GoFahr

Cyclist. Triathlete. Enjoyer of smiling. gofahr.com

[gofahr]

What Goes Down Must Come Up

I made a big deal about this race all season, and I think that played strongly to my benefit, but also to my detriment once the day finally arrived. I had made it known from the very start of my “career” that my goal was to be the one that takes the title from Katie Compton. At first I only told those close to me, then this year I more openly admitted that I was gunning to win; that I wanted to beat Katie Fn Compton at nationals.

She knew it too, as I gave a speech on self-efficacy at Montana Cross camp and she was there for it. I looked her in the eye and said I was going to beat her at Nationals.

I never considered that I could beat her and still not win. If you have never faced a huge mental/physical obstacle, the difference here may not seem big, but it was.

Nationals being 3,000 miles from home meant it may as well have been in Europe. But then, Europe would have been more convenient, because after flying to the west coast, I flew immediately to Europe, so the week leading up to Nationals I had to deal not just with race nerves, but packing anxiety and the stress of a pending home-sickness. Once I departed my house on Wednesday, December 11, I wasn’t going to be seeing it again until February 21st or so. I was not dealing with these compounded stresses very well. But, I made the last trainings and final preparations and tried to focus on relaxing thoughts. I trusted in the preparations that Chris McGovern and I have laid out.

Arriving on Wednesday night I was not feeling super great after the flight, but, when do the high-altitude fart tubes ever leave one feeling fresh?

Shimano GRX equipped Kona Super Jake on Maxxis All Terranes

Thursday’s trip the venue was a soggy one, and after an easy ride on the course my nerves were greatly diminished – it is easy to build up a course in your head, especially watching videos of other athletes flipping over the bars and various descents, or struggling on the run-ups. I mean, I was still struggling on the run-ups, don’t get me wrong, but, even the UCI only lines didn’t seems tricky or scary to me. Despite that, my goal was to ride them at least twice a day through race day. I wanted to know the lines, know the braking patterns, and have zero hesitations. I visualized racing Katie on these sections. I practiced following down, passing and leading down, and soloing. The problem with wanting to ride the downs so much, is that it requires going back up.

After Friday’s UCI only preride I was given the chance to participate in a panel interview that would be airing on the live feed between races. Here, I admitted that the media saying I stood a chance at the title, or at the very least a podium, had me feeling pressure. It felt a little surreal. Entering this sport in the elite category eliminated any opportunity I had to ease my way in to an elite title by earning a junior, U23, or collegiate title on my way up. I jumped into the back and had to claw my way up, and to find myself finally up there provided me with some imposture syndrome. I took every opportunity I had to nearly make a joke out of winning, both to find a way to verbalize my goal, but also to make it seem like I knew it was a stretch. I was not willing to be serious about it because we all know how big a deal it was to end that 15-year streak. Not to mention beating out all of the other competition.

Foreshadowing, but also is Clara really that much taller than me?

Going head to head with Clara this year I have only beaten her twice, and often she only beats me by one singular place (even last year). I know that I am at least an equal rider to her, but I am not quite the racer that she is. Last year she won U23 Nationals and has had the taste of a title. She can perform under pressure and has a quiet mind (I actually have no idea what goes on in her head but she seems so damn composed at every moment). I knew that regardless of what place I was racing for, the real race would be against her. I saw the podium before it happened, but in a different order. A much different order.

I was nervous the day of the race, but not the type of nervous I normally feel before big events. I was sort of skipping over the day and thinking about Europe – I just wanted this to be over. There was a delay in the gridding and the start so by the time we were within 30 seconds waiting for the whistle my heart rate was 10-20 bpm lower than it normally would be. I went through my mental mantra: “This is happening. This will hurt. I will be strong, and work hard. I will not quit.”

The lights changed. Or whistle blew. Or start metric happened.

I noticed I had the lead nearly right off the line; I could see tires and wheels out of the corner of my eye. I keep charging, thinking about lifting my eyes and filling the void in front of me. At some point, I can’t really see anyone else, so I look under my elbow wondering if maybe there was a false start and I was the only one not stopping. Nope, they were still back there. “Oh my god. I am doing it! Stop thinking about how you are doing it or you will muff this up, ya dummy” – my inner dialogue. Around the turn and Beth Ann Orton comes up along side me, a good start for her too. We are in the thick of it now and I can tell I put in a big effort on the start because this false flat chunky uphill hurts. I try to keep my head in it. I dismount for the run-up too late it feels. I get passed by Compton and Courtenay and chopped by Sunny Gilbert right at the top. Sunny botches the turn at the bottom of the drop and we are forced to run. She isn’t going fast enough! We get gapped. I pass her at the top and charge to close the gap. I pass Courtenay almost by chance. I am neck-and-neck with Katie. I take a moment to compose myself and follow her. We drop back down to the bottom of the course and I am sitting easily on her wheel. I try to find a spot to pass but I know I need to make it clean. I see a hole in a turn and I put my body through it.

