Tayler Jae...My Life in Pictures...and a lot of words!

Never say never...to the Spring Classics!

2011-02-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

I've always been fascinated with the Spring Classics, the brutally beautiful terrain and mud splattered images of riders in the hurt locker, the painful nature of it all is oddly intriguing. It takes a certain amount of insanity to call yourself a "Spring Classics rider," however that insanity comes with a great deal of respect! I must admit that the cold, wet, windy, and cobbled route was one I never really saw myself taking...until a received an email from the US National Team director that will forever remind me to "Never say never!"

I'm very excited that come this April I will be ripping around the cobbles in the Spring Classics!

Schedule:

April 7th - 10th: Van Lauwerszee tot Dolard Tour (Netherlands)

April 14th: Drentse 8 (Netherlands)

April 16th: Ronde Van Drenthe (Holland) *World Cup

April 17th: Ronde Van Gederland (Holland)

April 20th: Fleche Wallone (Belgium) *World Cup

April 23rd: Omloop V Boresele (Netherlands)

April 24th: Roselare (Belgium)

April 27th - May 1st: Gracia-Orlova (Czech Republic) *World Cup

Ironically the day after I received the email about doing the Spring Classics I came across this juicy tidbit in the book I'm reading ("A Dog in a Hat" by Joe Parkin, great book by the way):

"I was cut from our team's start list for the Fleche Wallonne. There was part of me that wanted to be on the team but another part that was happy to be able to watch the race on TV instead. I was tired and didn't have the necessary morale to do battle with the Mur de Huy. The Mur, or Wall, is one of the nastiest, steepest stretches of road I have ever seen. It seems to exist only to kick the hell out of bike riders. I have climbed and descended quite a few of the world's great hills, and the thought of the Mur de Huy still causes me pain. Perhaps it was the combination of steepness and length, or perhaps it was my level of fitness on the two occasions that I rode it, but if today you offered me a free trip back to Belgium, I would probably turn you down if it meant I had to climb that hill again!"

HAH, I was speechless after reading this...it was shock followed by uncontrollable laughing at the thought of me on the Mur de Huy this April. I'm hoping to come over it looking like this...

Emma Pooley's victory solute after winning the 2010 Fleche Wallone

Here are a few pics from the races I'll be doing, looks fun eh??:)

Huy huy huy huy!

Gonna have to learn to love these!

My new/old teammie Alisha rippin it up in the spring classics last year!

Bring on the pain cave Spring Classics!

A day in the life!:)

2011-01-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

I came to Tucson last year to escape the snow for a bit and get in some sunny training. Unfortunately I was only able to stay for 10 days or so because I had to be back for the spring semester of school starting in January. I remember thinking, "man these guys (my roommates, who happened to be three professional cyclists and a professional triathlete) are living the dream!" Nothing to do all day besides focus on their training and nutrition, go out and ride your heart out, eat, and recover! Oh how I wanted to live that dream, to call what I love to do "my job!" Last year was a whirlwind season for me with ups and downs here and abroad and I learned the hard work it takes to live that dream. I have so many dreams, and goals, and even small intermediate goals to help get me closer to the bigger goals! A few of my dreams have already begun to come true. This fall one dream came true when I signed a contract and was given the opportunity to race as a professional with the incredible team Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 for the 2011 season and with the help of family and friends I found myself here in Tucson for the winter "living the dream!"

I wake up everyday here so grateful for my situation, and for the friends and family who have helped me get to where I am. I owe every opportunity in my life to them. So here it is...a day in the life!:)

One thing that most all athletes have in common is the general need for caffeine in the morning! One of my favorite parts of the day is waking up and heading out for our morning coffee/breakfast run! Since Kelsey has been gone to team camp Josh Berry has become my new buddy! We have discovered some pretty yummy coffee stops, some of our favorite include Ragin Sage, B Line, Le Buzz, Epic, Cafe Luce, and the old standard Starbucks.

Chai and live music!:)

Breakfast at B Line!

We eat yummy breakfast, sit around a drink coffee (or in my case usually a chai tea latte with soymilk, Mmmmm) and eventually decide that its time to train! The best part of the day of course!

The riding here is pretty amazing...yes the roads are a little cracked and pot hole-ish at times but there is just something about sand, cacti, and the rustic feel of the desert that I love!! Mt. Lemmon is probably my all time favorite ride, it is breath-takingly beautiful (which is sometimes a struggle when you are already out of breathe from climbing;) And the Cookie Cabin at the top just makes that 25 miles of climbing SO worth it! While I'm talking about Mt. Lemmon I have to mention something pretty incredible. Matt flew out here to train and stay with his brother for a few days over the long weekend a couple weeks ago and we set out to do Lemmon. Let me preface this by saying that Mt. Lemmon is by no means anything even slightly resembling the word easy. It is a very steady 6-12% with some spots +12% climb that doesn't let up for 25 miles straight. This is a climb that is tough for athletes of all experience from cat 5's to pro tour! Matt did the entire climb and at a fairly good pace, just 5 MONTH from his amputation. I literally cried when I saw the mile marker 24 because he had pushed so hard to get there and I was so proud of him!! He is one of the most inspirational people I know! Gates pass and the McCane loop are my second favorite ride. Those used to be the only two rides I really knew until Alisha introduced me to the Saguaro National park loop (so fun) and some great flat riding North of Tucson! The scenery mixed with the warm weather...ahhh it couldn't get too much better than this! I still have to remind myself daily that it is only January, love it!

Mt. Lemmon!

Matt around mile 15 of Lemmon!

K-Money and Jursh!

Kelsey and Alisha on Lemmon!

Riding past the memorial for the congress women who was shot.

Riding a bike is much faster than riding a turtle!

Gummy bears!:)

Up to windy point on Lemmon

Love Tucson riding but one negative is that large amounts of glass all over, sooo many flats!

Mmmm Cookie cabin!

The best part of Mt. Lemmon, huge cookie!!:)

The little sign says "A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand!" My motto! :)

Recovery rides consist mainly of coffee shop stops, my friend Robbie (rides for Garmin) taught me something very important, he said "The key to a good recovery day is spending more time at coffee shops than you actually do on the bike!" Thankfully Robbie and I have the same coach so our recovery days usually land on the same day, meaning we can spin easy to coffee shops to meet each other and then spend hours just chatting and sitting in the sun :)

Key to a successful recovery day!:)

Riding to Starr Pass is one of my favorite things to do on a recovery day.

Watching the swimmy swimmers!

Awww recovery!

Josh doing a little high diving action!

Climbin the rope!

Me, the none reader, reading! I know hard to believe!:)

Kelsey's daughter Riley, love her!!

Nitro boy!!

Snugglin with the pups!:)

I love recovery days, however long hard training rides are still my favorite, for some odd reason I love the feeling of total exhaustion after a ride. It is a strange feeling of accomplishment when you are so tired that even standing up in the shower seems rough! I heard someone once say that you know you've had a good day when you are too tired to brush your teeth that night, that the thought of making even small movements seems awful! Through all of this I've learned how truly masochistic we are as athletes, love the pain cave!

Post ride always consists of a quick stretch/foam roll (if I remember), a shower, and then a large consumption of food...another reason I like long rides, the more excuses I have to eat, the better!;) There are so many great places to eat here, Chopped, the B Line, Wilko (my all time fav) and Fuku Sushi (I know funny name haha) just to name a few! I try to make food at home as often as possible, but if you know me at all you know I'm a terrible cook and my idea of a good meal is brown rice with beans and avocado!;)

Dinner at the B Line!:)

Hehe love this place!

Campus Candy, this place is dangerous!

So that is about it, coffee, food, ride, food, recover, all mixed with sun and good friends! The recipe for success...I hope!!:)

Here are a few pics of random "out of the daily norm" experiences!;)

Had a small run in with a car, just a little road rash!;)

Got strep throat, that was no fun!

My roommate Evan is a raw vegan and eats 60 or so bananas a day, crazy!!

Love these little kidlets!

Campus was crazy with new crews when Obama came to visit, closest I've ever been to a Prez!

Did I mention how much I miss this little guy!:(

My 20 year old roommate just decided to go out and buy a $30,000 dollar car one day, gotta love trust fund babies!

Best news of all, my PB came from Peanut Butter & Co.! Too bad its all in Utah!;) Can't wait to distribute it too all my friends and family!:)

Fall fun, trainer time, and the journey to warmer temps!

2011-01-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Like many others, one of my New Years Resolutions is to blog more, and to make them shorter!;) I can't promise that this one will be short by any means but I can promise that my blogging will get better!

Since I haven't blogged in so long I have to do a bit of a rewind back to fall! Fall in Utah is so beautiful but never lasts long enough! I got to do a little trail running cross training with Kelsey (when she had easy runs!;) and lots of hike's with Cort, Ravey and my little dog Riddles! Matt even got out with me one day, which is pretty amazing considering his amputation was only about a month or so prior, he is one tough guy!

Trail running with Superfit!:)

Me and Riddles, I love this little guy!

Sleepy boy after a long hike!

Cort doing her "Meg" pose!;)

What a STUD!!

Raven was determined to pick up this HUGE stick hah! So cute!

Riddles and Ravey being buddies!

Life is good!

Riddles being a wuss by the river!;)

Riddles giving Cort a little love!

Beautiful hike up Emigration with the pups!:)

How could you not love that face!?

Unfortunately Riddles isn't a huge fan of the car. He loves hikes but hates the drive, he is probably the only healer in the world that gets car sick, poor little guy!

He loves it when we get there, but getting him there is heart breakin, poor little guy!

Then there were the two trips to Vegas to escape the snow with one of my all time favorite people Kelsey Superfit Withrow! Vegas trip #1 was purely to escape the cold weather, but trip #2 we got to watch Kelsey's cousin "Jumpin Joe" race his car at the speedway! First off Joe is freakin hilarious and fun to be around, and as white trash as car racing is I had a blast!!

Trip number 1 with K-money!

Trip number two: Kelsey doing her car scrappin duties!;)

Kelsey doing her signature move...the salmon!! Haha

So this didn't actually happen in Vegas, it was during a ride in SLC before we left! A toilet and newspaper on someones front lawn...how convenient!! I've never laughed so hard!!

Then there was the much anticipated Utah vs. TCU blackout game! These pictures were taken before kickoff...all the fun was drained from the stadium just minutes into the game! Ouch that was a painful game to sit through!

Before kickoff: Go Utes!! Wooooo!! After kickoff: Oh yikes, I'd like to erase this game from memory!

Thanksgiving was great, how can you go wrong with a holiday devoted to eating! My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is the Cold Turkey 5K up City creek canyon the morning of Thanksgiving, makes ya feel a bit less guilty about eating all the food later!:) This year was a little colder than most but it was still way fun and both sides of my family came out this year! I was way proud of my Mom, it was her very first race ever! She'd been gearing up for it with many Golds Gym visits and she did really well!:) Also, the post race Starbucks run makes the tradition even better!!

On our way to the Cold Turkey 5K! :)

Then I made a little trip up to good ole' Idaho for some LT testing fun with Corey! I love that he lives in Idaho because it gives me an excuse to go visit some of my favorite relatives auntie Sue and Uncle Ger! This trip was especially fun because after much debating and decision making (2years of it at least) my uncle Ger finally got the bike of his dreams, a bike that he truly deserved!! It sure is pretty!!:) Can't wait to tear up the "dump loop" with him next time I come up!:)

Isn't it pretty!:) You deserve it Gerbo!

A few weeks before Christmas we got to celebrate my Dad's 9th year of sobriety Birthday! My sister made the most delicious turkey I've ever eaten, she is such an amazing cook its crazy!! (I didn't get that gene!;) We hung out, ate, watched my favorite Christmas movie "Love Actually," and celebrate something really worth celebrating! I couldn't be more proud of my Dad and all that he has accomplished that last 9 years. I also could never thank my amazing Step Mom Cort enough for helping him, giving him an amazing family, and making his life so incredible. I love you both a lot!

Now on to Christmas! So there is one thing I must admit, I absolutely love Christmas! Yes the consumerism and commercialism of it all gets a little crazy and has taken a bit of the true meaning of Christmas out of it, but I get really tired of people being ba-humbug about it and giving that as their biggest excuse! Yes for a lot of people it seems to be about the presents but that doesn't mean everyone has to follow that trend, and get grumpy about it. I love Christmas because I love being with my family and friends, and just the whole feeling the month of December has! Yes I love Christmas music, Christmas movies (especially "Love Actually"), making Christmas cookies with my Mom...I pretty much just love Christmas! This year I got to celebrate Christmas with several different sides of my family and we did some amazing things. With my Dad and Cort the tradition is that each of us take a name off of the Angel Tree and buy the children clothes and a few toys. After we shop for the kids we always go out to dinner, another one of my favorite traditions! This year we went to Aristos and it was so good and such a blast! My family is hilarious! With the extended side of my Mom's family we all donated our regular $50 we spend on gifts for each other on Christmas for a Burundi refugee family. We had a great dinner with delicious prime rib cooked my by chef sister Lindsey! Yum! Helping families with Christmas who have close to nothing gives you such a great feeling, better than any present could bring. These family traditions also give me a lot of excuses to chill with both sides of my fam as we shop, wrap, and deliver presents, which I love! Christmas eve was good times as always starting with bowling with my Dad and Cort! This year we threw in a little gambling and it was so fun! My Dad did win every game but I walked away with a pretty large stack of cash! Stockings with my Dad, Cort, Sis, and Cam was hilariously inappropriate this year, (on both sides of my fam, Mom and Dad's sides, our conversations at get togethers always take a turn for the the hilariously inappropriate, this is something that I absolutely I love about both sides of my family!!) Wish I could explain more but let me just say that the last present opened involved a picture of my Dad with a hat and small scarf...and nothing else hahaha If you knew my family, this wouldn't seem out of the ordinary!;)

Me and Corty at post-Angel tree shopping dinner at Aristos, so fun!:)

Christmas Eve Bowling!! Look at that form!

