Breaking
biking news
2006
Cyclocross:
Christine
"Peanut"
Hoogerheide World Cup, Netherlands
22 January
20th Place
Last Saturday, Jan and I arrived at Hoogerheide, Netherlands for the
last Cyclo-Cross World Cup.
Instead of my usual "get lost on the way to the town" drive, we opted
for the "get to the town in record time only to loop around town seven
times following signs for Elite parking that led to nowhere but a full
loop" approach.
The course started off on a flat cobbled road through the little town
of Hoogerheide, followed by a short right hand turn and a left turn
onto the dirt. Most of the course was soft grass/dirt - the kind that
envelopes your wheels, making you think 'if only I would have dieted
for a few more days, maybe i wouldn't sink so much into the ground.' I
surely sunk a bit compared to some of the flyweights in my category.
Aside from the mostly flat uneventful trail, there was a pseudo death
drop with haybails at the bottom, a mudpit uphill run followed by a
mudpit descent. And there was the obligatory fly- over but no disco
music.
The start was almost as funny as last week. Ten seconds after
announcing three minutes to go, the official notified us that there was
two minutes to go.
My teammate Barb Howe and I looked at each other and laughed!
After the gun sounded, I did what i could to try and get within sight
of the front. From a fourth row call-up, I had very little chance of
doing this. I hit the dirt somewhere around top twenty. Luckily there
were no crashes in the first few turns.
Towards the end of the first lap, I was joined by Ann Knapp of Team
Kona of USA. Eventually we bridged to a group of about seven riders.
After trading places with the other gals for a few laps, we entered the
final one with our group mostly intact.
Unfortunately, i fudged one of the sections causing me to slow my pace
for just a second and they were gone!
UGH! It is amazing how all it takes is just one moment of inattention
or misjudgement to cause you to lose multiple places in a race.
Although i finished in 20th, two spots and a few seconds behind Ann
Knapp – the highest USA placer, i am thrilled to finally feel like i am
almost in good health again; I actually stood up and accelerated out of
the turns today!! It feels like i may just be on target to have a
fabulous Worlds race next week - at least i hope and pray i do!!!!
I leave my comfortable little town in Belgium for Zeddam, Netherlands
to meet up with the US National Team Wednesday morning. It is a
three-hour drive North.
My internet access here in Belgium has been very limited and I assume I
will not have internet access once in Netherlands. But as soon as
I can, i will update you again to let you know which podium place I
snatched!
By the way, i finally have trading cards (the size of a postcard.) In
Belgium and Netherlands, Pro bike
racers are elevated to celebrity status, so many folks collect cards of
their favorite riders. Now they can add mine to the collection!!
The front has the velo bella with flowers across the top of an action
shot of me in the Velo Bella kit riding the
RockLobster.
The back has a sexy headshot with my specs, results, hobbies, and
sponsors. It's super cool. At the race last weekend, I handed out
almost 100 of them! It surely helps to increase my fan base!
That's all for now. Thanks again and again for reading.
Tot ziens,
Peanut
ps Be on the lookout for my new Pez article later next week (i must
write it first, though!!)
Cyclocross:
Christine
Vardaros
Latest news from France!
What a weekend!
My friend Hilde and I arrived at Liévin, France for the
penultimate World Cup after a 3 1/2 hour odyssey from Belgium that was
supposed to be 1 1/2 hours
according to Mapquest. OK, well maybe a little of the delay was our
fault. She had just installed some GPS in the car (I have yet to be in
a car without it here!) so we tried to follow its directions. The
problem with this plan is that we are two very headstrong stubborn
women who refuse to do what we are
told.
The clash between machine and human came when the machine (who talks in
a saultry woman's voice) told usto get off on a road that was not
labeled correctly according to our Mapquest directions. We turned
onto the exit but immediately got back onto the highway, relying on our
own sense of direction. We were to find out three hours later that this
was not a good idea.
After a brutal duel with machine, culminating in ten U-turns looping
between the same two exits on the highway, we were finally glued to the
machine the whole way there.
Shortly after we got to the course, I ran into Ann Knapp of Kona, Stacy
Peters from Canada, and Mo Bruno of Independent Fabrications. It was an
english-speaking frenzy!
The race course was hilly relative to almost all courses i have
encountered thus far in europe. I particularly enjoyed the super-steep
power climbs since I can rely on my massive upper body to force my way
up them.
About 1/2 hour into my workout, i spotted my cycling kit circling the
course. As the pink and blue got closer, my suspicions were confirmed ?
my Velo Bella teammate Barb indeed! We rode for about two minutes
before we were on our separate ways to continue with our own prep rides.
After we packed the car, we headed to the hotel which was 2k away.
Thirty minutes later we were there.