I did it.

I passed Katie Compton. At the National Championships. Up until this point I had a fairly quiet mind. Even now, I was calm and composed. I come through the start/finish and Kerry is at the corner yelling “You’re doin’ it, Beck!” I smiled. I think Clara was on my wheel at this point. I figured I was doing too much work on that long pavement section but I just wanted to get Katie out of the picture. I knew the gap was growing and I needed her gone. She was public enemy #1.

Up the run up again. Clara is stronger than me on the run-ups. It made me regret wanting to do the downs making me do so many ups on the days before. I take some time behind her, telling myself it is okay. Once again, sticking her wheel is easy. This is a big deal for me because usually I cannot follow wheels. Start/finish straight and I take the lead. I think this is where I lost the race. Why bother? Why now? Why can’t I take Caroline Mani’s advice to heart and stop pulling people around the course? Did I think I could ditch Clara? Man, reflecting on this now is both helpful and hurtful.

Alone.

Clara, stronger on the runup, fresh from sitting on my wheel, passes me.

Why did I make that effort?

My glasses fog as I work so hard to go so slow and I can’t see and being blind and cracked I botch the turn at the bottom of the drop. Clara gaps me.

That is when the race was lost.

The next few laps the gap was steady. But then I just let it open little by little as I bobbled.

And then, Clara Honsinger won the National Championships, dethroning Katie Compton, 15x US National champion. I was 2nd. Katie was 3rd.

Why did I make that effort? Why did I not throw my glasses? Would Clara still have won if we had stayed together longer? Could I have closed the gap? Would I have raced differently if I were chasing Katie for the win, not Clara? The questions are nagging, but unanswerable.

I lost the opportunity to achieve my goal. It was gone forever.

I am so happy for Clara. She is a fellow Kona athlete, so having two Konas on the Nationals podium in Washington was a huge thing. Plus, Clara is simply a kind human being and a very worthy competitor. This was not a one-off result. I don’t want to detract from her winning, but for my own sake I am taking to heart all of the comments from people that reached out after the race saying I was the one who made the initial pass. I made the cracks show and gaps open. I may have lost the race but I beat Katie. (Shit writing this down sounds really hurtful to Katie but I mean, if you’re gonna be such a shredder you’ve gotta take the heat, eh? Much eternal respect for Katie, but with great accolades come great bragging rights).

A Hella Sweet Kona Maxxis Shimano embrace haha

I have a few points I could go back and redo, but I am so grateful and lucky to have no excuses, especially mechanical ones. No dropped chains, or missed shifts on my Shimano GRX. No flats on the Maxxis tires. Incredible confidence shredding the Kona Super Jake. No broken boas. No missed pits with Spencer (and Doug at Nationals) looking out for me.

The 2nd place at Nationals was my biggest result to date, but also the most anti-climactic. That night, I mourned the passing of my dream. But moving forward, I am celebrating the dawning of a new era. One where I am a top-3 American woman. One where I get top 10’s in European World Cups. One where I can win US Nationals, or any other race. ONE WHERE I CAN HAVE GOOD STARTS. You can’t have only good races, but from here we aim to make the best ones big ones, and hopefully the big ones the best ones.

[gofahr]

2018-2019 Schedule

September 1-2 Roanoke GoCross (c2’s) Roanoke, VA, USA 8-9 Rochester (c1-c2) Rochester, NY, USA

21/23 Trek Cup (c2 World Cup) Waterloo, WI, USA 29/30 Jingle (WC, c1) Iowa City, IA, USA

October 6-7 Charm City (c1, c2) Baltimore, MD, USA 20-21 DCCX (c2s) Washington, DC, USA 27-28 Cincinnati (c1-c2) Cincinnati, OH, USA

November 3-4 Pan Am Midland Ontario (c2, pan am) Ontario, CAN 10-11 Northhampton (c2’s) Northhampton, MA, USA 17-18 Supercross (c2’s) Stony Point, NY, USA

December 1-2 Resolution cup (c2’s) Texas – tbd 8-9 Ruts n’ guts (c1, c2) Broken Arrow, OK, USA – tbd Hendersonville (C2s) Hendersonville, NC, USA – tbd 16 US Nationals – Louisville, KY, USA

*I will fly to Europe after Nationals to start my only over-seas trip of the season. The plan, so far, is to stay there until the bitter end of the cyclocross season, pending health. I plan on doing all of the world cups, and the UCI world championships (pending eligibility).  I will compete in other races as well, but if I look at the schedule right now (in August) my head will explode*

23 World Cup, Namur Namur BEL 26 World Cup, Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder BEL

January 20 World Cup, Pont-Château Pont-Château FRA 27 World Cup, Hoogerheide Provincie Noord-Brabant Hoogerheide NED

February WORLDS BITCHES

Other races.

