6 Days to the Coffee Bean Classic

Trail Day Crew putting together the final touches

for Race Day
Tight and twisty single track sure to keep
everyone on their toes.

BEN'S SUPER PRIME

Two generations of Ben's Cycle's and Fitness

You can't beat watching the Downer Race race and hanging out at
Ben's Cycle Tent where all the action was. $20.00 all the beer you can drink
and food you can eat and it even included a free T-shirt. The deals were so good it did not stop there. Vince had a raffle that lasted practically all night giving away plenty of great bicycling goodies.

Frankie had front row seat!

Barb, Roger and Olivia



This guy was cooking up a storm the entire night. I
don't think anyone walked away hungry and second helpings were
welcomed.


Sous Chef



What is better then getting to choose your raffle prize!

The corner of Hackette and Park

I even had a chance to meet a celebrity

Steve Tilford

Everywhere you looked you saw your friends


All the proceeds that Vince collected went to the BIG

Payout

The final dollar amount was $4000.00!

More Pictures here

Thursday Night Alterra Ride

From left to right, Chris, Erin, Roger and Tina
On your mark, get set, go!

We finally managed to have three girls ride tonight and that was awesome! Rode out to Theinsville and the weather held out for the most part but it was a bit gusty on the way back. Us girls managed to stay with the lead pack for at least a good hour give or take waiting for a few of us at stop signs here and there, thank you! We finally split off into the B group and Greg was nice enough to ride with us girls since I did not know the route back from Theinsville to well. I think we kept up a good pace heading back thanks to Angie who pulled quite a bit last night. I have to say she has really nice cadence on some of those climbs. Unfortunately on the way back Greg got a flat and us girls stopped with him to make sure he was safe. He does not know it but I timed him and he fixed that flat in less then 5 minutes :-) I had a great ride last night and I hope to see more girls join us for Thursday night Alterra rides!

Miles: 38.9
Avg Speed: 17.6
Total Time Riding: 2:11:55
Avg Power: 134
Avg HR: 143
Avg Cadence: 80

CTS Cycling Commentary

The Hassle of being Clean by Chris Carmichael

Blog Worthy

Beating my husband in the first half of the Crystal Ridge race last night, PRICELESS!

The Cost of Attacking

CTS Commentary by Chris Carmichael

IN THE NEWS

CONGRATULATIONS MIKE!

BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT

mtb girl

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

CELEBRATION

CONGRATULATIONS MIKE PHILLIPS

2007

NORBA NATIONAL

CROSS COUNTRY

SEMI PRO CHAMP !

A PIECE OF CAKE!

CHEERS FROM TEAM ALTERRA!

FULL BOOK OF MATCHES

Thank You Teri for mapping out the plan and TJ for tweaking out my kinks!

We headed up to Green bay early Saturday afternoon and arrived around 2 ish. You would of thought it was a ten hour drive with the Chatty Cathy's in the car. Duckette and Captain can talk about everything and anything and I could not even concentrate to read for the drive up. Top that off with the radio and Captain's loud voice make for a crabby Rhine. We finally got to the course and the lot was pretty full. We were a bit late so I did not get to ride with the peeps I most enjoy and ended up riding with guess who. I made mental notes during the pre-ride for where it was going to hurt and it really set in when I clocked the miles from the start to be 4.7 miles to the single track.

After the pre-ride we secured our room at Microtel at the suggestions of the WORS handbook. I was happy to see the lovely room divider so that my snoring would not bother anyone and I would be far away from the night owl. We ate at this fantastic restaurant, GRAZIES ITALIAN GRILL on 2851 S Oneida St. Italian cooking the old world way, from scratch. I treated myself to Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken, YUMMY. The three of us were finally relaxed and the dust has settled, tummies full, time for bed. We happen to run into this dude and his well behaved kids here also for dinner. CC was showing the kids how to do origami and they even made one for me. That was so sweet!

Pre-Ride

Microtel $52.00 with health care discount.

Sunday morning the alarm could not come any sooner. I googled Starbucks before we left to see where the closest one was to our hotel. Nothing like a Cafe Americano to start off the morning right! I tried to make my secret oatmeal in the microwave, but that would be a disaster since I did not bring a large enough dish to cook the stuff in. I resorted to wholewheat cereal and milk and had to force the second bowl down. While trying to eat my second bowl of cereal, I dialed in my bike for the race, hoping it would do me well. We packed up and were headed to the race but some of us were still hungry so we stopped again at Lenny's for last minute fixins. I somehow managed to down 3/4 bowl of oatmeal which was hard but I did it anyway.

Enough of this, I'll cut to the cheese. The warm up went well and I headed to the start looking like I was the last one to line up. I had to share my fortune of the day, "stop stressing and start focusing" and then my friend looked me straight in the eye and set my stinking thinking on it's way. Don no more than called us Sport Women up to the line and he said GOOOOOOOOOOO! I had no time to think and hammered it as hard and as long as I could. No one was passing me yet after a minute and I heard a voice tell me not to pull too long so I slowed a bit, but that was not working and I said the hell with that and kept up the pace I was comfortable with or at least willing to put out there for as long as I could. I felt like I was pulling FOREVER, not sure how long? The first girl to pull out was Claire and she put on a good show laying down a faster pace as I tried to suck her wheel. I tried for as long as I could and we worked together, but she finally stepped on the gas and she was off. Then I think Andrea Matter somewhere during all this slipped up front as well as a girl from Michael's cycle, Regina Livingston. I was starting to get nervous but kept up the pace as hard as I could keeping one goal in mind, getting to the single track before everyone else.


