Debbie does Leadville: 12 Hours of Insane (aka 12 Hours of Tsali)

Debbie does Leadville: 12 Hours of Insane (aka 12 Hours of Tsali): This race is always one of my favorites. For the past three years I have done this race as a member of a 4 person team. I have always though...

TEAM Headstrong Women Rock at Tsali

Congratulations to Debbie Gillespie (1st Women Solo), Catherine James (1st Women's Team 4), and Elizabeth Brady (1st Women's Team 2) at the 12 Hrs of Tsali last weekend.

RACE AND PARTY

The State RR is coming to Fork Shoals on 6/9.  TEAM headstrong is a proud sponsor of this all important event and it is key team race that allows full reimbursement of your entry fee.

With many setbacks under our belt, a good turnout and some championship jerseys would be nice.

Teenie and I are hosting a party at our house the night of race, Saturday night.   Details on time and what you can bring will follow.

Hope to see you out!

Congratulations to Camille Hood on a great finish today at the Gainesville Gran Prix.  I believe She finished on the podium today.  Nice to see you out there.

TEAM headstrong MAKES THE NEWS

We are featured in an article in Tailwinds, a Tucson publication, on page 17!

Living Like a Stage Racer

As bike racers, we have a very unique understanding of the sport of cycling. We watch big races like the Tour de France knowing what it’s like to go as fast as you can for 60, 70 even 100 miles. We have a special appreciation for what those pro athletes do on their bikes. Even though we get a glimpse of one day racing now and then, we rarely take the opportunity to ride long distances more than a couple days in a row. Sam, Mel and I got a taste of what it might be like to be a big time stage racer last week when we took part in the David Sutton Memorial Cross State Tour.

The Tour (affectionately known as The Beach Trip) is hosted by the Greenville Spinners Bicycle Club. It’s basically a 4 day ride across SC and GA from Greenville, SC to Savannah, GA. I bring up the stage racing reference above because that’s the feeling you get when you’re doing this Tour. You get up in the morning and ride your bike to the next destination. It’s all you have to do for that day. There is really no hurry, so it’s all the fun of multi-day riding without the pressure of racing. If you think that sounds pretty cool, you are right. It is one of the most fun weeks I spend on my bike all year.

We left Moonville, SC on Wed morning under warm, sunny skies with a good group of friends. The rural route had us pedal south through the SC countryside on lots of pretty back roads. Our group stayed together most of the way, regrouping now and then as various members took their time while others surged ahead for county line and city limit signs. We rolled into Newberry, SC after 70 scenic miles, grabbed lunch on the square and lounged in the hotel pool. That’s pretty much the theme for the week. Ride, Eat, Lounge, Sleep and do it all over again the next day.

On Thursday, we set off for Augusta, GA pretty early to beat the heat. The scenery in that part of the state is quite nice with some rolling hills and lots of pastures and forests along the way. We kept the group rolling steady with just a few efforts now and then to “let the dogs out” as Sam likes to say. 78 miles into the day, we jumped on the Riverside Greenway in Augusta, GA. This extensive trail system connects North Augusta and Augusta similarly to Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Trail, but this one is bigger and better in many ways. We rolled the last 10 miles along the river through the shade trees right into downtown Augusta. I would have to say that this Greenway is an example of what I hope we can get to in Greenville with our SRT system. I also have to say that it made the 88 mile stage a little more palatable.

After two long rides my body was thinking it was going to get a break. Normally, I would take a rest day after such decent adventures on the bike. This is where the stage race feeling gets cranked up on high. Friday’s ride was a 106 miler from Augusta, GA to Statesboro, GA. Not exactly a normal effort for me at this stage in my career. I’ve done many centuries in my lifetime, but I haven’t done many of them after two 70+ mile days. I was a little worried that this one was going to hurt.

We rolled out of Augusta under cool, cloudy skies hoping that the 90 degree temperatures forecast for that afternoon were an exaggeration. Sam and I were forced to chase the others for the first 20 miles when they left earlier than they had promised the night before. She and I rotated at a pretty good pace, enjoying the cool morning and reveling in the fact that our legs didn’t feel terrible after all the miles we had already covered. We eventually caught up to a great group of folks and settled in for the long day ahead.