Thanks to Helen Wyman's (elite racer from Great Britain) husband, we
didnt have to go back out to pick up our race numbers back at the race
course! I am sure Hilde was thrilled because she was heading back to
Belgium that evening for a party.
The hotel had a "bike room" for all the racers' bikes so we didnt have
to bring them up to our rooms. Even though it was a bike room with mud
tracks and tool boxes, they denied Barb's bike entry because it wasn't
clean; they ordered her over to the bike wash before letting her
RockLobster. Of course, since I am a very supportive teammate, I
laughed and walked away.
When barb and I opened the door to the hotel room, we both had the same
thought...where is the rest of the room??? It was no bigger than
a closet! We had svelte beds separated by an abbreviated desk -
our beds flush against the walls. Luckily it was a luxury room;
our toilet and stand-up shower was IN the room.
Dinner was interesting - french only, so we scanned for the word
Legumes. Unfortunately the word was always accompanied by words that
translated into flesh. As a stout vegetarian (actually vegan), I had
nothing to eat on the menu. Luckily, we were able to get them to make
pasta with veggies. And that is exactly what we got - sans salt, oil,
flavor. Barb spiced up her meal with shredded cheese, while I just
happened to have a habanero in my pocket. I later found out that this
meal came out to $24 per person.
But the cost of $10 for a bottle of plain water was a little more
amusing to me. After barb guessed that the water was going to cost us a
pretty penny, she refused to leave the table until every bit of it was
gone!! I am glad she did - at that price!!
The next morning, as soon as Jan arrived, the three of us headed to the
hotel lobby for breakfast. We saw Laurence Leboucher (in french,
her name means butcher), miguel martinez (famous world champ mtb guy
who was even tinier in person) and a bunch of other people who i should
have probably recognized.
The day was pretty warm - almost 40 degrees - and dry. It was a great
day for racing.
Very often, the start of european cyclo-cross races are unpredictable,
so you have to be ready to go the second you get called up to the
line. If they say
"one minute to go", there is a high probability the gun will sound
within twenty seconds of that announcement. Barb, welcome back to bike
racing in Europe! (As she was adjusting some article of clothing, the
gun sounded! And as the supportive teammate that i am, i laughed and
rode away.)
As usual, there were a couple of big crashes in the first couple of
turns on the course. As the masses, including me and barb, ran up the
inclines, we watched the leaders ride away.
For the next fourty minutes, i really suffered. Part of it was due to
still getting over being sick (i wheezed so badly that a couple of my
competitors asked
me if I was OK after the race) and the other part was that my
cyclo-cross ride with the Belgian National Team boys earlier in the
week may have put me over the edge when i was supposed to be
recovering! Anyway, i held in there for 24th.
After the race, all I wanted to do was eat, get into dry, warm clothes
and rest. But I had this feeling that since we were in France, I may
want to check to
see which American is going to be drug tested. I was the lucky one!!
After 3 1/2 hours of being cold and hungry, i finally peed!!! Note to
self - go to the car first before checking in for Doping Control!
But the good news is that I got to talk to Daphny Van Den Brand of
Netherlands (currently the winningest cyclo-cross gal) and Nicol
Kampeter of Germany. Daphny lent me her jacket. She, too, is smaller in
person; her jacket was a mid-drift with 3/4 sleeves on me. I also got
to say hi to Sven Nys (the winningest cyclo-cross male) for a second as
I walked by him to go to the miniature toilets that were less than a
foot high (we were in some daycare center.)
By the time I left doping control, everyone was gone. As soon as i got
to the car, i ate my vegan nutella sandwich and I was gone too.
Next race is this Sunday - Hoogerheide world cup in Netherlands. THEN
the following week is WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS- YIPEE!!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading and thanks for all your
support!!!!!
All the best,
Peanut (aka christine)
2005-2006
Cyclocross:
Christine
Vardaros latest 5 races
Belgium/Luxemburg/Netherlands
26
December - 4 January
Hi all! I am writing to you from Belgium to tell you that i was
just named to the US National Team to race Cyclo-Cross World
Championships on 29 January in Zeddam, Netherlands!!!
Yipee - I'm going to Worlds!!!
As you know, this is an absolute dream come true. THANK you all for
your continued support and for all your emails you have sent to me!!
It is such an honor to represent both USA AND all my friends, family,
sponsors - such as the infamous Velo BElla - at the World Championships.
I feel like it is a TEAM effort and accomplishment that i will be there
at that start line - I could not have done it alone.
As you can imagine, I will give it my absolute BEST to make you all
proud!! I have not written since my arrival in Belgium on 23 December
due to limited internet access, lots of racing (5 races in 10 days) and
the nasty flu I have had the whole time.
Although this time I outsmarted Belgium by getting the flu BEFORE my
trip here so i arrived already with it - stuffy head, ears and a nasty
cough that was so intense I now replaced my usual 6-pack abs with a
full 12-pack!