$3 per strike, Cort was raking it in!!

Dinner with my Mom and Ernie on Christmas was delicious and it was great to hang out with the whole fam (minus grampy, we missed him he was a little sick). My Mom cooked up some brisket which was amazing! I got pretty lucky and inherited a pretty awesome step family on both sides and even though Ernie pretends to be super ba-humbug about Christmas, he warms up a lot when the whole family gets together and shows his true colors! It was fun spending time with my step sis Meg and her boyfriend CJ, my ridiculously strong step bro Cody (kid can squat and leg press a scary amount of weight and he's only 16!), Ernie's Dad Kent, my cute little Granny, and always hilarious sister and brother in law Linds and Cam. Did I mention I also got way lucky in the brother in law department, Cam is awesome and loves my sister so much! Matt and I did little stockings for each other on Christmas morning, and much to our surprise we stuffed them with almost identical things, so funny!! Lots of chocolate, licorice, bike gear, and bike books/magazines! I loved it, stockings are always fun! All in all Christmas made for a lot of good times!!:) I love my family so much!

The little Christmas Tree my cute Sister gave me!:)

My very first Christmas ornament...so fitting!:)

Matt and I's nearly identical stockings!

I love Utah, but winters are unfortunately very long and bring lots snow and hours on the trainer! You can only watch so many movies and sit on a trainer inside for so long before you go completely nutty!! So.....

First big snowstorm of the year!

Trainer time isn't my favorite but its a necessary evil when living in a cold cold state!:)

This little guy cheers me on though!:)

Sometimes it's dry enough out that I can throw on my smurf/captain America gear and face the cold!:)

I escaped to Tucson! Matt drove me down and was able to stay for a bit and get in some good hours in the sun! We got to stay with Trigger, Reggie, and their adorable little kiddos! Cassman is just about the cutest little cowboy I've ever seen, and so dang smart! He took us to "Cowboy Town" while we were there and watching him get so excited about anything and everything there was priceless, I loved it! I don't know where to even start with little Remi! She became my very best friend while I was there, she always wanted to snuggle and sit on my lap, so CUTE!! I love that little girl! She has discovered the wonderful world of Disney Princesses (or Prinsenses...that's how she says it:) and it is adorable! We watched Cinderella and she got her matching dress and shoes! I wish I'd taken more pictures of these cute little kiddos! Love them!

Little Remi bug...such a cutie!!

My proud Mommy moment as Riddles had his first encounter with cows...he is a cow dog living in suburbia..poor guy haha

He was terrified at first but once he saw Daley (his mom) roundin up the cows he wanted in on the action! He'll need a bit of training first though!;)

Trigger, Remi, Cassman, and Daley dog (Riddles' Mommy:)

Reggie and Remi :)

One of my favorite routes down University ave.

Climbin Mt. Lemmon with Matt! Mt. Lemmon is my favorite ride here, so gorgeous!

It's still a little snowy for the last 10 miles or so up Lemmon and snow makes these Tucson ppl go nutty!! They were all driving up the canyon, shoveling snow into their trucks to take back down, building snowmen and driving them down in the beds of their trucks...pure madness haha

After Matt left I moved into a condo with some triathletes, they are all really nice but I gotta learn how to speak "triathlete"... which pretty much means talking about my training 24/7, how hard it is, discussing race weights, wattage, body fat, and comparing my training with my other roommates and arguing about whose is hardest! Oh and telling me that my sport is SO easy and make me feel like I don't train enough...I'd like to see them stick on my wheel up Mt. Lemmon or while I'm doing LT intervals and then tell me about how "easy" my sport is! I'm just giving them a hard time!;)

I am really excited about the 2011 season! The opportunity I have to stay and train in Tucson is pretty incredible, there are so many great people down here to train with (teammie Alisha and one of my favorite people in the world Kelsey Superfit Withrow!) and amazing places to ride! I love being able to focus completely on training and just chasing the dream! Cycling has given me some incredible experiences and truly changed my life. I can't thank my family and the Bradley family enough for helping me get where I am and supporting my big dreams! This year I have the amazing opportunity to race with the professional women's team Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12, I couldn't ask for better girls and a better program to learn from! I'll be here in Tucson until the last week of February when I jet out to California for team camp!:) Can't wait to meet all of the girls and start racing!!:) Life is good!

Awww I love Tucson!
So many great bike routes in Tucson

Loving the sun!

Europe!!!! Wow its taken me a long time to post this!;)

2010-09-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Getting the opportunity to race in Europe with the US National team was by far the most incredible experience I have ever had, teaching me so much about myself, my family, and the sport I am so passionate about. Since I am known for horrendously long blogs, and also because I could write about my experiences in Europe FOREVER, I've decided to make a list of "firsts" and a list of things I learned...however I can't promise these lists will be short either!;)

Firsts!:)

Being asked for an autograph (Kids in Europe love cycling, and since the US won the Giro, they LOVE USA cycling! They would clap and yell USA USA, so fun!)
Team presentations (In America signing in for a race means walking up to a table sometime before the start and signing your name, in Europe signing in means walking up onto this big grandstand with mobs of camera men in front of you snapping pictures while you stand and smile with your whole team. After you have stood there long enough with a plastered smile (all in the attempt to hide your terror) you walk over and sign your name. All the while the announcer is in the background announcing your names and accomplishments (or so I think, to me it sounds like he is yelling something incredibly exciting...however when you can't understand the language he is yelling in, it tends to cause a small amount of anxiety!;)
My very first "team presentation!"

U-S-A!!

Team Chirio Forno D'Asolo :)

Team Meals: Before races in Europe all the teams go to the same restaurant for lunch...it is a somewhat strange dynamic because everyone is constantly checking each other out...whether or not to smile at your competition or not is a tough choice, smile and you might receive a piercing crusty in return! Teams that race together, eat together!;)

My frist "team meal" :)

Team Dorms: While I was racing with the US team we stayed in hotels and were given great food. However the custom for many of the teams (and what I experienced while racing with the Italian team Chirio Forno D'Asolo) is to stay in the same dorms and eat the same cafeteria food pre and post race...again it is a strange dynamic, but in Europe teams that race together, sleep together!

The view from my dorm in France

It is amazing how much better some sheets and a pillow can make you feel. I was feeling pretty homesick and struggling the first couple days with Chirio, and since I couldn't speak Italian I missed the "bring your own bedding to France" memo and had been sleeping on a mattress with no blanket or pillow. We went to a French version of Target for lunch the day before the race and I went straight to the bedding section!:) Yes I may have gotten sheets made for a 5 year old girl, but boy did it make me feel better!

Being called a "Crazy American": this was not a single occurrence, it was a common phrase thrown at me during races, usually after they'd torn me apart in their own language and then realized I was a "dumb American" that only knows one language!;)
The infamous Pre-Race Lap: This was a strange ritual I experienced at a stage race in France as well as a race in Holland. They line you up on the start line and then do a sort of "practice lap" around a 1K or so loop before returning you to the start line for the proper start. Of course I had no idea this was what was going to happen because I couldn't understand the announcer...confusion doesn't even begin to describe it! These laps usually circled areas with the biggest fan base, and most of the European riders would wave at the spectators...so I waved along! Hey, if you don't know what you're doing, FAKE IT!:)
Run ins with "Paparazzi": I'm not sure if that is what you call mobs of camera men at sporting events rather than celebrity parties, however I experienced my fair share of random camera in the face! It was a huge shock at my first race in Italy, the GP Cento, because American races don't get nearly that much media coverage! I gotta admit it was pretty fun!
"Hey Cazzo!!": First off, the word Cazzo in Italian directly translates in English to Dick hah! This was a certain lovable Spaniard's favorite word, which he used to either begin or end most sentences! On one of our training rides a car got really close to us while riding up a climb...said Spaniard yelled "Hey Cazzo!!" the car turned a corner and we thought they were gone, but as we turned the corner we saw the car had pulled over and a large (and by large I mean tall, dark, and extremely fit) Italian man gets out of the car and reaches for a rather large gun on his belt loop! My immediate reaction was "Holy Shit we are gonna die Cazzo!!!" Thankfully it was all about the intimidation factor. We rode by safely, rounded a corner, and busted out laughing!!
Italian grocery stores: This was actually my first stop when I arrived in Italy. Manel picked Jessica and I up at the airport and we went straight to the grocery store. This was an adventure for me...to say the least. Jessica had been there before so she ripped right into that store like a pro...I walked around like a chicken with my head chopped off. Italian grocery stores are day and night different than in America...no processed food, all fresh local produce, no bread in a bag, all fresh and behind a counter where you have to ask for it (did I mention I speak ZERO italian), no pre packaged meat (it is also behind a counter you have to ask for), milk is not refrigerated (which makes me wonder if it is really even milk), and many other confusing things that make a non Italian speaker feel like a big dumb American ;) However, I've gotta admit that once I got the hang of it, I grew to LOVE Italian grocery stores! I mean who doesn't love fresh produce, bread, prosciutto, cheese, pasta, and chocolate to die for...just took me a minute to figure it all out!

Mmmmm fresh mozzerella, proschuitto, and tomato salad!:)

Cobblestones...sort of! My first race in Italy was a flat 11 lap circuit with the start/finish being a 1K section of cobblestones. While these were not quite like the nightmarish French or Belgian cobbles I hear of, they were still fairly uncomfortable! The worst part was the section that was made up of big round rocks that had been stuck into cement that led up to the real cobbled section. Man I have some serious respect for the riders that do the Paris-Roubaix!!

The finish or Arrivo!;)

Rocky section that didn't feel too awesome!

The sprint finish! Bronzini won. She will be in a rainbow jersey next time I see her, she is the current road World Champion!

Team Car Launch: So we have all seen mechanics in the Tour reach out the window, grab the seat of a rider to relieve them of pedaling while they fix the bike, however you don't always see the violent way in which they can launch the rider from the car after said problem is fixed! In my first race (the lovely cobbled one) we were working for Coryn, I was right behind her as she crashed on lap two, so I stopped to help get her back into the peloton. After getting back in, and then having some "bike issues" the team car rode up to me, fixed the issue and then unexpectedly accelerated the car to a good 60 mph. With the mechanic holding my seat post, and rapidly approaching a 90 degree corner, it was safe to say I was screaming bloody murder. Apparently this is a common practice...no one told me, which was evident as my life flashed before my eyes on several occasions of this launching. Franco Chirio (the team director of the Italian team I raced for) attempted this launching maneuver after I flatted in stage one of a race in France. However he thought it'd be a good idea to launch me at 60 mph into an uphill, off camber, skinny corner, where all the other team cars were piled up behind the peloton. I about died and the team got a fine...whoops!!;)
Lead moto during a TT: In european races each rider during a time trial gets a lead moto! This was by far one of my favorite things about Euro racing. During the Tour de Feminin TT (which was a 17K, super technical course with climbing, tight roads, and tight corners) I had the best lead moto ever! As he would see us approaching riders in front of me he would yell "Alle Alle Alle!!!!!" Alle quickly became one of my favorite words! He was a huge motivation during that TT. Franco Chirio followed me in the team car during the Charente de Maritime stage race and yelled "Tayler Alle Alle Alle, Tayler Alle!!" while honking consistently the entire time I raced! (You can tell he is a big fan of honking during races because his steering wheel is practically caved in!) This motivation technique definitely worked because when I came across the line Franco held up one finger indicating I was in first place! The time trials I did in Europe were incredible!

Most "graceful" award: So at one of the races I did they called up three girls, announced a bunch of stuff I couldn't understand, and gave them all flowers. I knew these girls weren't in the top 5 so I asked one of them what they had won. She told me it was the most "graceful" award! She laughed pretty hard, as did I, because we both knew that what they mean by most "graceful rider" is really the "hottest" rider hah! The three girls that went up were definitely some of the prettiest in the peloton.

Winners of the "most graceful rider" award! ;)

Being "star struck" while riding: On our training rides in Lucca we saw some pretty incredible people. One day we saw a whole group of Saxo Bank riders, Manel turned to them after they passed and did Contador's signature victory salute (this was just after the Tour, where Contador beat Saxo Bank rider Andy Schleck...Manel is a Spaniard and has some serious Spanish pride!:) We also had a hilarious run in with Mario Cipollini!! Riding along one day we see this extremely tall, dark, and pretty handsome guy riding and it turns out to be none other than Mario Cipollini! Manel chatted it up with him while we all "sneakily" played paparazzi and took lots of pics! So funny!