Sam was riding like a champ, taking her turns at the front when most people were just looking for wheels. Several of us kept the pace steady as we ticked off the miles. The roads in the lower part of GA are VERY rough and we were all complaining about the nasty chip and seal pavement. Many of the others were very glad that I had shared a trick with them to run lower tire pressure for the day on the rough roads. 100-105 psi helped to take the edge off some of the roads for me, while the lighter folks were down around 80-90 psi. (Most riders put too much air pressure in their tires anyway, so this worked well to soften the ride a little.)

It started getting very hot towards the end of our century stage and we were all very happy to roll into Statesboro, GA. We grabbed a quick lunch before retiring to the swimming pool out back. Man this was the life. Riding, Eating and Lounging was even more fun than you think it was.

Saturday’s ride from Statesboro to Savannah, GA was sort of a formality. The roads were very flat and we rolled along at 24 mph without any trouble at all. I constantly fought the urge to crank up the speed as we enjoyed the unusual terrain. I was very pleased with how my legs were feeling after so many miles on the bike, and Sam was still riding like a champ as well. We rolled into Savannah after a quick 75 miles and hit the town for some lunch.

Savannah was really hopping so we spent some time wondering around the streets of downtown along the river. There was a Tall Ships Festival going on, so we saw some really awesome sailing ships with their 60 foot masts and huge sails. It was fun to imagine what it would be like to see these things docked here 100 years ago. We enjoyed out time in Savannah even with the sweltering heat.

Sunday we returned to Greenville to get back to reality. Overall, we did over 330 miles for the 4 days of riding, so we were not sad that there was no riding on day 5. If you’re looking for a fun, low pressure event that will give you a taste of what it’s like to be a big time stage racer, sign up for the Greenville Spinners Beach Trip next year. You really do get that stage race feel without all the pressure of having to win anything. Well, you can win something actually. They do give out some tour gag prizes and Sam and I won the Best Behind to Be Behind for male and female. Now that’s a no pressure victory.

Tour of the Dragons

Manchester, VT. - Hoodster took the yellow and green jersey in the GC as the overall winner and sprint champion.   He won the RR today covering 62 grueling miles.   I don't know if you can understand how big of a deal this is without being here?

JOHN & RANDALL'S BIG ADVENTURE

After 1.5 days of driving, the Hoodster and arrived yesterday about lunch in Arlington, VT.   Primary goal:  Race and win the GC in Tour of the Dragons Stage Race.

Settling in the house, getting groceries, eating, spinning the TT and crit course kept us busy the rest of the day.

We awoke to rain and fog this morning and headed via car to Bennington, location of the start and finish of the RR.  Our tour of 30 miles of the 62 mile course, took us up Col Du Rupert, a 4.8K -avg. 6%/max 14% climb over hardback dirt road.  We swung by Battenkill Bike Shop on the way back.  The mechanic was very friendly and and was quick to inform us that the RR was harder than it's big brother one day race, Tour of Battenkill.

The TT course is 10.7 miles and highly technical, very hilly and has a lot of sharp turns.   I would rate it VERY dangerous.

We returned to our temporary headquarters at lunch and whipped up a solid meal.   We then took a one hour spin down Highway 313 along the Battenkill River.

Negative thoughts cropped up as I cleaned and readied my bikes.   Some people call it the 'Moment of Truth'.   It is the feeling that this sounded like a better idea a few weeks ago.  No worry, I know how to get rid of it......visualize successful outcomes.  I am already on it.

Watch for a race results soon!

PS.  I will add pics when I get my Mac fixed!

Tour de Cashiers

Saturday May 5th.  If you are looking for something to ride with some challenging climbs, this may be it... Tour de Cashiers.   I am planning on doing the 100k.   The 100 miler is a really tough century.  

Debbie does Leadville: Cohutta 100

Debbie does Leadville: Cohutta 100: This past Saturday I did my first ever 100 mile mtb race. The race was the Cohutta 100, the first race in the National Ultra Endurance (NUE)...