But what i didn't realize is that they have their own strain of it
here, so i was effectively hit with two flus simultaneously - ugh!! But
I was here for a job so i did what all cyclists do best - ignore my flu
and carry on.
I am staying in a little town called Everberg, located about 16K east
of brussels and 10k from Leuven - my favorite town here. I am staying
with Jan Goeman, a super great guy (and funny guy who is always
laughing and cracking jokes) and comes with his own bike shop ten
meters away!!
Life is good here.
RACE INFO 26 December Hofstade World
Cup Belgium 20th Place
My first race was 26 December - Hofstade World Cup.
Since i had very few International (UCI) points, i started almost last
row. It turns out it didn't make a lick of difference. the gun sounded
and immediately jumped into top 15 turning the first corner, but soon
afterwards I fell back to second to last place and stayed there for the
first lap. It turned out that my rear wheel axle came loose, preventing
the chain from staying on a sprocket - freak incident. After getting a
new RockLobster bike, i crawled back up to 20th place by race end. At
the finish line, my pit crew of Jan, and his friends Ronny and Jenny
were waiting to carry me back to the car. It was amazing to hear all
the support i had as a Velo Bella - although i think most of them
assumed i was from italy or spain because they yelled, "venga, venga".
haha.
28 December Azencross UCI Loenhout, Belgium 18th Place
By my second race two days later, Azencross in Loenhout, Belgium, most
of the spectators figured out i was from USA. I heard a lot more -
"amerika" comments and even a few "peanuts". It is still odd for me to
attend a "local" cyclo-cross race with 12,000 spectators who are lined
up three-deep around the whole course! Again, i had a fun start in the
last row! (hey, the only place i can go is up!) After a few rounds of
ditch jumps, bmx chatters and jumps, and a collection of the infamous
belgian fly-overs, i ended up in 18th place. Afterwards, while the men
were racing, I watched the spectators get plastered on beer and shots
of a belgian-specific clear hard alcohol. hmmmm....something to
investigate after Worlds!!
31 December Hooglede-Gits World Cup Belgium 17th Place
My third race was three days later in Hooglede-Gits World Cup, Belgium.
What a cold, wet muddy day it was! All the americans likened it to
Nationals in Providence, RI. Since I now had a few more uci points, i
earned a spot in the third row (which i had to fight for since the
other gals were physically pushing their way to the front row even
before the gun went off.) After we turned the first corner into the mud
pit, there was so much carnage i couldnt help but laugh - and laugh i
did for the next fourty minutes. I ended up in 17th this time. Luckily,
they had showers available. As i walked to the showers, i was so cold
that i couldnt imagine that i would be motivated to remove my
semi-insulated soaked clothes to take a shower. But when i walked into
the locker room, i was quite relieved to find it was a sauna! Since
there were only two showers, all the girls doubled up to get clean. My
shower partner was marianne vos - not like i was staring, but i did
notice that i was not only twice her age BUT twice her width!!! After
showering, i realized how unprepared i was for post shower activities
such as drying off and getting back to the car (i will blame it on the
flu - hahaha). was Luckily, Helen Wymans of GB lent me a towel and
marianne lent me sandals. Her feet were soooo small that i had to
tippy-toe all the way back to the car. Before leaving the venue, I
picked up my paycheck - 22 euros (about $26) - i was thankful to have
that money for gas since we had to drive directly to luxembourg for
tomorrow's race three hours away. We arrived at the hotel at 9:30pm and
had dinner in the hotel's restaurant. The whole italian team was
present in their matching tracksuits - very pro! But what was NOT very
pro was their drinking habit! I couldn't help but think, "that's right,
drink up so I can beat you tomorrow! hehehehehe" OK, so maybe it was
only red wine and they only had about one drink per rider, but a gal is
allowed to dream....
1 January G.P. Hotel Threeland UCI Pétange, Luxembourg 4th Place
The next morning, it was still bitterly cold and raining outside - and
inside. Turns out our heaters werent working. Unfortunately i didnt
check my clothes that should have been drying all night until just
before we left the hotel for the race. EVERYTHING was drenched, even my
helmet -AND my skinsuit zipper was broken to boot! The race was the
first non-pancake-flat course since i arrived! The start was straight
up for about one minute, then continued to climb in the woods. it was
also the first course with some technical riding - a real mountain bike
race in and out of the trees, complete with wet roots and rocks! The
juniors were on the course the same time so it was hard to know if the
person behind or in front of you is a man or woman since all these gals
are in great shape, complete with boy bodies! On the last lap, I found
i was in fourth place! (side note: the last gal i passed for 4th place
was from italy - maybe she had TWO glasses last night! hehehe) Yipee!
