropping her chain on the hill but was able to find another group to work together with. Sara finished the race strong in 24th place.
Congrats to our 3 PRC teammates for their successful race weekend and thanks again to our Tulsa friends for organizing the great race weekend! We’ll be back for more next year. Click HERE for results and stay tuned for pictures from the weekend.
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