Hey there Cipollini!!

Coryn and Cipollini!:)

The Autogrill! Holy cow I cannot say enough about Italian food, or European food in general, but mostly Italian food. They take so much pride in their food, no matter where you go it is amazing. In America, fast food is a disgusting display of grease and clogged arteries, but in Italy "fast food" is better than the food you get in most restaurants in America. All along the highway are "fast food" stops called Autogrills, where you can get panini's with fresh mozzarella, prechutto, basil, chicken, or anything you want all made to order and delicious!! The buffalino was my all time favorite...fresh pita bread with mozzarella, prosciutto, and basil all thrown together and put on a grill! YUM!! Italy got two things very right #1 mid day siestas (see below) #2 FOOD!!

Mid day siestas and the overall speed of life: This was a concept that frustrated me at first...coming from the land of the 24 hour department store...but the idea quickly grew on me. In Italy, and many other countries, life is so much slower than in America. They take time to really sit down and enjoy every little aspect of their lives. Meals take hours and are often shared with friends and family (this is something we do here, but not nearly as frequently). On one of my last days in Lucca, all the US girls went out to dinner together with Manel and Rob. After our amazing 4 course meal, all us Americans immediately stood up like we were going to go. Manel looked at us like we were nuts, he told us to sit down and enjoy life a little. In Italy meals are eaten slow and conversations are always savored.
SRM Dinner: We had the opportunity to have a meal with the owner of the company SRM, and all of the top guys involved, along with a few other professional cyclists. The food was amazing and the conversation was hilarious!

Italy's #1 award wining Gelato...so amazing!!:)

Gelato stops and nutella crepes: If you know anything about Italy, you know that eating Gelato while you are there is a must! I had someone tell me not to go more than 24 hours while I was in Italy without eating Gelato...and I pretty much stuck to that! My first Gelato stop was during a ride with the US girls, Rob took us to one of his favorite places in Lucca. We made sure to go back there at least once a day after that!;) Then when I got to Asti, Franco Chirio the team director owned a Gelato company...convenient I know! Before I got there Franco had asked Manel if I spoke any Italian, Manels response was: "None, all she knows how to do is say Hello and can I have some Gelato!" So everyday when I would go to Franco's warehouse (that is where we would go for internet) he would bring me Gelato!;) I miss Franco!

My very first Gelato stop!:)

And the trend continued!;)

Riding the towny bikes down to get Gelato!:)

Mmmmm Nutella!! This Nutella was as big as my face! I took this pic at 3 AM on the way home from our race in Holland! This picture is dedicated to my Auntie Sue who lovessss Nutella!:) I would have bought it for you but I'm not sure how I would have packed it! Hehe

Smiling at Strangers: Okay so this isn't really a first, just something that baffled me for a bit! In America when you are walking down the street you usually try not to make eye contact or stare at people, but if by chance you do make eye contact with a stranger the typical reaction is to smile. In Italy everyone stares at everyone, there really is no shame in staring, however if you make eye contact with someone you don't know and you smile they look at you like you are nuts, or give you a crusty! After smiling (like the all American girl I am) at many an Italian, I finally asked why it was that they don't smile back. Apparently in Italy (and probably other places in europe) they think that Americans are so fake, shooting huge teethy white smiles at all who cross their path. See in Italy they really truly value relationships of all kinds (family, friends, etc) and believe that greetings such as that should be saved for those closest to you. However, even after learning this, I continued to smile at everyone...spread the love right, fake or not I like it when someone smiles at me! :)
Living in a house with 10 girls who spoke ZERO english: After I raced with the US team, Manel (the US team director) gave me the opportunity to race with an Italy based team called Chirio Forno D'Asolo. I was stoked about the idea of getting to stay and race longer in Europe so I canceled my original flight home and hopped on a train to Asti Italy (the train will be my next bullet;) When I got to Asti I was taken to the house I'd be staying in with some of the other girls on the team. The house had ten girls from Brazil, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Italy...none of which spoke any english. Needless to say I was terrified, and slightly homesick!
Riding a train: I have ridden trax before but I don't technically consider that a train...and this train riding experience was pretty one of a kind. Rob (the awesome USA mechanic) drove me to the train station where I was supposed to meet some representative from the Chirio Forno D'Asolo team. We arrived and saw a very Italian man (my coach Corey once told me about a game he would play with riders in Italy called "Gay or Italian"...he was spot on with that game!) with a girl who looked like she was lugging around a bike bag similar to mine (only less massive!!). I walked up to them and quickly found that communication was going to be an issue, but through hand signals and such figured out they were the right people. So I boarded the train with these strangers that I couldn't talk to, and I started to freak out a little. Yes I was in Italy, and following my dreams, but I was scared shitless at the current situation and the thought of spending two weeks living and racing with people I couldn't talk to. However, Urta...the girl on the train with me, was so so nice. Even though we couldn't speak the same language, she made me feel a lot better about everything. Long story short (ok this isn't that short) we missed a connecting train, turning a 3 hour trip into a 6 hour trip with two more trains to catch and 3 platforms to climb with a very very large bike case and every bit of luggage I'd brought to Italy (did I mention I am an over-packer?) It was an adventure!

This was shortly after I met up with my Italian buddies/total strangers! Not going to lie I was scared out of my mind!!

Learning to order a Cappuccino...and even managing to get that wrong: While I was in Asti, living with a bunch of people I couldn't communicate with, I found myself with a lot of free time...so I started a little bit of a routine. Wake up, go train for a few hours (another bullet to come) and then ride into Asti and hangout at a cafe for a bit. The coffee there is amazing, as I'm sure you've all heard, and that was my favorite part of the day (besides getting to skype with my family...I was a bit homesick!) I made quite a spectacle I'm sure, walking in in my red, white, and blue spandex...I couldn't have been any more American. They all got a kick out of it! I met a lot of Italian men, most of them attempting to talk to me in Italian and quickly fleeing when they realized I spoke ZERO, and then a few that knew a bit of english. Usually I'm not a fan of talking to strangers (I'm a little shy), however it had been weeks since I had heard or spoken english with another person so it was somewhat refreshing!

This cute heart shaped cappuccino came at the perfect time, I was having a kinda rough day (little homesick). Who wouldn't be cheered up by this!:)

My favorite little Cafe cocchi, I rode there everyday while I was in Asti!

Training alone in Italy: When I was with the US team we all trained together everyday, so I was never too worried about getting lost, or getting a flat and being stranded. When I went to Asti to race with Chirio I planned on riding with the girls on that team. So one day when I saw five of them getting ready to ride, I thought I'd go with them. I walked out with them and quickly realized there was something wrong by the weird looks they were all giving me. We started riding and I could tell they were all talking about something (unfortunately I couldn't understand them. That is the frustrating part about not knowing a language because you know that a lot of times they are talking about you, but you've got no clue what they are saying!) Then all of a sudden out of the blue the five of them took off sprinting all at the same time! Right then I knew it was pretty obvious that they didn't want me to ride with them. From then on I didn't even try, I just rode alone and prayed I didn't get lost or a flat! Surprisingly I never did, and I actually loved riding alone! I got to explore some amazing little towns, no matter where you are in Italy it is so incredibly beautiful!! Love it there!

Just moments before they all sprinted away from me haha oh well!

Thats more like it!:)

I got to see some amazing things while I was riding in Italy! Every little town seems to be set on a hill, and they all have their own bell tower, its incredibly beautiful!

Meeting a dog named Penguina (Penguin in Italian!) Franco Chirio had three dogs, Rocky, Penguina....and I forgot the 3rd ones name because he was always asleep in Franco's office! Penguina loved me...mostly because I'd sneak him lots of treats!
Italian driving: From the moment I got off the plane and put my bags in the team car with Manel behind the wheel, I knew my trip was going to be and adventure! Lets just say that Manel has a led foot and very little fear of crashing! Getting in the car with him was like riding a rollercoaster. What I quickly found out is that this wasn't a "Manel thing" this was an Italian thing!! Every Italian I rode in the car with made my head spin...tiny roads + blind corners + ridiculously high speeds = Me scared shitless! But I gotta say, even though they are crazy drivers, they are dang good at it!!
Skyping! When I made the transition to the Italian team, skype became my safety blanket! Though I admit....after being back home and seeing my frightening phone bill....I should have used it way more often than I actually did!;)
The never ending road trip: While I was there I did a total of 6 road trips to races that were 12+ hours long! Wheww that was a lot of time in the car...with Italian drivers!;) My trip as a whole (planes, trains, and automobiles combined) went a little like this: Utah to New York, New York to Pisa, Pisa to Lucca, Lucca to Limosin (France), Limosine to Lucca, Lucca to Asti, Asti to Central France, Central France to Asti, Asti to Holland, Holland to Asti, Asti to Milano, Milano to New York, New York to Utah! Good times!:)
Celebrating my Birthday in Italy: So it is kind of a joke in my family that I am NEVER home on my birthday! For the past 7 or so years I've been at soccer tournaments, races, Africa, and now Italy!:) Can't complain about that! However, it was a little funny to turn 21 in a country where being 21 doesn't really have any special significance!;) I did have my first alcohol purchase there though when I bought the Italian team director Franco Chirio a bottle of wine to say thank you!:)

My little dog/cute boyfriend sent me this message on my birthday! I love them!:)

Wearing a very very tiny helmet: When Franco was giving me all the team loot for Chirio Forno D'Asolo, I had a little giggle when he handed me the helmet! The only way I can describe the helmets that team uses is to say they look exactly like those old school ones first worn in the Tour de France, only made out of modern helmet material. It barely fit on my head and I was just prayin I didn't crash!
Italian cycling news articles: One day while I was on the internet at Franco's warehouse, he came to show me something. He pulled up an article from cycling news (Italy style) that had pictures of me and a whole page full of words that I, of course, could not read! I was totally confused, #1 because I had no clue where they had gotten those pictures of me and #2 because I had no clue what it said!;) I love Franco, but he can't speak of word of english and I can't speak a word of Italian, so our interactions were nothing short of hilariously confusing!! He managed to get me the link to the article so I sent it to Matt (who speaks Italian, and had actually already found it on about 4 or 5 other Italian cycling news sites) and gave me the gist of what it said. Here is a link, if you happen to speak any Italian haha: http://teleciclismo.com/articolo_dettaglio.php?id_art=705
Italian's and car tires: On our way to Holland our team van got a flat tire. This whole 2 hour period of time was absolutely hilarious!! We pulled over right as we got the flat, Franco was driving the team car and pulled over to help us. The three men (Franco, Francesco, and Edita's boyfriend...can't remember his name!) got to work... and the three scenes of hilarity began. Scene 1 I like to call "The Search." They unpacked the entire car, pulled up floor mats, unscrewed side panels, and after all that could not actually find the spare tire! They then came up with the brilliant idea of blowing up the flat tire...with a bicycle floor pump (yes a bike pump) and then driving on it to see what would happen. That spurred scene 2 which can only be called "The obviously inevitable BLOWOUT!" After the tire was pumped up by a floor pump, I finally regained composure after laughing my ass off and we hopped back in the car. I figured Francesco would drive slow on the make shift flat tire, but oh no he got right back up to full speed and in a matter of seconds there was a large pop, a car full of screaming girls, and a near collision with the side rail of the freeway. Wowwwww really, did you really think that the tire would just be magically ok? Let me remind you that none of the people I am with speak english, so I can't really over hear their brilliant plans and I was a little bit weary of getting in the car after seeing the tire being pumped up by a BIKE pump!! After the huge blowout and near death experience we were stuck on the side of the road yet again. Imagine my shock when, after lots of jibber jabber in Italian and Russian, everyone packs back into the car...that now has three tires and a rim! Francesco turns the key and starts driving!! And not nearly slow enough! I had a very intense mix of fear and laughter...oh and confusion! We finally get to an exit and find another place to pull over and something miraculous happened!! There was another flat tire victim on the side of the road, however this guy had a spare tire, and all the tools needed to fix it...and even better, he spoke ENGLISH!!:) He helped my fabulous Italian and Russian buddies #1 find the tire, #2 lend the tools to fix said tire, and #3 actually fix the tire! The poor guy ended up finding and fixing our flat all by himself and I quickly learned that Italian men (or at least the ones I was with) have a frighteningly minimal amount of handy man skills!;)

Hahahahahaha by far one of the funniest experiences of my life!!

Italian men: As shortly described above, my coach had told me about a game he used to play with the US girls while in Europe called "Gay or Italian" hahaha this turned out to be a frighteningly hard guessing game! Italian men are, for lack of a better work, HOTT! However, they are often so fashionable, and the fashion in Italy is obviously much different than America, that figuring out which which is which is somewhat difficult! Italian men wear capris, scarfs, dressy shirts, beautiful shoes, etc....I think any America women would have a hard time separating the two!;) This male way of life often has its unfortunate consequences...for example when our Chirio "mechanic" Francesco decided to wear a very very small shirt...yikes!!