Every race i've improved on my placing. Now i must make podium at the
next race...in three days! Three days later and we are back in the car
headed for Friesland, Netherlands located way, way north in the
boonies! We left at 6am, planning for a 9am arrival. The race was at
11:30am - plenty of time to pee along the way. What i didnt account for
was getting lost about eight times. We also had to sit on the side of
the road for fourty five minutes so Jan could take a nap because he was
so sick that he hadnt slept the night before. By the time we got to the
race site, it was just after 11am. I got my race number, rode the bike
to the start and off we went. In the first lap, I experienced so much
pain to stay in contact with the top ten racers. I felt like I was
violently awakened from a peaceful sleep! Once i warmed up, i started
to pick them off until i got within striking distance of first and
second place. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and had to settle for
third place. Part of me is disappointed that i didnt win but the other
part is ABSOLUTELY THRILLED to be on my first ever European podium!!!
Flowers and all!!! It was the hugest boquet I ever received. Oh, and i
even got kisses from their podium girl. This one podium placing
definitely takes the bite out of the $1,250 i spent on the flight to
get here (and the prize money of 27 Euros - $34 - helped as well to
offset the $1000 i have to come up with to race Worlds - USA Cycling
charges us to participate in the event!!!) But i would choose to be
nowhere else but here at the moment!
4 January Surhuisterveen UCI
Friesland, Netherlands 3rd Place
( i put this info after the race so you didnt know my placing in the
event to keep the suspense high! haha.) Now that i have moved up in my
placings each race, i have to place 2nd at the World Cup in Lievin,
France this Sunday! We will see - miracles do happen! Since I am in my
longest period between races at the moment, I am taking this time to
fully recover from the flu and rebuild my fitness for the two remaining
world cups and World Championships. I am also sticking around for at
least one more race after world championships before heading back to
california. Now that I should have better access to internet, I will
keep you updated more regularly of my travels. By the way, i am
learning flemish. i can understand more than i can speak, though. Since
i havent mastered their very difficult pronunciation of words, I am
still talking in english since most understand it anyway. (it gets old
repeating everything three times! haha) THank you again for being a
part of my dream come true!!! I am just so happy to be here and I just
cant wait to race again - especially at the World Championships!!!!!! I
have attached a few photos of me racing here. I have not yet gone
through the internet to find additonal photos of me, but i hear they
are out there!
Here is my upcoming race schedule:
January 15 – Lievin World Cup in
France
January 22 – Hoogerheide world cup in
Netherlands
January 29 – Cyclo-Cross World
Championships in Zeddam, Netherlands
February 1 - Sint-Truiden Cross,
Belgium
February 4 – head back to California
Aside from my regular Marin Independent Journal Column that appears
every other Sunday, i have only written one article: Pez Clothing
review http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3666 I have
also come in 6th in www.cyclingnews.com popularity contest last month.
Thanks for your vote! AND if you go to your neighborhood bookstore or
Health Food Store, my interview just came out in VegNews Magazine.
I heard i don't come off as too unintelligent and that the photo is not
too unflattering. haha!
This interview is a big deal for me because VegNews is a MAJOR magazine
that is well respected in the Natural food industry - AND it is a topic
that is very dear to me. And one more thing (with me there is always
one more thing) - I was just interviewed for a vegan book that is due
to come out some time this year.
Cyclocross:
Christine
Vardaros last 10 races!
From
8 October to 20 November
Going
into this season, I have felt stronger than ever before! It
is partly
due to my taking a much needed break from
cycling
for a few months over the summer. And the
other part
consists of my listening to my coach, Elmo, for the first time and
getting extra much needed
support from friends, family, and
sponsors!!
I
am
truly humbled by, and immensely thankful for, all the support
that has
been pouring in this year!
Enough
of the
mushy stuff – below are details of the cyclo-cross
races
I’ve entered so far. I have included links to
much of the
press/media coverage and to some of the
photos I have
found on the internet. I’m sure I’ve missed
some
sites here and there, but the info below should
give
you a good idea of what’s out there!
And
attached are
two articles that were in VeloNews magazine, one of which includes me in a Top 10 list of women cyclo-cross racers to watch
(with photo) and the other is an
article
on the Velo Bellas and
includes a
HUGE photo of me – yippee!! What an honor!!
I have
also
attached a photo taken at last Sunday’s race in San Francisco and a superb photo taken during
Gloucester’s epic snowstorm event.
***************************************************
RACE
#1
Stumptown
Classic - US Grand Prix #1 – UCI Cat. 1
Portland,
OR
October
8
Result:
DNF
The
course was
muddy, slippery, undulating with lots of twists
and turns
– loved it! I especially loved how I felt in
the race
for the first thirty seconds when I
was in
2nd
position, getting ready to pass 1st…..until 1st place
gal slid
out in a turn and I went crashing into
her.