Regina and I went into the first part of single track about the same time it was a steady pace until we hit a group of about 10 or so from what I could see and it was near standstill. I won't waist my time, but once again, I could of dismounted and ran faster than what they were all riding, but was told they were all in the same predicament and it would be considered cutting the course if I did. I waited anxiously to pass this mess at an open spot as soon as I was able. I guess passing in the single track is NOT allowed :-)

Once out of the first sections of the single track it was back to work and somewhere Kelly Skillicorn and Chris Over showed up and that's when we were all riding about the same pace for a few miles and we all knew we had a LONG way to go. I think Chris offered first to pull me after she was drafting behind me a bit. I said sure this is great! Then Kelly was pushing it for a while back and forth with the two of us and we pulled her in. From what I can recall the three of us took turns pulling for at least 10 miles it seemed, from the second half of the first lap to the first part of the second lap until we hit the single track again. By now I was not sure how much longer I was going to keep this pace up and how many matches to burn before I pop. Kelly hit the single track first followed by Chris and two or so guys I let slip in ahead of me thinking I should slow the hammering down a bit. BIG MISTAKE! Out of that section and I was ALONE!

The second lap was at a good clip riding with faster guys and passing the slower ones. All I kept thinking was to keep pedaling no matter what. I kept working at it and working at it until I caught Chris again, not sure how but then decided to try to work together until I got a BIG HEAD and jumped on Matter and Marko's wheel whom were the first two Elite men to come whizzing by. I hammered it to catch Markos' wheel for about 10 seconds and I was flying! I accidentally popped off Chris not thinking. Anyway, I kinda got a DNA shower off Marko and it absorbed into my skin and I pounded it even faster towards the finish. Somewhere heading towards the finish I ran into old n slow from Team Extreme and he offered to share his gel with me which helped. I offered him a drink of my FRS but he declined, I think he does not know about it's special powers. Thanks again for the motivation

Heading into the last part of the single track at the end of the race, I never thought I would see Claire until after the finish. There she was standing on the side with her bike looking like she had a mechanical, I freaked thinking I could of not made up that much time. I persevered to the finish almost doing another lap. I was so full of gas until one of our team members were shouting out that I was going the wrong way and I had to turn around to make it to the finish line. I got out of the chute looking around and I saw Kelly but no others. I heard there was a girl way out front, and it must of been Matter. I was starting to realize that I did quite well and I still had matches left to burn. 3 rd Overall, 4 minutes and twenty some seconds behind my competition and I fought tooth and nail every minute of the race.

Say Cheese!
Lessons learned, never judge a book by it's cover.




Good Luck Chloe and TJ at Nationals!


SUPER FLY PIC OF THE DAY

Sonia waiting for the raffle








Post Race food NOT on the plan and well worth
every stinkin calorie!

Some pics, forgot the 2 GB chip

WORS MAKES NEWS AT REFORESTATION

MEDIA LINK Check out the video link in the upper left hand corner of the article.

"Spectators beware, these bikers are serious about their sport. "

Beautiful evening for a Casserole

A cool night

Before

Seven-Layer Turkey Casserole with Brown Rice and Sweet Corn

KEY FOODS AND RECIPES FOR THE SPECIALIZATION PERIOD

Serves 6

Protein provides building blocks for tissue and also maintaining your immune system. Carbohydrates for fueling your performance. Antioxidants to help repair damage to cells and help improve your athletic performance.

1 CUP UNCOOKED BROWN RICE (Organic Brown Rice)

1 CAN ( ABOUT 15 OUNCES) ORGANIC FROZEN SWEET CORN ( DO NOT DEFROST)

1/2 CUP ORGANIC CHICKEN BROTH

DASH OF SALT AND PEPPER
1 1/2 CUPS OF CHOPPED TOMATO
3 GARLIC CLOVES, FINELY CHOPPED

1/2 ONION, FINELY CHOPPED

12 OUNCES OF GROUND TURKEY ( I USE THE ITALIAN SEASONED)

DASH OF SALT AND PEPPER

1/2 CUP OF CHOPPED TOMATO

4 TABLESPOONS ORGANIC CHICKEN BROTH OR MORE

2 CUPS FRESH SPINACH, CHOPPED INTO 1-INCH PIECES

1 1/2 CUPS OF GRATED MONTEREY JACK CHEESE ON TOP

1. Layer all ingredients from the brown rice through the spinach in the order listed in a 2- to 3- quart casserole.

2. Bake, covered, for 1 hour at 350 F

3. Remove cover and spread the Monterey Jack cheese on top.

4. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

After

Nutrient per single serving:

Calories 254

Carbohydrates 33 grams

Protein 17 grams

Fat 6 grams

I play with the ingredients. Today I added fresh basil from the garden and added a can of organic chopped tomatoes for more moisture. I also add a few klugs of broth. You can prepare this ahead of time and it makes for a great quick meal when your tired after a long ride and you don't feel like cooking or you can take to work for your lunch :-) Enjoy!