Oh dear....

Pasta for breakfast? Huh: At our race in Holland we stayed in a cute little hotel that served some pretty incredible food. The night before our race we were leaving dinner and Franco was telling everyone the plan for the next morning. I kept hearing the word for breakfast and also pasta. Kelly Benjamin was there with me by then so I had one english speaker and we were trying to interpret Franco's explanation. We finally got him to say "Breakfast...15 minutes...pasta" Again I was so confused and then we finally realized what he was saying. I guess it is an Italian thing, or maybe just a Chirio thing to eat breakfast (your basic cereal, fruit, yogurt, etc) and then fifteen minutes later you eat pasta! haha Kelly and I laughed so hard once we figured it out and sure enough the next morning we ate breakfast, sat for exactly 15 minutes and then were served giant bowls of pasta! Gotta love Europe!
The small mechanic: This was one of my all time favorite experiences. When Kelly Benjamin arrived in Asti, her bikes didn't make it there with her so she was forced to use a Chirio bike for our race in Holland. Kelly doesn't speak a word of Italian either so trying to get the bike fit to her was a challenge. Franco told us that he was going to send us to the "Piccolo mechanic." Yes this man actually goes by the name, "The small Mechanic!" This was pretty funny, but got so much better once we actually met the "small mechanic!" His real name was Rabino and he was in fact a very very small mechanic! If ever I imagined a person as a cartoon character this little guy was it, he was awesome!!

The picollo mechanic!! Don't you just love him!!

The incredibly emotional airport fiasco: I loved my time in Europe, but after being with non english speakers for a few weeks I was REALLY missing my family. Once August 10th arrived, the day of my flight home, I was ecstatic! One of Franco's workers came to pick me up at 6:00 AM and we were off to the Milano airport (which was about a 1.5 hour drive from Asti). We arrived at my terminal and the adventure began! I got a little cart for my massive amounts of luggage and set out to find the delta counter. I walked in and found out that I was at counter one, and needed to be at counter 12, so on I went. After almost taking down 3 or 4 sets of those annoying velvet ropes that function as barriers between counters I quickly learned that, like European roads, walking isles in airports are SKINNY! My bike bag, with both my bikes, along with my huge suitcase and carry on made for a very oversized load! By the time I got to counter 12 I was sweaty and frustrated...and really sick of being starred at! They checked me in, took my wide load (aww relief...for now) and I went to find my gate. I got to my gate, only to find out that my flight had been delayed by an hour. I looked at the ticket for my connecting flight, did the time change math and realized that I was going to be seriously cutting it close! We boarded the flight, sat on the runway forever waiting to taxi out...and then the kicker! The pilot got on the intercom and explained to us that since we'd been delayed they had to change our flight plan, which was gonna add another 30-45 minutes onto the already 1 hour delay! My stomach sank...I wanted to get home to see my family so bad that the thought of not catching my connecting flight made me want to cry...ok I might have shed a tear or two. This was the long flight of the two and sitting there for 9 hours watching the clock, hoping that by some miracle we had a speedy tailwind to get me there 2 hours early...makes for a really long and anxious flight!! Finally the plane landed and I had exactly 30 minutes to get off, go through customs, re-check my bags, go through security again, and get to my gate. I ran from place to place, got through customs pretty quick but once I hit the baggage claim I knew I wouldn't make it. I walked up to someone working there and asked what would happen if I didn't have time to get my bags and re-check them (all the while I was teary eyed...yeah I know I'm a wuss but I just really wanted to get home). They said that would be ok, my bags just wouldn't get to Utah for a few days. By that point I didn't give a crap about my bags and ran on through to security without them. Now with only 15 minutes till my flight would leave. I got there and of course there was a HUGE line! I heard a few guys behind me walk up and tell the guy at the front that there flight was leaving in 15 minutes, the guy let them cut the line so I followed them up there and cut too. After some serious tongue lashings from security and the people I butted in line, I managed to get behind a family that was going through. They were the family from HELL!! Took them forever to get all there kids and grandparents through and I was shaking with anxiety! I got through, took of my shoes (flip flops) and booked it to my gate. Of course I needed to be at gate 21 and started at gate 1....I made it right as they were closing the doors, I felt like I was in a scene of Home Alone as I threw my boarding pass at the girl and ran through the bridge to the plane. I have never felt as relieved as I did when I hit that seat, all sweaty and smiling! I said, "damn that was a close one" to the guy sitting next to me...he looked at me like I was a crazy person but I didn't care, I was going home!:)
On the way to the airport!

GP Cento Carnevale d'Europa

The Tour de Feminin en Limousin, France (this was by far the most incredible race I've ever done!):

The volunteers all wore these cute orange shirts, white pants and yellow hats!

Coryn sprinting for 3rd in one of the stages!

Katie Antonneau!

Did I mention the insane amount of crashes!!

Still working on my positioning!

Not gonna lie, race starts were crazy scary, but so amazing!!

Smile Coryn!:)

I have a slight obsession with Pinarellos!

Coryn in the young riders jersey after stage 1!:)

Stage 1 finish!

Nadia!

TT course!

Stage 1 start!

The Australians are pretty amazing!

Manel coachin us before Stage 1!

Charente d'Maritime (France)

TT Finish!

At the start of stage 2 :)

My teammate Urte's solo win on Stage 3!:)

Waiting for the awards presentation...I was a little tired!;)

We won the overall team classification!:)

The Valkenburg Classic (Holland):

Start Line!

The cool town we rode through right before the Caulburg (huge climb!:)

I know this is random but I thought it was hilarious, this was the toilet in our hotel in Holland!

Kelly and I pre-riding the course

Emma Pooley, World Time Trial Champion!

Winner Winner!!

Beautiful things I saw while riding:

Our loved our training rides with the US team!

The little towns throughout Italy are amazing!

The is the hill leading to Montecciero, the little suburb of Asti I lived in with team Chirio!

How could you not fall in love with this place!

The bridge near the SRM house in Lucca

Kendall Cruisin around on the towny bike!:)

Coryn gettin aero!

Riding around the wall in Lucca!

Riding inside the wall in Lucca!

Mechanic Rob!:)

Love this guy!

Other fun stuff!:)

The view from my house in Asti!

Super awesome guy in a Carrfour!

Playing flip cup...with water!

Team Cameo (truck)!

Team Van!

Mountains we saw on our way to Tour de Fem, many of them were climbs done in the Tour de France!

Our apartments in Lucca at the SRM house, they were SO nice!:)

Inside the apartment in Lucca!

Kendall my roomie!:)

Last but not least, our amazing soigneur Nadia!!

The greatest thing that I learned while I was in Europe is the importance of family and the incredible strength there is within that. Life drastically changed while I was away and I found myself heart broken for Luke, his girls, Matt and the entire Bradley family. Matt's incredible sister in law Bunny Watson Bradley was hit and killed on her bike the morning I flew to Italy. Matt called me the morning after, barely able to voice the tragic news. My heart stopped, and I so badly wanted to be at home with Matt and his family. It made me realize how fragile life is and how important it is to tell those you love, that you love them on a daily basis. The Bradley family is such a unique group of people, and the most amazing family I have ever known. Matt has two incredible parents, five brothers, one sister, and loads of cute little nieces and nephews...not to mention the huge number of cousins, aunts and other members of his extended family. Although his family is big, they are all so closely knit and very heavily involved in each others life. I don't know how else really to describe it besides saying that it is incredibly beautiful and touching to be around all of them. His family rallied together through this tragedy in a way that I can't even explain, and truly celebrated the incredible person that Bunny was. Bunny herself was an absolutely amazing person, she inspired so many people with the way she lived her life, and has become someone I will always look up to.

Not long after Bunny passed Matt had some tragic news of his own. While we were skyping one day he told me that Dr. Jones (the Doctor who had removed a "benign"bone tumor from his toe a few weeks before I left for Italy) had informed him that the tumor in his toe, and another one they found lower in the foot, might in fact be cancer. The day after I returned from Italy we went to meet with Dr. Jones to discuss the options and regrettably came to the heartbreaking conclusion that Matt would have to have a below knee amputation later that week. To read the full story of Matt's cancer from beginning to end, click here). Matt never once wallowed in this news, or felt the slightest bit sorry for himself. He stayed positive from the moment he found out, till he was wheeled out of surgery (with a disfunction epidural and all), through the many weeks on crutches, and even now as he deals with his temporary prosthetic and the discomfort of learning to use his new leg. When talking about himself and his loss he says he is grateful for his life, when talking about his brother, nieces, and families loss of beautiful Bunny he can't help but get very emotional. Matt, Luke, and the Bradley family are nothing short of inspirational. They have taught me what it means to be strong, what it means to be a family, and how to appreciate every single day of life and to truly love the people I share it with.

Love and miss you Bunny

Elkhorn and Nationals!:)

2010-07-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been amazing!! After Mt. Hood I was on an Oregon high and couldn't wait to get back! I knew Baker City (where the Elkhorn Classic is held) wasn't going to be quite as incredibly scenic as Hood River Oregon, however the race courses didn't disappoint! They were all beautiful, and only slightly brutal!:)

Stage 1 was a beautiful 70+ mile course with two fairly large climbs and a lot of rollers! The race started out fairly mellow with the usual random attacks here and there. Once we hit the first climb Jen Halladay hit the gas and it was nothing but pain cave from there on out! That girl throws down some massive watts! About half way up the climb we got off in a break of about 6 or so riders, as we got closer to the feed zone (and top of the climb) Jen slowly started to break off the front. I tried desperately to stick on her wheel but she was not letting up and her pace was crazy hard! She got a ways off the front but our break away group caught her on the descent. Once we caught her she took the leadership position and pushed us all to keep a pretty dang fast pace through the pace line. We hit the last climb and her pace didn't decrease one bit. My legs were feeling pretty mushy! 4 of us pulled away from the rest of the group as Jen cranked it up the climb. About a mile from the top of the hill (which happened to be about 2 miles from the finish) my legs decided they were done and I slowly watched the three in front of me slowly get a gap. That is not a happy feeling. I pushed it as hard as I could down the little descent to the finish and ended up coming in about 40 seconds or so from the leaders. Dang! I was determined to make some time up in the TT.

The break away leading into the feed zone.

Stage 2 was an 11 mile out and back TT on rolling roads. It seemed to climb a lot more on the way out then the way back so I pushed it hard on the 5 miles out to the turn around. However I didn't pay good enough attention to the wind and realized immediately at the turn around that I was gonna have a lovely head wind all the way back! Plus I had Jen Halladay on my tail, she is a pretty dang good time trialist! I ended up finishing second in the TT, which bumped me to 2nd overall GC. Next up was the crit!

Stage 3 was an L shaped crit in downtown Baker City. They did call ups, which is always fun (mainly because it ensures a spot right up front!:) I was feeling fairly confident going into it and decided to try and drive the pace at the beginning. After a few laps it was clear that a break wasn't going to happen because there was a pretty strong headwind on the long straight away to the finish. There were tons of primes which mixed it up and made it fun! With one lap to go I was near the front. Someone attacked up the inside and the girl in front of me swerved to catch her wheel, just about crashing out the entire field. After yelling a few choice words I stuck on her wheel and rode in for 2nd place, my best crit finish so far! For the first time ever, I had a lot of fun in a crit! I hopped from 2nd to first overall GC!:)

Me at the front of a crit, a rare sight!;)

Sprint for the finish!

Stage 4 was an epic 102 mile road race with 4 pretty good climbs, finishing on an 8 mile climb up Dooley mountain. I woke up in the morning to a lovely rainy day, yikes!! I knew this race would start out fairly slow because 102 miles is a long way to go. There were random attacks here and there but we stayed together for the most part. My goal was just to sit back and watch Terry Sheasby (last years winner) who was in 2nd place, 23 seconds down from me, and make sure she didn't go anywhere. Up the last climb she went to the front so I went and sat on her wheel. We climbed at a pretty good pace, dropping most of the field. At the 1K sign I turned around and noticed it was just me and Terry, I was still feeling pretty good so I hit the gas, and soloed in for the finish! Have I ever told you how much I love hill top finishes!:) It was a great race, and I had a great little supporter/feed zoner/bike mechanic Matty Matt!:) He even sprinted after me when we had a small miscommunication at a feed zone....did I mention he was running on a broken toe...yeah that is dedication!:) Thanks Matt!!!!

Beginning of the rainy 102 miles :)

Well Hello there!;)

Climbing to the finish off in the distance!