Tally of damage: concussion, whiplash, torn deltoid,
elbow, hip,
knee, and shin gash, tweaked knee, broken
handlebar, broken rear derailleur, bent derailleur
hanger,
twisted levers. Luckily, my team, art and
megan (our
host housing folks), and on-site ambulance
guy were
there to put me and my bike together so
that I
may show up at the starting line tomorrow to
have
another go at it! (will prove to be a dumb idea,
though.
Athletes have a unique talent for minimizing
injury –
I’m a pro at it!) Lyne Bessette of Canada
won the
race.
Pezcyclingnews.com
story that I wrote on the weekend’s
festivities – full details of the first two races !
MUST
READ:
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3564
Velonews.com
pre-race coverage:
http://www.velonews.com/race/cyc/articles/9011.0.html
***************************************************
RACE
#2
Rad
Racing - US Grand Prix #2 – UCI Cat. 2
Tacoma,
WA
October
9
Result:
10th
I stood
there at
the start line in full denial that I can barely
lift the
bike over the shoulder, bend my knee or turn
my
head. But there I was in search of gold. For
the first
few minutes of the race, denial was on my
side. I
even attacked the field just before the
treacherous
run-up. By the top of the run-up, I
was
passed by
Lyne Bessette and my teammate, Barb Howe.
One by
one, gals passed me. I was definitely lucky to
make top
10! Lyne Bessette won the
race…again.
Great
photo of me taken near the top of the first run-up – before reality set
in!
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=278560&image_id=10
And
another one of me – headless and taken in one minute into the race:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/473156541/473158725HmrkyL
Photos
taken later on in race – my one arm warmer is up to hold my arm in
place!
http://community.webshots.com/photo/473156541/473179967FVphis
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=278560&image_id=31
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=278560&image_id=67
***************************************************
RACE
#3
Wooden
Wheels – UCI Cat. 1
Granogue,
DE
October
22
5th
place
1st
Place – masters 35+ (should I have mentioned this?
Hahaha!)
Still
recovering
from various injuries sustained recently in
the
Portland event, I rode
ultra-conservatively
to hold my place in my recovery process.
With that
said, I stayed upright at all times during the
muddy,
slippery, rain-drenched race. Lyne won.
Photo
from first moments of the race:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51218293
***************************************************
RACE
#4
Wissahickon
– UCI Cat. 2
Philadelphia,
PA
October
23
3rd
Place
1st
Place – masters 35+ - I’m starting to get an age
complex!
This
event went
a lot smoother than yesterday’s. The couse was
very
twisty, turny, dry and fast with only one real
climb – the
paved start/finish straightaway. I had an
excellent
start and grabbed Lyne Bessette’s wheel
straight away.
But when she passed Georgia gould to take the
lead, I
found myself stuck behind Georgia through all
the
twisty stuff while watching Lyne take off, never
to be
caught again. Eventually, barb bridged to
me and we
worked together to drop the rest of the field
but
losing about 45 seconds to Lyne by end of the
race. In
Velo Bella style, we sprinted for 2nd place –
I lost.
Cyclingnews.com
coverage:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2005/oct05/wissahickon05
bikereg.com
coverage:
http://www.bikereg.com/News/Results05/20051023-Wissahickon-Cyclocross.asp
velonews.com
coverage:
http://www.velonews.com/race/cyc/articles/9072.0.html
Cyclocrossworld.com
coverage:
http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/News.cfm?Action=Edit&MenuKey=14&theKey=489&ShowDisabled=0
PHOTOS
This
was the moment where Lyne Bessette passed Georgia Gould just before
tight, twisty single-file trail:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51218293
finally
past Georgia and in pursuit of Lyne:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51238292
Still
in pursuit:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51238297
Now
you know what the back of my helmet looks like:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51238303
Barb
Howe bridges to me and we start working together:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51238325
Still
working together:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/crossphotos.php?id=photos/2005/oct05/wissahickon/W02
Hopping
together too:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51238330
Here
I’m getting my butt kicked in a sprint with Barb:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51238349
I
like podium appearances!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/crossphotos.php?id=photos/2005/oct05/wissahickon/W05
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51238356
***************************************************
RACE
#5
Michelob
Ultra – US Grand Prix #3 – UCI Cat. 2
Gloucester,
MA
October
29
4th
Place
The day
started
off chilly and rainy, but within the first few
minutes of
the race, the rain turned to heavy
snow and
chilly turned to bitterly cold. My hands were
tingling
five minutes into the race and within seven
minutes, I was having a tough time trying to make my
hands
work to shift or engage the brakes!