Compliments of Fitness Cookbook by Chris Carmichael with Jim Rutberg

July 10th

June 22-July 22 Cancer

Lately you've been taking a lot more risks -- and have you noticed how much they've been starting to pay off? Keep walking on wild side a bit more today, and you definitely will. The old saying 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' is truer than ever in your life, so venture forth and explore the unknown today. Be a little bit more open with your feelings, and be a little bit more open with your mind. Do something new just for the sake of experiencing it for the first time.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANCER!

Weekend

We had a Birthday celebration this weekend for about nine of us who have July Birthdays on Captains side of the family. Ty's cousin made this cake and it was delicious. Many of his cousins are in town from out east and out west so it makes for a nice gathering with everyone around. Unfortunately they forgot to add my name to the cake, but that's OK, I'll skip a year anyway it won't hurt.

This little rascal is getting bigger by the moment. He is starting to walk and pretty soon he will be unleashed into the world for exploring.

He's getting pretty good at popping off bottle caps at parties.

I got in some good rides this past week. Thursday night I joined the guys for the Alterra ride down by the lakefront and brought my IPOD for when I get dropped. I thankfully was able to hang on for at least 35 minutes, they were too kind. Luckily Metro Marty decided to ride with me for the evening so I did not feel so left out. I think we kept up a good pace, even though I drafted, ALLOT! Of course we had to have a pit stop, so Marty can keep up his Clyde's calorie count. Saturday I got up early and headed back to the lake for a ride by myself. I thought it would be a good idea to beat the heat. Many peeps were out early and I think I went past a huge group of PCW's folks on my way out. There was some good gusty winds at times and made for my ride a bit challenging. Never the less... I did have fun. Sunday we headed out to Kettle Moraine, Captain, Christopher, Roger and I to enjoy hours of riding in this UN godly heat. For two days I was telling Captain that we should head out earlier than 11:00AM, but that was rejected. We made it to Emma Carlin and back about 5 lbs lighter. I never sweat so much in my life. I was dripping wet from head to toe, including by belly, it was weird. Those climbs in the back off Emma were enough burn in the legs to top off another 5 lbs of sweat. It was fun, especially when I hit that little rock garden in the back off Emma and I did not even hesitate to fly over it, that after only seeing what was ahead of me a split second. That made my day! The skills are getting better and I am feeling more comfy on the bike which make riding a 100% better. I wash my bike so much that now when it does get dirty all I have to do is rinse and it comes clean.

After all that riding, dinner is the best. Captain made vegetarian tacos with whole wheat tortilla's from whole foods, delicious. I think he had cherry tomatoes sprinkled with oregano mixed in with Boston lettuce, black beans, cilantro and Monetary Jack cheese and of course stone ground chips.

I on the other hand decided to try Bon Appetite's recipe for clams and linguine. I smoked the little necks on the grill which was different from steaming them. I have to say I did not like this recipe as compared to Tyler Florence's recipe which of course includes yummy butter and this one called for olive oil only. I think the broth, which really makes the dish was a bit too bitter. Most likely my fault for trying to cut the recipe in half and adding too much vino and lemon.

July 4th

What could be better than sparklers on the cake? Spending time with my best

little friends on the 4th of July!
Henry

Emily

Lauren

Charlie

Third annual Firecracker race

Slackers

Bizarre things can happen with a

Full Moon on Race Weekend Lookout!

More Camping Shots

Can you believe this was the third year for the Firecracker Race in Chippewa Falls? It seems like yesterday when I had my first experience on that course and it terrified me. I remember father Gonzalez telling me back then in 2005 that the Firecracker course is somewhat like the Minnesota races with tough single track. He made it seem that if you can race Firecracker you were the shit. So back then finishing that race without killing yourself was a goal of mine. How times have changed. All those trips out west for Spring Training are starting to pay off and it is pure pleasure to enjoy every challenging minute of single track riding. Now my goal is focused on a consistent start so I still have a LOT of WORK ahead of me.

After my poor start, I found myself all over the place on the lead out struggling to catch a wheel. Once we hit the single track it was standstill once again and I was told to wait my turn, UGH! Frustrated as all hell, I persevered to catch the front the entire race. Finally towards the middle of the last lap I could see some peeps I know and tried desperately to catch them. That was the best part of my race, being around these gals that I can trust, especially in the single track not to take you down or limit your success. I was able to sneak in an attack on the flats and hammer it into the last part of the single track before the finish, but unfortunately my front tire slid on a little power climb of dusty, powdery dirt and I biffed it. The other peeps were courteous and asked if I was alright. I said, I'm OK , now take that finish and they were off. Once vertical again, I tried to muster up the effort to chase but they were gone! Great finish to MTB Girl and Colleen!

Super Fly Pic of the Day