Gotta love a pink leaders jersey!:)

I think we should be in an AT&T commercial...more bars more places!;)

I have to send out a MAJOR thanks to the owner of Bella Market in downtown Baker City. She heard that the women racers didn't make nearly as much as the men in this race (and most every race) and she was outraged! So she matched all of the prize money given out by the race director, sometimes even giving more than the race director! I walked away with over $400! Not to mention she gave jewelry to the winners of different stages and the overall GC! I got a cute bike bracelet and a necklace that says Dooley mtn on it!:) Thank you Thank you Thank you, I hope she knows how much this means to female cyclists everywhere!:)

Next up was Nationals in Bend Oregon!!:) I was so beyond excited for this race because it was one that I really wanted to focus on this year, and also the first big race my Mom had ever been able to come to! She has only seen me race small Utah races so far so I knew this would be really fun for her!:) After Elkhorn I spent a few days in Boise with my super awesome aunt and uncle Sue and Ger! They let me crash at their house yet again...I just keep showing up there!:) I got to do some easy TT rides and have coffee with my coach, it was some good relaxing time before Nationals! My Mom and Wes (my step Dad, who I usually actually call Ernie for just about no reason at all...however it has caught on and most of my family now calls him that too!:) ) drove up on Tuesday night, stayed overnight with me at Sue and Ger's and then we were off to Bend Wednesday morning! My Mom hates road trips so I have to give her a huge thank you for enduring the one lane 55 mph highway from Boise to Bend...and the rest of the driving for that matter!

Bend was a really beautiful place! Their are little shops and stuff built all along the river, so fun! I got to pre-ride the TT course with a few of the pro Colavita girls and immediately knew it was going to be brutal! It was a 20+ mile TT that climbed for 7 miles to a turn around, then descended (that was the only non painful part and it was still sort of painful ;) After you descend to about where you started you take a right and do another little "lolly pop" looking loop of rolly rollers! I felt pretty good during warm up, took my bike to the jig, then it was go time! For some reason TT ramps make me nervous (probably cuz I almost fell off of the one at Redlands because I was in too hard of a gear...and I was so nervous I thought I was going to s%&* myself...opps;) Thankfully I rolled right down the middle of this one, a good start! I caught the only girl ahead of me before the climb and was kinda bummed because I had no one to chase! I was feeling good until about mile 5 when my left aero bar came sliding out....yikes! I spent a good deal of time trying to get it back it, with the gearing facing the right way, but it just wasn't happening. I hit the turn around and started my very fast descent on very unstable aero bars, yeah I was scared!! I made it to the finish without completely killing myself, however I lost a lot of concentration trying to fix it, be able to shift, and not die! I crossed the line and the officials told me to wait at the finish because I was in 1st so far! I sat there as racers past, getting pretty excited and surprised since I'd had a serious mechanical issue. Then Sinead Miller of Peanut Butter and Co./Twenty 12 rolls through and they said those awful awful words, "#820 (my number) you can take off now!" I naively asked if that meant I didn't win, and they said "yep, that means you didn't win." Can't say my heart didn't sink, but I ended up in 2nd place in the U23 division, and 21st in the elites, so I wasn't totally crushed by my aero bar mayhem.

A successful roll down!;)

Turning onto the lolly pop loop, hoping my aero bar stays in!

Last 500 meters in the pain cave!

Next up was the road race! We had two days in between the TT and Road race to recover and just hang out in Bend! On Friday we went and watched all the crazy crits!! The womens crit looked fun, and I sort of regretted not entering, but figured it was probably for the best!;) On Saturday my cute little Aunt Sue arrived from Boise! She braved a 7 hour ride on a BUS to get there! What a hero!! Thanks for all the support Sue, it was so fun having you there! The best surprise of all came when Matt showed up!! He flew in to surprise me and I was shocked!! I loved it!:) I have a pretty dang good support system, I love you all a lot!!:) Once Sue and Matt got there we went to a little festival in downtown Bend called the "Bites of Bend" It was awesome! They had tons of different food vendors from all over Bend, live music, live cooking contests, and the best peach raspberry lemonade I've ever tasted! We had just eaten lunch, then had some snacks there, and then went to dinner...piggy porks for sure but hey what are vacations/bike races for!;)

I woke up bright and early Sunday morning to prepare for the road race which started at 8:15 AM. I ate my usual steel cut oats with bananas and blueberries (and a slightly frightening amount of brown sugar;) with some yogurt and toast and then it was off to the race! At the beginning of every NRC race I've done this year, I've been so nervous I thought I was going to vomit! I nearly passed out at the start line of every race at Redlands. However, for some reason I felt really calm at the start line of this race. I finally felt like I belonged there and was SO excited to race! The girls I was racing with have been my heros for the last two years, standing on the start line with them, at one of the most important races of the year, was incredible! I was extra excited because my awesome coach Corey Hart was there (his athlete Meredith Miller on Tibco won the national title the year before) and he has never really watched me race! They did call ups and we were off!! The course was a 4 lap circuit over rollers with a few longer climbs and one big kicker! The first two laps were interesting, with a few different breaks pulling off of the front, but none with any of the key players in them. I was watching Evelyn Stevens, Mara Abbot, Carmen Small and Shelly Evans really close because my coach had told me they were the ones to watch (sheesh could he have gotten any more accurate there!) Lap three is where all the big action happened. On the long climb up to the feed zone we caught a break of three that had been off the front for a really long time! Right as we caught them Evelyn Stevens attacked hard, shattering the field apart! Thankfully I made it into the break! By the time we began lap 4 the front pack had whittled down quite a bit and I was ecstatic to still be in the front pack! Mara attacked hard on the climb going up to the feedzone on lap 4, causing a small break off the front and a chase group of 14 or so right behind. We caught the 4 off the front before the last climb up Archie Briggs where Evelyn attacked and took Mara, Shelly, and Carmen with her. I was in the chase group just seconds behind them as we cruised down the last 5K of the race! I was so excited I'd made it that far and was just keeping my eye on Sinead Miller, the only U23 in front of me. I stuck on her wheel and wasn't going anywhere until I could sprint around her at the finish! However I made a major mistake! What I should have realized was that she had a teammate with her to lead her out (a damn good lead out too, Lauren Tamayo!) As we neared the 500 meter sign I saw Amber Neben come around the right side, I thought "hey she is a world champion, hop on that wheel!" Big mistake! Right as I did that, the peanut butter lead out took off, attacking on the inside, pulling Sinead with her! Sinead sprinted in and around her leadout to take 6th, while I sprinted in for 9th. I should have stayed on her wheel, and tried to come around her at the line, mistakes mistakes! However that is bike racing and mistakes only make you better! After the bummed out feeling from losing the U23 national title, I realized I had just taken 9th place in the Elite women! That made me pretty dang happy!!!!:) Mara Abbott took the win, with Shelly in 2nd and Carmen Small (another one of my coach's athletes and someone who has helped me a great deal!) in 3rd! Evelyn Steven's, who I look up to and admire SO much, came in 4th, with Theresa Cliff-Ryan rounding out the podium in 5th! It was an incredible race, I wouldn't give up that experience for anything in the world!

The start line and my cute Mom (or the back of her head:)

Lap one up Arche Briggs!:)

Great pic from USA cycling...the caption was "beautiful mountains, beautiful women" haha yeah beautiful women that can kick your ass!;)

My Mom has become quite the photog!;)

Evelyn's attack lap 3! She is amazing!

Post race chat with my amazing coach Corey!:)

I want to send a big thank you to my entire family, and Matt's entire family for all of the support! I couldn't do any of it without you! You all mean so much to me! I love you!!:)

I'm a big dreamer, and I have been for as long as I can remember! The moment I got on a bike for the first time, I completely fell in love! I fell in love with the people, the places, and the feeling of doing something I am so passionate about! I have always wanted to do something great and my dreams have always kept me striving to find that greatness! I am a firm believer in the reality that dreams can come true, if you dare to dream them! Just this morning I found out that I will be racing with the US National Team in Europe, in just a few weeks! I'll be racing the GP Centro Carnevale d'Europa in Italy and the Tour de Feminin in France! Thank you to everyone who has helped make my dreams become true! :)

Mt. Hood 2010!

2010-06-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

I was so excited for Mt. Hood this year because I've always heard how much fun it is! The womens field had been on again off again for the past month, so when they finally finalized it after having over 50 women register I was stoked! However, the trip started out with a bit of a nightmare! My Dad and I left the SLC around 1:00 PM, hoping to arrive in Hood River around midnight or 1:00 AM. The drive wasn't nearly as bad as I'd expected (Once again rocking out to Tenacious D) and we made it to Hood River right around 1:00 PM. I had booked us a hotel that was listed as one of the race hotels, (which usually means they are fairly descent hotels and near most of the race venues). This hotel was called the Cooper Spur Mountain Resort and happened to be about 35+ miles up Highway 30 in the deep deep forest! I had printed out mapquest direction and it was all plugged into the GPS on my phone to make sure we were on the right track! We followed the directions up the canyon and when the GPS finally said your destination is on the right, we looked to our right and saw nothing but pitch black forest creepy darkness! 1:30 AM, the night before a race, lost in the spooky woods...not exactly ideal! We remained calm and drove around trying to figure out what to do. We drove 15 miles in both directions on Cooper Spur Road (the road our hotel was supposed to be on) and saw absolutely nothing but pine trees and darkness! By 2:30 AM we had driven up and down highway 30 a billion times and back and forth on Cooper Spur Road so many times I was going insane. At 2:30AM in the middle of a strange forest, in a very small town there is nothing open and not a single person around. We were totally clueless with what to do and were pretty sure we'd be sleeping in the car! I got so desperate I almost called 911! I finally decided to look up the number for the Hood River Police station and call asking for help. We called the non emergency request for service number, told them our situation, and they acted like we were insane!! They told us where to go, went where they told us, and YEP more black forest and NO hotel! I began to think this was a sick joke and I was starring in a sequel of the Chainsaw Massacre. We called the cops back and they said they would send someone to escort us to our hotel. We waited a good 30 minutes before the cop car pulled up and I was just grateful to see another form of life. He got out of his car, looked my Dad up and down with the flashlight...it was obvious he thought my Dad was either drunk or on some form of drug. And then grumpily said "Follow me." He cruised up the canyon going 90+ mph (seriously we were struggling to keep up with the guy!) We followed him about 20 miles up highway 30 until we saw the sign for Cooper Spur road. It turns out they have TWO Cooper Spur Roads....don't ask me why, and we had been driving up and down the wrong one!! Such a joke! We got to the Hotel a little before 4:00 AM and I fell straight into bed. We woke up, only to realize we were about the only ones dumb enough to book a room at the farthest hotel away from any form of civilization...we also found out it was the place where the movie "The Shinning" was filmed. As if it wasn't a creepy enough place before, that sure did the trick! We drove down to Hood River Inn to pick up my race packet and found out pretty quick where every smart cyclist was staying! This hotel was awesome and it was right on top of the river! While I was picking up my packet my Dad talked to the people at the front desk, found out they had had a cancelation and there was a room open for the next three nights! He booked it and cruised back up to the Cooper Spur nightmare, grabbed all our stuff and brought it back to this lovely hotel, as I ate breakfast in the Hotel restaurant which overlooked the river. Now that things were looking up I can tell you how much I LOVE Hood River! It is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my entire life! The River is beautiful and the town surrounding it is amazing! Every little restaurant overlooks the River...it is incredible!

The view from my breakfast table the first day...not bad eh!! :)

Stage 1 was a 54 mile road race with some pretty good climbing but a downhill finish (not may favorite). The race started out pretty fast, with some attacking up the first few climbs, it was really fun! There were some crazy extreme obstacles on the course. Usually when they talk about gravel on the road in the race bible, they mean asphalt that just has some loose gravel here and there, so I wasn't expecting much. We hit the first section of gravel and it was crazy thick! I tried to gear up so that I could spin through it cuz my tires were sooo squirly, I thought for sure I was going down! I've never been so happy to get back onto pavement, until I realized that we had two more gravel sections a few more miles down the road! One of the sections was on a pretty steep uphill and I felt like I was mountain biking (you know how much I love that!) My Mom had warned me about the gravel sections (she always studies the race bible very well, she is fabulous race support!;) but I didn't think it'd be nearly as bad as it actually was. However I managed to keep the rubber down!:) The finish was screamin fast, I tried to get into the Metromint or Total Restoration lead out train but just wasn't quite in the right spot and ended up just pack finishing with everyone. I wasn't too bummed about it until later that night when I looked at results. I knew I'd finished in the top 20 or so. The stage results put me in 15th but on the GC I was way down towards the bottom. I double checked the stage results and realized I'd been given a 30 second penalty for crossing the yellow line! I hadn't remembered crossing it! I had swerved to avoid a few sketchy riders and a pot hole once and that must have been why. I was pretty upset but tried not to let it get to me.

We had to drive over a draw bridge to get to Stage 1, which was actually in Washington. The bridge made my Dad super nervous!;)

We got to ride through lots of snow! (This is the men, they didn't take any pictures of the women...what a shocker!)

Stage 2 was a 18.5 mile time trial, with climbing and 40 mph headwinds! My Dad and I drove the course the day before and it was absolutely beautiful!! This was by far the longest TT I had ever done and also the best route! I debated about using my new discwheel because if a cross wind hit me on one of the ridges I'd be in big trouble, but everyone said I should so I risked it, and it ended up being a good choice (the first corner was scary but once I got pointed straight into the headwind the wheel helped quite a bit!) Since they did reverse GC start times I went off 19th. My legs were feeling pretty good on the course but once I finished I knew I could have pushed a little bit harder. I had been a little conservative on the course because I didn't want to burn too many matches on a course that long and bonk towards the end. I can't wait to race the course again because I loved it, but feel like I could have put a lot more into it. I ended up 11th in the TT, and 11th overall GC after stage 2.