After a
not-so-stellar start, I crawled up to 4th place,
dangling off
of 2nd and 3rd places by six to ten seconds
for the
last couple of laps. Lyne Bessette
was
again off
the front. Barb took second over Wendy Simms of
Canada. As
a side note, I was the second American
finisher
today.
velonews.com
pre-race coverage:
http://www.velonews.com/race/cyc/articles/9097.0.html
cyclingnews.com
pre-race coverage:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2005/oct05/oct26news
Great
photo that says it all!
http://www.jsmcelvery.com/photos/2005/cross/glc1/05glc1vardaros1.jpg
***************************************************
RACE
#6
Michelob
Ultra – US Grand Prix #4 – UCI Cat. 1
Gloucester,
MA
October
30
9th
Place
Feeling
fully
recovered from yesterday’s race in truly epic
weather, I was
ready to race! The gun sounded and I was on the
lookout
for Lyne’s wheel. Once she came around me, I
immediately grabbed her wheel. Soon, it was Lyne,
Wendy
Simms, and me. It was pleasantly funny how the pace
seemed
easier at the front! My plan was playing out
perfectly until the bike stopped shifting correctly –
chain
skipping from sprocket to sprocket. I watched the
gals
ride away from me as I skipped along. Soon,
the
legendary Ann Knapp – Queen of Cross passed me,
then
Rhonda Mazza. Once I found a gear
that
worked, I
passed Rhonda. As I attempted to make my way back
to the
front of the race, I shifted gears – wrong
thing to do!
The bike started to mis-shift again. While
fidgeting with the gears, Rhonda tried to pass me
again – this
attempt was not as successful as the
first. She
tried to squeeze by in the space of twelve
inches and
failed – both of us ending up on the floor.
Luckily, she
was fun. I was not so lucky, though. The
Portland
wounds were re-opened and my knee blew up to
the size
of a cantelope! AND the bike was even worse
off.
After spending a bit of time trying to get the bike
to roll
(while simultaneously watching about twenty
women
pass me), I coasted to the pit and picked up my
backup
bike. I picked the riders off, one by one,
but was
only able to get back to 9th place. Yes,
Lyne
won. Ann Knapp took second!!
***************************************************
RACE
#7
Lower
Allen Classic – UCI Cat. 2
Camp
Hill, PA
November
5
DNF
The
course
layout was spectacular! It was twisty, undulating
and
contained TWO sand pits! Unsure of my fitness, I
went into
the race with no expectations.
From the
start,
Georgia Gould was off the front. Barb and I worked
together to chase her down until I slid out on a
grassy
off-camber section. I immediately got back on the
bike to
catch up, but instead of catching anyone, I
was
caught…over and over again! Finally, I pulled out
of the
race and chalked it up to my still recovering
from
injuries sustained last week. But upon
inspection of
the bike, I noticed that the rear wheel was
locked in
place – the brake pad was jammed into the
tubular
tire, digging into the sidewall.
Cyclingnews.com
coverage:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2005/nov05/lower_allen05
The
Sentinel coverage:
http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2005/11/08/sports/sports02.txt
Cyclocrossworld.com
coverage:
http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/News.cfm?Action=Edit&MenuKey=14&theKey=522&ShowDisabled=0
***************************************************
RACE
#8
Highland
Park – UCI Cat. 1
Highland
Park, NJ
November
6
1st
Place
The
course was
mostly flat with a twisty, muddyrun-up, a
power climb
and a couple of extended mudgardens.
After
yesterday’s debacle, I was still not
sure if
I had
any fitness or if all my energy was still being
used to
heal the body. So I rode
conservatively
(aside from momentarily 86’ing this plan after
the gun
went off so I could chase down hole-shotter
Rebecca
Wellons.) Once I got back to the plan, I sat
up and
waited to see who would join us. A group of
four formed
– Barb, Georgia, Mo Bruno, and me.
After
taking turns with barb to jump the field, we were all
together
in the final lap. Since previous experience
taught me
NOT to get into a head-to-head sprint with
Barb, I
jumped the field about 500 meters to go,
barely
holding her off for the WIN!
Here’s the coverage that was found on
a collection of sites:
**From
the first lap, Vardaros had realised that Gould was having trouble in
two places, the mud pit and the ride-up hill. "I told Barbara we have
to go fast," she said later, "she was privy to my plan." The plan could
have been taught as "Team Cycling 101" at neighbouring Rutgers
University.