The top of the first climb on the TT course. Pictures do not do it justice, it was so beautiful!!

The part of the TT where you are almost out of the pain cave...except for the fact that you still have at least 12 more miles to go!;)

Besides the crazy wind, the weather was beautiful the day of the TT!

Since the TT ended in the early afternoon, my Dad got to get in 9 holes of his favorite sport! He is damn good at it too, I was impressed!

This was pretty much his only bad shot of the game and he made up for it! I got to drive the cart and scare him between holes...I about tipped it a few times ;)

Stage 3 was the one I was most excited for because I love uphill finishes! It was a 71 mile road race that climbed fairly consistently for the last 35-40 miles. We started off pretty slow, not too much action, but towards the middle one girl attacked and got off the front. She ended up staying off for a good 30-40 minutes! I started to get a little worried because she was a climber and could possibly stay away. We finally reeled her back in with 25 or so miles to go and then another girl got off. She got 2 and 1/2 minutes up the road from us at one point and I thought for sure she'd stay off! We caught her right as we turned off the highway to race the last 2 miles up to the finish! I went to the front of the pack and started to pick up the pace. I turned around after a minute or so at this pace and noticed we'd gapped most of the field. I told the two other girls that we had a gap and that we should go harder and try to gain as much GC time as possible. I turned around with about a mile to go and it was just me and one other girl. I stood, trying to see if I could gap her but she wasn't going anywhere. The finish line was about 500 meters from the top of the climb in the ski resort parking lot. I crested the climb and got in my big ring ready to sprint it out for the finish (though the thought of sprinting at that time sounded nearly impossible) she started to come around me, I thought for sure I was done and that my legs couldn't possible sprint but I heard my Dad say "Go Tay, give it everything you've got right now!!" I took off, and came across the line first!:) I was sooo excited and exhausted at the same time! The rest of the field came across the line strung out in 30 second or so increments. One girl road across the line and was so tired she fell off her bike and onto the ground right next to me. I thought I was gonna have to call the medic because she sounded like she was dying but she assured me she was okay! My legs were burning and it was a good day!:) I ended up moving from 11th to 4th in GC. I was super excited about that but a little bummed at the same time. If I hadn't gotten a 30 second time penalty the first day I'd be in 2nd overall GC. Ohhh welll, tried not to let it bug me (but I can't lie it kinda did hah!)

I woke up the day of stage 4, looked out the window, and knew it was going to be a rough day! It was pouring rain and stage 4 was the crit! Racing crits on dry pavement is hard enough as it is, put an inch of standing water on the road and it becomes even more terrifying! The officials had decided to make it optional since the conditions were so dangerous, so it wouldn't count for the overall GC. I asked coach Corey if I should risk it and he told me to at least try. Only about 25 of the 50 women showed up to race the crit. I got my very first ever call up and loved starting in the front!:) However I only made it two laps before I slid out on a corner! I decided that it wasn't worth the risk so I just pulled out and watched the madness! The crit started out with about 25 of us, and I think 9 or so finished! Hah yeah it was that crazy!

Crazy crit!

Here are a few more pics of Hood River, I was so sad to leave!

The back of our hotel...beats the parking lot view of most hotels!

View from breakfast on another day!

My favorite post race treat!:)

I discovered these on the way to Hood River (my Mom had told me they were delicious!) and I just couldn't resist!

The last night in Hood river, I didn't want to leave!

On the way to Hood River we'd driven a lot of it in the dark and seen a TON of flashing red lights along the mountains. My Dad and I made bets on what they were, the loser had to buy car treats for the drive home! I had guessed that they were those giant creepy windmills, he thought they were power lines....I won!!:) Those huge creepy windmills were everywhere!!

I had so much fun on this trip. Hood River is an incredible town, I'd do anything to live in a place that beautiful...I think I could even deal with all of the rain (maybe!) My Dad and I got to go to so many cool restaurants and little shops in the town and everyone there was so nice! I'm excited to come back again next year!:)

4 Race Wrap-Up...and Camp!:)

2010-05-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

This past month+ has been crazy fun!! I've gotten to race in Washington, Arkansas, good ol' Tooele Utah, and Nampa Idaho, as well as spend a week with my team in Palisade Colorado! First off was Tour of the Depot in Tooele!

Tour of the Depot: I was pretty excited to race this race in the 1-2-3 field this year because I won it last year as a 4. The TT course is a blast, starts out climbing for a few miles and then it is ripping fast downhill the rest of the way. I felt really good on the climb and did my best to take the downhill corners at a good speed, though I think I lost of few seconds here and there (yes I'm still a bit of a chicken!) I had looked at the times from last year and knew the time I had to beat, and was so excited as I crossed the line a good 8 seconds faster than the previous years winner! I didn't know it, but I ended up setting the course record, fun! The circuit race was my downfall! I'm still learning good race tactics, and a lot of times I do a ton of work when I really don't need to be. I knew that Niki Wangsgard was going to be gunning for the sprint time bonuses, as well as the finish bonuses, so I was trying to keep my eye on her. I also knew that Niki has raced as a professional for years, and that she was an extremely smart and strong rider who would know just how to mess with my head. She had a teammate there to work for here, and they double teamed me from the second the neutral roll out ended until we rolled over the finish line! They attacked pretty constantly, and being they dummy that I am I chased down almost every one of them. What I should have realized is that I was riding with about 10 or so other riders that didn't want them to get away anymore than I did, and when I sat back they chased hard as well. I guess I was just afraid Niki or her teammate, or both would get off the front and stay off. Needless to say, I didn't race very smart at all, and it showed in the finish! Niki got first place in the sprint points (I got second but it didn't help too much) and was first across the finish line, which took away my GC lead. She is one smart rider thats for sure, and a speedy sprinter! The road race was pretty much a flop! There were 60 mph winds, so they shortened the race to 26 or so miles instead of 65. Niki got came across the sprint line first again, with me second, again!! Then coming into the finishing stretch we got neutralized due to an earlier crash and ended up finishing around an ambulance. My chance of taking back my GC lead was shot, however I was still pretty happy with second! The best part of the whole weekend was Matt winning the overall GC by somewhat of an error (everyone went the wrong direction during the race...except him and one other guy, meaning everyone got DNF'ed except those two giving Matt the #1 title!) Hah I thought it was pretty funny, except for the fact that he made more money than me!;) Hehe jk! Cycling Utah wrote a pretty good article about the race (they even spelled my name right, that is pretty rare;)...click here (pg 16).

Me at the front...not racing smart!

Unfortunately this is not a picture of me winning ;)

Surprise surprise I'm being dumb again.

Cooling down with my old teammates...I don't fit in anymore!:(

Start of the road race...you can't tell but the wind was blowing about 60 mph!!

Tour of Walla Walla: Next up was Tour of Walla Walla in Walla Walla Washington! My Dad did a lot of his work early in the week so that he could road trip with me and we set off Thursday afternoon! We stopped in Boise to grab some food because we were starving, only to realize that it is just like Utah...everything closes early! We were forced to get take out from applebees which was just awful (I am not a big fan off chain restaurants like applebees and chilis...there is not one healthy thing on the menu...they used to have a pretty good salad at chilis but they took it off the menu and replaced it with a triple decker bacon burger with a side of lard and a heart attack!) We rolled into our lovely La Quinta inn in Walla Walla around 2 AM, which was okay because I didn't race until 2 PM the next day, plenty of time to sleep in!:) Friday's stage was a short 36 mile circuit race on beautiful country roads. Walla Walla is gorgeous!! It is all farmland and wineries, green everywhere, and the cutest little downtown area, I loved it! I was really impressed with the field size of this race, we started out with about 64 or so women in the Pro 1,2 field, which is huge for a regional race. The race started out pretty fast with a lot of attacking! The QOM was fun, I went to the front to drive it up the hill and weed out the other climbers to prepare for the last days road race that ended on a two mile climb. A group of 5 or so held on till the 200 meter sign and I took off, it was so much fun! I was pretty happy to be in the front at that point because right after the QOM point was a big descent (and if you know me at all you know this is not my strength) so I took off as fast as I could down it! To my surprise I stayed in the front the entire way down and did not touch my brakes even once! I was more excited about this than I was about winning the QOM!:) The finish was on a fast downhill section...also not my strength (especially when racing on a compact crank...and I just found out the carbon wheels I race on have a 12 instead of an 11 on the back...which explains why I spin out a lot quicker than others) I tried to stay near the front, but the road was super skinny and we only got to use half of it until the 200 meter mark. Once we hit that mark I swung out left to try and sprint around some people but we were going into a headwind and I didn't make it too far. I finished in 9th, not awesome, but I was still happy about the descending part!:) Saturday afternoon was the TT, my Dad and I pre-drove the course and it looked like a blast! Flat for a few miles and then a big climb, big descent, flat and then climb to the finish! I went out pretty hard but made sure to save it for the climb, I tried to gain as much time as I could on the climb and then I think I lost a little bit of time and focus on the descent. You kinda get into la la land when you are descending for a bit on a TT bike and I need to learn to focus more the entire time because I think that is where I lost the most time! I loved the course though!! I felt great about my TT when I finished and thought I had a pretty good time, but then found out I finished 7th! I was kinda bummed but needed to focus on the crit...which was a lovely 1 mile, 9 corner beauty! Crits are still something I struggle with, and definitely what I get the most nervous for, so I really needed to focus my energy on that! Holding on in a crit for the first 15 minutes is the hardest part (especially NRC crits) because they go from the gun and attack attack attack until you think you are gonna pop! My goal was to stay in the front third because that is the best place to be to conserve energy and not get popped off the back. I know this is probably a little backwards but I absolutely loathe prime laps! Hah I should be excited that they are giving out hundreds of dollars to the person who comes across the line first, but not being a sprinter means that I get drug around at full speed hanging on for dear life during every prime lap! Hah someday I am going to be good enough to go for a prime myself and then maybe I'll like them!;) About half way through the crit I started to get a hang of the course and knew where I needed to be, I had been taking the corners on the inside, but learned that on this course you maintained momentum better on the outside line. Once I moved positions I was golden and actually felt comfortable and was having fun...yes me Tayler Wiles was having fun in a crit!;) With two laps to go the race leader went down HARD in the front! Everyone managed to swerve around her but it was one of the worst falls I've ever seen, she ended up breaking her collar bone and being pretty beaten up! I held a top 5 position for those last two laps and was so excited for the finish, and then through the last two corners the speeds were SO high I got a little chicken and cornered like a chicken watching a bunch of girls pass me! Dang! I ended up finishing 12th (mine and my Dads lucky number!:) which I was actually really happy with because of all the personal barriers I had broken during that crit...minus the last two corners!;) The fun came on stage 4, a 75 mile road race with a loop we did twice, a QOM, and the finish line at the top of a two mile climb, just like I like it!:) The first time up the climb was at the very beginning of the race during the neutral roll out, so we just putted up it. Then we did the first loop and the second time up the climb was the QOM, I really wanted the QOM but more than anything I wanted to kind of test the riders and see what the climb to the finish would be like, and who would be with me. I went to the front at the base of the climb and tempo'd pretty hard up it to string out the field. I hit the 1K sign and there was only 2 girls left with me so I picked up the pace a little and took the QOM :) I was pretty excited, and even more excited for the finish because it was the kind of climb I love! We had a small break of 7 or so come back together and we rode pretty hard trying to hold off the main pack but they caught us with about 15 miles to go and it was the longest 15 miles EVER! Once the pack caught on, no one would work (bad headwind) and it was agonizingly slow for awhile! It finally picked up a little as we headed back into the little town towards the climb. There was one girl from the team Total Restoration that stayed with me pretty close on both QOM's and I knew she'd be gunning for the finish. About one mile from the base of the climb to the finish Total Restoration sent a girl off the front, I'm pretty sure they were trying to bait me, but I knew she wasn't a climber and that we'd just catch her on the climb so I just sat in. We got to the climb and I went to the front and drove it again, not an attack, just picked up the pace. I got to the 1K sign and noticed it was just me and the Total Restoration girl left and she was just sitting on my wheel. I thought she was gonna get me for sure since I'd just pulled her up the climb but with about 500 meters to go I looked back and I had started to gap her just a little, only like one bike length but I knew that she must be hurting so I took off! I was so so so excited because I'd gained a lot of time in the GC with my QOM and finish and couldn't wait to see how far I'd moved up! Results were posted and I moved from 7th to 2nd in the GC (down from first by 5 seconds) and that was without my QOM time bonuses from either road race! I went to ask the officials why my time bonuses weren't posted and after a little debate they said that they couldn't award me the first one because they forgot to print in the race bible that it came with a time bonus, the bible only said cash prize. And they said they didn't put the second one on there because it wouldn't have moved me from 2nd to 1st so it didn't matter! Hah! However if I would have gotten both, it would have put me in 1st!;) Oh well what can ya do! I had a blast, it was beautiful there, and 2nd place is not too shabby! The very best part was that a week or so earlier, Matt's Dad had made a bet with me, he said if I took top 3 GC in a race with more than 50 in the field that he would buy me a disc wheel...Wahooo Super 9 Zipp Disc wheel!!:) Thanks Craig, that was so sweet of you and I could never thank you enough!!:) And thank you Matt for getting me an early birthday present and helping pay the difference!!:) Love you both!! I had a lot of fun with my Dad that weekend. When I was younger and played soccer he drove me to some of my soccer tournaments and I used to love it! We might possibly be the only father daughter duo that sings along to tenacious D on road trips and I wouldn't have it any other way! Love you Dad!:)

The lovely town of Waitsburg, just outside of Walla Walla! My Dad was rockin the piece sign in front of the giant black and white American flag building...which happened to be where packet pick-up was!:)

Pictures don't really do this place justice, it was beautiful!

Neutral roll out for the first road race

Warming up for the TT...my game face is a little frightening I know!

Line up for the crit!

Palisade Cycling Camp: Right after Walla Walla it was off to Colorado to spend a week with my team! Corey was nice enough to pick me up on his was from Idaho through to Colorado, so I got to spend a good 5 hours in the car asking him all kinds of questions! Palisade is very similar to Walla Walla actually, very beautiful farmland with tons of wineries. We stayed in the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in, and our team got to stay in this little side house just off of the hotel, it was so fun! There was local wine tastings every night at our hotel that my team loved, too bad I'm only 20!;) We did a lot of riding, with skill sessions and such taught by the one and only Tina Pic! Meeting her was absolutely incredible, she is one of my heros!! She was so sweet and gave me a lot of insight on my dreaded crit racing!;) One of my teammates husbands is a professional photographer and got some amazing pictures of the week, he followed us on rides, hanging out the window of his suburu taking pictures, it was pretty funny!! We went to dinner in the little town every night and had some delicious food!! The best part of the week was getting to know my coach better, I am pretty shy and Corey was pretty happy to get me out of my shell! Little did I know but Corey is hilarious when you get a little wine in him!! It was so great hearing him talk about all the riders he has coached and how much he believes in me. Corey isn't one to give too much praise, and he has had to tell me to be patient a million times already, so it was really good to sit down and talk with him about my future and the potential he thinks I have! I have no idea what I did to get lucky enough to find such a great coach!

My teammate's husband is a professional photographer so we got some pretty great pics at camp!

I know it is hard to tell but Angie and I are singing "Pump the Jam" while climbing (it was blasting from her husbands car in front of us!;)

At dinner the first night Mark (the photographer) would not leave me alone, I tried my best to hide from the camera but when I turned to give him an dirty look he snapped this pic...just before the evil glare really took shape!

Group pic with some of the other girls at the camp...yes Shellane has some mad hops!! From Cheerleader to cyclist, I don't understand that transition!;)

My teammates with Corey, Tina, and Kimberly (I was not holding my leg like that to be sexy...I was trying to help cover Tina's shoes, she wasn't sportin the right sponsor ;)

Corey sent me this pic, apparently he thinks I'm a "wheel Sucker!" ;)

The one and only time I have worn my "team" helmut...just doesn't fit me right!

You had to know this was coming...I'm pretty sure Corey was mortified! "Way to go Angels....Thank you Charlie!"

Just to prove what a great photographer Mark is...and how long his arms actually are...he was driving the car with his arm all the way across the passenger side taking pictures out the window...that takes talent!!

Corey and Kimberly really liked the bongos and fabulous felt lion picture! (Corey does have a background as a drummer...not sure what Kimberly's connection is with lions or felt pictures! However I think wine had a lot to do with the need to play the bongos and feel up the fuzzy picture!)

In order to be on the Primal/Rocky Mountain Colavita cycling team, you must have some seriously good Jazz Hands!!

Joe Martin Stage Race: After camp I had to focus on finals and finishing up school the day before I jetted off to Fayetteville Arkansas, for my second NRC race ever Joe Martin! I was so surprised by how beautiful Arkansas was, it is SO green and the trees are so thick!! It is amazing! But along with all the green comes the crazy humidity! The first stage was a 3 mile uphill TT! I was so excited for this because I love climbing, and this climb was supposed to average 10%! We got to the course early to pre-ride it and it was cooking!! I haven't felt 85+ degree weather in a LONG time, and add in the humidity, I felt like I was drowning! After pre-riding the course my head was pounding and I knew it must have been the heat (I never get headaches). We sat in the shade and ate our lunches until it was time to warm up. I was having a hard time doing my normal warm up which includes some pretty hard efforts because I felt like I was draining all my energy along with all of my liquids! I drank 8 water bottles before I took off, which is WAY more than I usually drink! I got to the start line, excited but sooo nervous and was off! I hit the climb and wondered where the heck my legs had gone because I felt terrible. That is the most painful TT I've ever done, I pushed it as hard as my legs could go over the last little kicker to the finish and thought I was gonna tip over for sure! I was bummed because I knew the winning time from last year, and I was a minute slower :( Boo, I was upset, but knew (or Corey told me) that I've got to stop beating myself up for less than perfect results. I ended up in 21st place, and ready to get onto the next stage! That night Anna (an amazing girl that was guest riding for us whose family lives in Arkansas...I guest rode for her team at Redlands) invited us to her parents for dinner. My super fast old teamie Alisha and her husband Dave came along and it was so much fun...and the food was amazing!! Pasta and chicken, just what I needed!! And I had my very first ever bowl of banana pudding, which is apparently a southern specialty and mmm mmmm good!:) Stage 2 was a bit of a heartbreaker! I was looking forward to this stage because it ended on a bit up an uphill! I was trying to focus a lot on my positioning in the peloton during the race and especially the last 5 miles. The course narrowed a lot towards the finish, and had a bit of a crit like finish with a few tight turns. I was in great position coming out of the second to last turn into a little kicker of a hill in the last 500 meters and BOOM I went down. I had stood up to get over the little climb and the girl in front of me was obviously completely toast and pretty much went backwards right into my front wheel. I was instantly devastated as I got up, grabbed my bike and ran it up the hill watching 50 girls fly by me :( I hopped back on and cried my way across the line. That was my chance to get a good result and it was smashed in the blink of an eye. I probably took it harder than I should have, okay I know I took it harder than I should have (my coach is trying to improve my mental toughness because things like this tend to devastate me, and in reality things like this are going to happen a lot the more I keep racing) but after I talked to my coach I felt better and was ready for stage 3. Stage 3 was another road race, however it had a downhill, pretty sketchy finish. I had been told by several people how dangerous it was and just to be careful going into the final 500 meters. I enjoyed this stage because the terrain was pretty fun, if you weren't going up a roller you were going down one and it made the race pretty fun. Unlike Redlands there was a little bit of downtime here and there, which surprised me, but the finish was crazy fast! It was a huge pack finish, I rode in on the right side in the wind to stay out of all of the chaos, and finished somewhere in the middle of the pack. Stage 4 was a small nightmare for me. As you know, crits are still my biggest weakness and this was no easy crit. It was a 12 turn, one mile course, with hills, and a corner that has become known as carnage corner! There was multiple crashes at this same corner in every category, and broken collar bones galore!! My teammates husband raced it early in the morning and crashed in that same corner twice, so going into the race my mental state was probably not in the best place. To make matters worse Tina Pic came up to me before the race and said (she knows crit racing scares the crap out of me) "Tayler, don't be scared just line up in the front, stay up there in the front, corner at the front and don't get anywhere near the back!! You'll do great!" And what did I do, got pushed to the back when we lined up, was off the back from the gun hanging on for dear life just trying to move up, and boom got caught behind a crash (on carnage corner of course!) I got gapped off the main pack and was riding with a small group as I heard Tina yelling for me to "go, go, go!" I was a bit humiliated as they pulled me and my group out around the 25 minute mark, knowing that I'd just DNF'ed the whole race, not a happy moment. However there was a big bright side! My old teammate and new PB and company/twenty 12 rockstar Alisha Welsh did absolutely amazing in the crit! I was SO proud of her and on top of that it gave me a lot of hope! She used to struggle with crits like I do...not nearly as bad as I do, however she did amazing in one of the toughest and most technical crits I've seen and in just one short year! I have hope that it will click with me one day and I'll be able to hang in there!!:) I went home a little heartbroken but with a lot more experience than I left with! Baby steps!:)

Baby Shayda giving us the victory salute for good luck! Corey sent this to me before we left, isn't she so ridiculously cute! With genes like that you know that baby is gonna be fast!

Lining up for my favorite stage 4 crit...don't even bother trying to find me, I was WAY in the back!;) I gotta strive for that top ten call up, that way I'll be in the front for sure!;) Dream big!

Podium after the crit, Team Vera Bradley and Webcor take the top three steps giving Alison Powers the overall GC win at the 2010 Joe Martin Stage Race (her second year in a row!)

Idaho trip/Treasure Valley Omnium: My coach emailed me a few weeks ago asking if I'd like to do Treasure Valley Stage Race in Nampa, Idaho (he lives in Boise so it was a good one for him to be at), and also if I'd come up a week early to train with him and meet with Kristen Armstrong (Would I like to meet Kristen Armstrong, "Um YEAH!!") My aunt and uncle live in Boise, so going down to work with Corey is always pretty easy and a lot of fun (my aunt and uncle are a blast to be around!) I flew down on Tuesday May 18th and spent the week training and working with Corey. One day he sent me out to do sprints with one of the guys he coaches on the Waste Management team named Dillon, that was a lot of fun! My Mom, Ernie, and Grandparents drove down Friday to come watch the races that weekend!:) Unfortunately the weather went from 75 to a freezing cold 40 with wind and pouring rain on Saturday! I raced with the cat 3 men, the group shattered apart on the first 25 mile loop and the group I was with decided to pull out after the first lap because they were all freezing cold, myself included (I was soaked to the bone!) and didn't really wanna ride another 25 miles alone and freezing to death. The TT that was scheduled for later that day ended up being canceled because of the weather (can't say I was too crushed about that). My family toughed it out in the cold conditions and confusion of the race schedule and for that I owe them a huge thank you!!:) They were troopers!! The crit was in downtown Nampa the next day and surprisingly the weather cleared up and it was nice! Since there were only two Pro 1,2 women signed up they mixed us with the 3,4 women. The course was pretty fun, kind of a figure 8 shape. My coach told me to go to the front and drill it from the get go so thats what I did. The other Pro 1,2 and I got off the front pretty easily and stayed off in a break for the rest of the race. We had agreed to split the primes evenly since we were racing together, however it didn't really work out that way (she was a little dishonest!) We had been taking turns pulling and going ever other over the line for the primes and then out of the blue she sprinted for two in a row, so I went for two in a row to make it even! Which unfortunately put me in the front for the last lap, not a smart move on my part. We took the last corner, I hear her gear up to sprint around me so I committed to the sprint and took off. She never came around me and I took the win. My family did a great job of cheering and my Grandpa didn't pass out so I call that a huge success!:) My coach was there and was a little disappointed with the way I finished the race, leading her out for the last lap, but I explained the prime issue and why I did that. However I need to control my temper sometimes so I don't make silly decisions in big races. Overall it was pretty fun, and it was really fun having all my family there! The other Pro 1,2 I had been racing with was obviously upset with the way the race went and decided to get a little revenge. When I went to get my prize money they told me that she took all of the prime money, ALL 7 PRIMES!! That was $100 bucks that should have been split evenly between us! What a B....okay I wont say it but I mean really how poor of a sport can you possibly be! Don't agree early on in the race to split the primes evenly and then take every stinkin one of them!! I don't know what the officials were thinking, they obviously weren't paying attention to who came across the line first each time and just trusted her when she said she got them all! Oh well, in the end I got the W, and she was just a poor sport. Hope she enjoys that $100! I was a little bummed out at the end of the weekend because Kristen Armstrong had been too busy to meet with me, but maybe next time. I had a lot of fun with my family and can't thank them all enough for all that they do for me! My Mom hates road trips but would drive just about anywhere to help me out, and my grandparents endured all the stress of driving my bikes too and from Boise and watching me race (my Grandpa gets really really nervous about me racing so this was pretty tough for him!). Not to mention my aunt and uncle let me take over their home for a week!:) Thank you thank you thank you!:) I love you all a lot!

My Aunt Sue is looking very Aero!! See I told you they were fun!

Warmin up right by the start/finish

Peace baby!

Three of my favorite people, Uncle Ger, Aunt Sue, and Grampy Dan...he was such a trooper! As you can see by his face he was a bit of a nervous wreck, but by the end of the race he was smilin!:)

And then there was two!

Notice the trend, every other across the line...splitting the primes, or NOT!