With
the course too fast to launch any attacks, the two Velo Bella riders
simply took advantage of their numerical advantage and Gould's
weaknesses. By going fast through the mud pit and the ride-up, they
consistently gapped Gould, making her use extra energy to keep catching
back up. When Gould would try to pass or control the tempo, Vardaros
and Howe would take turns accelerating to make Gould use up even more
energy. In the meantime, they were able to get a gap on Bruno-Roy to
make it a three rider race. As the lead trio crested the ride-up for
the final time, less than a half mile from the finish, a small gap
opened as it had every other lap. But this time, Howe attacked with
full force with Vardaros in tow, quickly opening an insurmountable gap
on Gould. The finish at Highland Park is a long, flat asphalt road that
everybody thought would favor "Barbarella" in a sprint, but Vardaros
had other ideas. "I knew I could get around that last corner around the
tree faster than anybody," she said. The two teammates fought the last
sprint like fierce rivals and Vardaros' speed out of the final turn
allowed her to hold off Howe at the line by about an inch.**
Video
of sprint finish:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid193/p4252f0582029b331251623411c6abc2a/f18cf067.mpg
VeloNews
coverage:
http://velonews.com/race/cyc/articles/9140.0.html
cyclocrossworld.com
coverage:
http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/News.cfm?Action=Edit&MenuKey=14&theKey=526&ShowDisabled=0
NCNCA.org
coverage:
http://ncncacxnews.blogspot.com/2005/11/velo-bellas-double-up-in-nj-pa.html
Cyclingnews.com
coverage:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2005/nov05/highland05
vegansport.org
coverage:
http://www.vegansport.org/eng/index.html
mbcx.com
coverage:
http://www.mbcx.com/news/article.php?id=215
PHOTOS:
Great
photo of sprint finish!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/crossphotos.php?id=photos/2005/nov05/highland05/5569
first
lap of race – I’m in 2nd, chasing down lone leader:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/crossphotos.php?id=photos/2005/nov05/highland05/5468
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51939664
Taking
it easy to prepare for inevitable chaos in the race:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51939675
still
relaxing at the front:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51939683
Barb
blocking Georgia with use of her trusty steed:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51939688
Starting
to think about the finish:
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51939692
Love
the mud pit!
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/51939696
http://www.mountainbikeracer.com/upcomingraces/display.php?raceid=364&gid=269&page=pictures&img=65
http://www.mountainbikeracer.com/upcomingraces/display.php?raceid=364&gid=269&page=pictures&img=51
***************************************************
RACE
#9
Velo
Bella’s Surf City – US Grand Prix #5 – UCI Cat. 1
Watsonville,
CA
November
19
4th
Place
It must
have
been the hottest race so far! It was about 80
degrees and
very sunny. I went into the race feeling as
good as I
could considering I, too, wilt in
the
sun.
Although I live in California where it is
theoretically warm
all the time, my little town of Mill Valley
is one
of the coldest spots in the whole state! The
heat was
a shock. But since I tell myself “all courses
are good
for me and all weather is good for me” the
weather
was just fine.
The
course was
quite hilly and contained two decent-sized
run-ups. Even
before the races started, I suffered from cotton-mouth
from
the dry, dusty air. My start was mediocre,
but within
a couple of minutes, I was in second place
behind
Lyne, soon to be passed by Canada’s
Wendy
Simms. Eventually, I was in a group of three –
behind Lyne
and Wendy who were up the road. With two laps
to go,
Georgia attacked us and I had no interest in
going
with her (surely due to
heat/fatigue).
But with one lap to go, I figured I’d try (for the
first
time) to give it everything I have and to break
through
my usual pain threshold. It worked!!! I
suffered
like I’ve never suffered before, but I gained
twelve
seconds on Melissa Thomas to take 4th
place.
After
the race,
I severely paid for my efforts. I was dizzy and
nauseated
for two days! That night, I had a tough time
eating –
the smell of food made me ill. My roommate was
so
supportive by washing my bikes. He even made a
trip to
the market in search of
non-offending foods,
but to no avail. Note to self,
when
feeling
this way, I must avoid potato chips with vinegar!
But the
suffering was well worth it! I was the second American
finisher
today.
USGP
cyclo-cross coverage:
http://www.usgpcyclocross.com/PR/20051119.asp
cyclocrossworld.com
coverage:
http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/News.cfm?Action=Edit&MenuKey=14&theKey=557&ShowDisabled=0
ncnca.org
coverage:
http://ncncacxnews.blogspot.com/2005/11/what-weekend.html
Santa
Cruz Sentinel coverage: – November 17 -
World-class bicycle racers flock to town
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2005/November/17/sport/stories/06sport.htm
PHOTOS:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/crossphotos.php?id=photos/2005/nov05/watsonville051/usgp5_wat_0733_R
***************************************************
RACE
#10
Clark
Natwick Golden Gate Cross – US Grand Prix #6 –
UCI
Cat. 1
San
Francisco, CA
November
20
13th
Place
Even
though I
was still nauseated and without appetite as I stood
there at
the start line, I was determined to have a
great
race. The course was mostly dusty, sandy,
tightly
twisting, undulating singletrack – perfect for
my pro
mountain bike racing background. I also enjoyed
that
it’s one of those courses that offer no periods
of rest;
every few seconds, you’re sprinting
out of a
turn. I
had a front row call-up, but unfortunately the one spot left
for me was
way on the left side – on the sandy side
of the
course. I was careful to be safe going around
the
first turn, but just as I rounded the
corner,
there
was a huge pile-up of bikes and body parts. I
almost made
it through the crash but pulled a peanut move
instead;
I pushed off of someone’s wheel to maneuver
through
the crash and my foot got caught between the
spokes.