Sorry this was the longest post ever and if you are still reading it your are a hero!;) Next up is Mt. Hood, then Elkhorn, and the biggest one of them all NATIONALS!!:)

Redlands 2010!! :)

2010-04-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

All I can really say about Redlands is HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, that was the craziest race I have ever done!! It put to shame everything I have ever done, honestly it makes Utah races (and even regional races for that matter) seem like riding around on tricycles in comparison! Lining up with some of the fastest girls in the US and in the world was an incredible experience. These girls are my heros, the names I've read about, heard incredible stories about, and the girls I have always looked up to! Now I was lined up right with them. Intimidating to say the least, and that was before the race even started!! Those girls can really ride their bikes and are absolutely insane (and fit as hell!!)

It all started on Thursday with the 3.1 mile long uphill prologue. It is hard not to feel intimidated and like a bit of a scrub as all the pro teams roll up in their sweet team vans/buses/cars etc. fully loaded with the best bikes, mechanics, and team directors there are! I did okay, not my best and my legs weren't feeling very responsive and climby like they usually do but I was okay with 32nd out of over 100 girls, 1:30 down from the leader Amber Neben, the world time trial champion (at first I wasn't okay with it, I was really bummed, and then I realized I needed to calm down cuz it was my first NRC race ever and I was only there for the experience).

HTC has some sweet stuff!

I'd die to be on Tibco, they have some amazing girls!

They weighed and measured each bike before the prologue. One of my teammates bikes was too light so they taped a chain and allen wrench to it! It was hilarious!

The starting ramp for the prologue!

The one and only Ina! She is something else! Two time winner of Redlands and man is she FIT!!

Amber Neben took the stage win yet again (she isn't the world time trial champion for nothing!) Her bike is sweeet!!

Stage 1 (a 65 mile road race with a little bit of everything) was balls out from the beginning even in the neutral roll out! There were girls hitting pot holes with water bottles flying everywhere!! Those chicks will push you right into a curb and not think twice just to get around you. I'm not gonna lie, I was completely terrified for the first 30 minutes, until I realized I needed to hold my own and stop being such a wuss! I tried to stay in the front when we were climbing, one of the climbs they call "little Europe" because it weaves through these tiny streets and gets really narrow. The first time up it I was in the front climbing next to Carmen, Mara Abbot and Amber Neben, pretty good company!! The course wasn't too technical so I stuck with the main pack and had a pack finish, and left with a whole new respect for racing...which grew more and more with each stage!

The start/finish of Stage 1

The Pro men racing Stage 1

I sure love to carbo-load at the Spaghetti factory!:)

Ice bath survival!!

My big failure came with the crit! This was my first big crit ever and I had good intentions to do what so many people had told me to, but somehow everything went totally wrong and I did just about the opposite. I got to the gate about 30 minutes early so I'd be in good position to line up (which everyone told me to do), only to find out at the last minute that I was at the wrong gate! So of course I was in the back row of the starting pack at the crit, AND in the freakin middle! I didn't stand wide enough or stick my elbows out nearly far enough because people pushed passed me like I wasn't even there! To make matter worse they shot the gun and I, of course, couldn't get clipped in! So everyone raced past me and I didn't catch up till the first corner where I was at the VERY back of the pack! This course was 1 mile, with 9 turns, not exactly my style and with hardly any place to move up! There was only one long stretch and it was through the start/finish, which happened to be a false flat with a seriously unforgiving headwind!! I was screwed!! I knew I only had to make it 40 minutes to make the time cut and race the final stage so that was my goal, and a heart breaking goal at that, I never wanted to settle for just making the time cut. I chased on after almost every corner and battled on that long false flat just to hold on, I've never been so spent in my life! I made it to 40 minutes and then with 9 laps to go for the group I fell off the back and they pulled me. I cried like a baby right as I got off the course because I was really disappointed in myself, and really embarrassed. I'd just gotten dropped in front of all of my heros and it hurt pretty bad!

Pure HELL...I mean the crit course ;)

After the first road race I'd thought I'd learned what racing with the pros really was...but the final stage on the sunset loop changed everything and taught me a hell of a lot more than the first road race did. We had a car right in front of the pack for the neutral roll out to make sure it really was neutral, since the first days neutral roll out rolled along at a good 35 miles an hour, not so neutral! As soon as the cars pulled off it was absolute madness!!!! The first KOM was around mile 9 up the climb so they were gunning it!! And I mean GUNNING it!! What I didn't know was that within those first miles of climbing was some CRAZY technical descents that led to more climbing! I hung on in the front 10 of the pack up the first climb, hit the first super technical descent and got passed by most the field because I am such a chicken and don't have the technical skills to descend with them...it was heartbreaking! I held onto the back of the pack through the next climb that was a lot longer and more sustained watching one rider after the next get dropped off at the crazy pace they were climbing. I moved my way up a little bit and was feeling good, until we came to a wonderful descent with a crazy high percent grade!! Most people hate climbing and love descending...NOT me, I would sooo much rather be going uphill than down! Those girls cruised down that mountain like there was no tomorrow, one girl took a corner into some gravel and landed FACE FIRST on the ground. If I wasn't scared enough before than, that sure did the trick and I was off the back yet again!! I chased and chased and that is pretty much how the sunset loop went for me! Got dropped on every descent and chased on on every climb! The pack got completely shattered and the finishing group only had 10 girls in it and they were 15 minutes ahead of the next group of 10! It was absolute insanity!! I don't even know how to explain it, there are no words!! All I can say is that I REALLY need to learn to descend and I need some SERIOUS technical skills and the ability to remove all fear from brain as I cruise down a mountain in a pack of 50-100 people at 65 mph...yeah that's not scary at all!! Sheesh!! It did give me the fire to get better because I want so badly what all of those girls have!! I've never wanted something more in my life, I want to be with that pack of ten that sprints it out in the hardest stage of the hardest NRC race, and I would do just about anything to get there!! I was heart broken being at the back of the pack because I want so badly to be able to ride with those girls! And someday I will, I'm more determined now than I have ever been to get better and reach that level!! Redlands is a beautiful place, and it smells like orange blossoms everywhere! It was an incredible experience...incredibly painful, incredibly heartbreaking, and incredibly inspiring!!

I'm obviously not a light packer!

Our lovely hotel!

My flight left on Monday morning and my team left Sunday night so I had this lovely king size bed all to myself!!:) After riding to chipotle to get a burrito that weighed 10 lbs, and to starbucks (sorry Matt;) for my much needed Chai and chocolate chip cookie, and cuddling up to watch "Home Alone," I was a happy and completely exhausted girl!!

Home sweet home!

I can't wait to go back and prove that I can do it!! You may have gotten me to cry like a baby, but it's not over Redlands!! :)

Tucson Bicycle Classic 2010!!:)

2010-03-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Bike race #2 of the season started off a little bit rough!! Initially we'd been told we only needed our road bikes, since I was flying that sounded fabulous! Then at the very last minute Corey called and told me that a TT bike was definitely needed...which meant flying with two bikes in two bike boxes (I couldn't find a double bike box!;) However that was not the rough part...that came later about an hour and a half before my TT start time! My team and I got their early enough to ride the course, which was critical with this course which consisted of screaming down hill, rollers, false flats from hell, and a large kicker of a climb to the finish! I was SO excited to race this course because it was really fun, and exactly what I love...fast, short (3.1 miles), and climby!! I'd struggled a bit at the Valley of the Sun TT which was flat, windy and 14 miles long so I really wanted to kill it on this TT! While we were pre-riding the course I realized that I couldn't get into my little ring on my TT bike, which was vital on the last climb to the finish so I started to panic a little. I rode back trying to find a mechanic or someone at all to help me. With about 30 minutes to go till my start time a random guy came to the rescue, or so I thought. He told me that the airlines must have bent my front de-railer and he couldn't fix it. By then it was 12:15 and my start time was 12:31, I hadn't even warmed up and my bike was broken...only four letter words fit that situation! My plan was to just go out as hard as I could on the flat and fast part, come over the rollers with as much momentum as possible and try like hell to make it up that last big kicker in my big ring. I knew the winning time from last year was around 8 minutes and 19 seconds so when I crossed the finish line at 8:53 I was broken hearted and sure that I'd come in close to last. We had to wait all day to find out results (that was a bit agonizing!) and when they finally posted them it was nothing but awesome news!! My team captain Susannah Gordon had taken first with a time of 8:36 and I was sitting in 4th place!!:) With the mechanical from hell and no warm up I was ecstatic with 4th and even more excited that our team had the leaders jersey!!

Road race was next up and we knew we'd have to protect that jersey. We were expecting there to be points for the top 3 finishers in the road race and also intermediate sprint points so we were gearing up for an all out effort for both opportunities or at least to make sure the girls close to our times didn't get them. Then at the start line the official informed us that the finisher bonuses had been removed because they forgot to print them in the race bible (DUMB!! Their race bible was ridiculous!! Two out of three of the courses were printed wrong and they forgot to add in the finishers bonus points...this is not the first year they have put on this race, they've been doing it for 24 years you'd think they would get it right...ohhh well!!) Then the official also informed us that the sprint bonuses aren't for 15, 10, and 5 like it said in the race bible but 3, and 2 seconds, a new UCI rule! This made a little more sense because those are HUGE sprint bonus times but still a shocker to learn right at the start line. So the race started pretty mellow but FREEZING! Did I mention our start time was 6:55 AM, I thought early start times were what they did to torture the Cat 4's, not the Pro 1,2's! It did warm up after a bit and I really enjoyed this course, the 2nd half was all power climbs and it is SO fun to cruise up those climbs! The sprint point was coming and I saw a girl jump for it so I stuck on her wheel, couldn't quite get around her but was happy with 2nd and the 2 seconds I got. The girl who got the 3 seconds was in 13th place and not a huge threat. On lap three going over the climbs I was trying to stay in the top fourth of the pack going into the finish, but the trisport team was doing a great job attacking and blocking! (We only had half the road and these roads were tiny!! Where they placed the finish line couldn't have been anymore dangerous...finishes on decents with only half the road are a terrible idea!!) On the last riser and decent into the finish I got completely blocked out by the trisport girls and missed a tiny break. I nearly broke the yellow line rule to get through and try my best to sprint up to the break but I'd run out of gearing and was totally spun out! I caught the break right and the line and came in 6th...not awesome but everyone got pack time so it wasn't a huge loss. The lovely officials made sure to tell us that even though we'd sprinted for the points, they didn't record them right and decided to cancel the sprint points altogether! What?!?! I was a little upset...since they took away every chance to gain time, and it was a pack finish, that race was pretty much useless, nonexistent, and the GC remained exactly the same.

Bright and early before the road race!

Attempting to pump up my spare wheels!

Dinner before the last stage. The best mexican food I've ever had...they all got real margaritas and I got a delicious virgin one!!:)

With a start time of 6:41 AM for the circuit race we were up by 4...ouch! I'm not gonna lie I am NOT a morning person! Racing my bike is about the only thing I'd get up that early in the morning for!;) The course was a 6 or 7 mile loop half climbing, half descent/flats with a climb to the finish! There were sprint points on the 3rd lap so that lap was fast with constant attacks, climbing up to the sprint points I just wanted to make sure that the girls in 4th, 5th, and 6th that were within seconds of me didn't get any sprint points (I memorized their numbers the night before so I could keep my eye out for em!;) Rebeccca Much (Tibco) and a Trisports girl ended up taking the two sprint bonuses, neither of them effected me but if Rebecca got the win, she'd take the leaders jersey from Susannah. I like circuit races because it gives me a chance to read the race lap after lap, so I know where I need to be and when I need to be there in order to be successful. I had heard Cari Higgins (Peanut butter and co, 2012) talking to Rebecca (Tibco) and I knew that Cari was going to be working for Rebecca at the finish. I knew I had to come around the final corner in the top 5 riders to have any kind of chance. We hit that last corner and I came around in 4th. Cari took off, leading out the sprint for Rebecca. I got on her wheel and with 150 ft or so to go I took off around Cari. The line was right there and I thought I had it, until I hit the line and saw Rebecca sweep across it just inches in front of me! I hadn't even seen her till the very end! 2nd place or not I was happy to be where I was, sprinting against a world champion...and a picture of the sprint even made velonews!:) Unfortunately Susannah lost the leaders jersey in the last stage. Rebecca took over as the GC with Susannah in second and me in third. For the very first race our team has ever done together, I'd say two podium spots is pretty good!:) Even though it was a bit disorganized I still loved this race and had a great time with my new teammates! :)

The sprint! Inches!!

Bright and early before the Circuit race!

Still can't figure out why I was standing like that! ;)

Mmmm that was a good apple!;)

Angela and Lisa Renee

After the race I got an email from Tammy on the trisports team asking me if I'd guest ride for them at Redlands!! This is the first NRC race of the year, and one that my coach had told me I couldn't do, his exact words were, "Its the first NRC race of the year, all the pro teams are going to be trying to kill each other....patience patience patience Tayler!" After this race he told me I'd proved myself and that I can go guest ride for that team!:) I've only heard horror stories about Redlands (like most ppl don't make it past the crit) which is a bit terrifying, and I'm heading for a definite butt kicking, but I couldn't be more excited!! :)