I tried riding away, with bike in tow, but
could only
do that for about 10 meters before I came to
realize
that I can’t win a race with bike in tow. So I
stopped to
release my foot and watched the whole field
ride
away from me. Once I was ready to ride, I
found myself
about 15 seconds behind the last place rider
– I was
rider #49. By the end of the race, I
passed a
bunch of women, some of whom did not give up
their spots
too easily while others made way and even
blocked for
me (namely Ann Fitzsimmons and Erin Kassoy
- my
exceptional teammates), to finish
13th – a
few
seconds off of a group of five racers.
Although
my
result is not what I wanted, I did attain a valuable
tool to
add to my war chest – I now knowwhat it feels
like to
have that “f_ _ _ y_ _ “
attitude,
something I’ve never mastered until this day. I
will
cultivate it and bring it out before every race
from now
on - Grrrrrrrrrrr!
Cyclingnews.com
coverage:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2005/nov05/golden_gate05
I came
across
this entry posted by a guest on the Velo Bella yahoo
group
site. It was great to find that someone
noticed my
hard work off the back of the field!
”I
was especially shocked by Peanut's exploit that same day, moving up
somewheres around 35 places from damn near last position after being
stopped in her tracks behind a melee on the very first corner. She also
recorded, by my clock, the fastest lap (lap #3 ?) of any of the elite
women on the day. Holy s**t! Keep it rolling, Bellas - next stop,
national championships . . .”
I sent
an email
of gratitude to the guy who submitted the above
comment
and got the following reply:
“I
had been checking the lap times of the leader, who happened to be Wendy
Simms, from the start. Agog at how swiftly you were moving across
during Lap #2, I became curious to see whether you were in fact gaining
time relative to the girls in front. Your teammate Howe, although
riding strongly, gradually lost time to Simms on each lap, and while
Bessette and Knapp probably put in fairly fast final laps, recapturing
a handful of seconds, neither of them could possibly have gained
twenty-six seconds over Simms in the space of a single circuit (the
amount by which you yourself were faster than she on Lap #3). Otherwise
the podium would have been in rather a different order! But maths
having been my speciality in university, I believe this
is correct.” Very cool.
PHOTOS
I
particularly like dustball-assisted missing tooth
effect in this photo!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/crossphotos.php?id=photos/2005/nov05/golden_gate05/tg_05
***************************************************
MY
RECENT WRITING GIGS THAT YOU MAY FIND ENTERTAINING:
Cyclo-Cross
Season update – USGP Series, events #1&2
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3564
Published
in Bay Area Business Woman (online and in print)
Velo
Bella: A Cycling First for Bay Area Women
http://www.babwnews.com/article.php?id=426&action=
***************************************************
GENERAL
MEDIA SPOTS
Interview
on mbcx.com:
http://www.mountainbikeracer.com/interview/interview.php?id=67
Interview
on vegansport.org
http://www.vegansport.org/eng/index.html
Interview
in VegNews magazine out next month!!
http://www.vegnews.com
Interview
in Yoga Journal magazine in progress!!
***************************************************
And my upcoming schedule consists of:
December
4 –
Verge series finals in Warwick, RI
December
11 – CX National Championships in Providence,
RI
December
22-23 –
travel to Belgium to stay with good
friend
and
supporter Jan Goeman!
December
26 –
Hofstade World Cup in Belgium
December
28 –
Azencross UCI Cat. 2 in Loenhout,
Belgium
December
31 –
Hooglede-Gits World Cup in Belgium
January
1 – G.P.
Hotel Threeland in Petage, LUX
January
11 –
Antwerpen CX in Belgium
January
15 –
Lievin World Cup in France
January
22 –
Hoogerheide world cup in Netherlands
January
29 –
Cyclo-Cross World Championships in
Zeddam,
Netherlands
January
31 –
head back to California
March
1-August 1
– travel through Europe for full road
season
as a
member of a Belgian UCI Professional Trade
Team!(more
about
this to come!)
August 1
– back
to California
October
10 –
back to Belgium for Cyclo-Cross (to be
confirmed!!)
Some
of
this schedule is posted on my website:
www.christinevardaros.com
6-11-2005
Christine
Vardaros won a UCI
Category 1
race
in New
Jersey!
link
to race/results
Pic
credits: dennisbike.com