[gofahr]

So You Wanna Do Something Cool?

Seeing a lot of people graduating various education institutions makes me want to share some insight into how I fell into this “luxurious” lifestyle. Warning, what follows is not a race report, nor even really about me or cycling.

It bothers me when people say that I am “lucky” to be a professional athlete. Are lawyers lucky when they make partner? Are authors lucky when their books hit the NYT best seller list? I would be lucky if I were randomly selected to play on a professional (male) sportsball team (such as baseball, football, or basketball), regardless of talent or skill, and was given a full salary. On average, NBA players make $5.15 million, MLB players make $3.2 million, NHL players make $2.4 million, and NFL players make $1.9 million per year,according to Forbes. That, my friends, would be luck. And if I happened to like the sport, bigger luck would be given play time. AKA actually working. Because if you think it is luck that brings you to the arena of professional sports, then you think game-time is work time. There is no excruciating effort that goes on behind the scenes. No hours of blood sweat and tears, no anxious weeks of injury, no grueling dietary choices, no holidays spent in the basement, alone.

Without being “lucky” I am still thankful for the support from sponsors and my home network for helping me. And I know people claiming I am lucky likely mean that they are jealous I get to spend my days “working out” or pursuing something that I love. I am sure that no one means to greatly detract from my accomplishments. I knew going in to this that it was not exactly a job that one takes for the money, but instead, is a lifestyle that if followed correctly, may yield a ton of personal satisfaction without a large financial burden. I am living off of performing what most a percentage of active people choose to do as a hobby. So I planned ahead and acted responsibly (by dropping out of school only after I had a masters and having only one year of unemployment)!

I am not looking to explain myself or to make my own personal case here. What I do want to do, is to suggest that people who want to follow a career that is not exactly financially stable do so responsibly. Because I will tell you one thing, you won’t come across it by luck (unless you are born into a bottomless trust fund and are also gifted with extreme physical talent, creativity, drive, etc for what is needed for your desired career).

So you say you have a dream?

 Our society seems to romanticize struggling. An obvious example is the (not new) popular term “starving artist”, meaning someone who gives up a more material life the focus on their art. Many accomplished artists, however, have argued that you cannot create your best work when it is your sole source of income or if you need income from it to make immediate ends meet. It is a huge burden and distraction. Apparently creativity needs to fester sometimes. Unlike cycling, which can’t really go unreleased. Wanna know a super famous starving artist? Vincent van Gogh. He even made a famous painting about his humble lifestyle. Oh yea, but then he died. By suicide. Because he was broke AF. 

America also loves “Broke College Kids”, who can never seem to afford food but they have the best technology. And beer.

There are also tons of shows that highlight young people thrust out into the world, trying to make rent but also follow their dreams: HBO’s Girls, the entire RENT musical, 2 Broke Girls, and a million others I can’t think of because I am trying to. Along these lines, how does Carrie Bradshaw make so much money? Did we ever address this?

For cyclists, Phil Gaimon wrote a book about being a cyclist and living on $10 a day. I am not sure if the book is actually about that, but it highlights financial struggle.

Moderately related, even Olympic athletes have bleak financial futures regardless of their financial status going into the sport. I saw a similar article to this in 2016 leading up to the Games in Rio and I found the financial hardships of Olympians across the world fairly sad.

Indeed many stars, actors, musicians and athletes came from very humble beginnings and you will read that they slept on the field because they couldn’t afford and apartment, or that their only source of income was from tips on the street-corner. But you only hear the stories of the people who eventually make it big, and I bet those numbers are minuscule. Do you think those “lucky” few that succeeded, born from nothing, would suggest that after high school or college you move out, get a shitty apartment and spend your $300/month of race winnings/wares selling paying your $800 rent, $300 food bill, $150 internet bill, $75 phone bill, $60 avocado toast addiction, …. You see where I am going here?

There are many of romanticized stories. But there are also a lot of people that suggest working a steady job to build up a savings before you throw caution to the wind. 

You may not make it because you suck.

Work that full-time job, maybe even in the field you studied or would like to go into in the event you prove to be a huge failure. Work on your craft after work, whether that is writing, riding, or riting (clearly for those who are going into the seminary). Here is where your sacrifice and suffering comes in. Live modestly. Skip the expensive coffees (actually, ditch drinks that aren’t water or homemade coffees and teas entirely. So much $$$ and usually sugar, too). Say no to weekends out with your friends that require paying for housing. Don’t fly to that wedding. Ditch the cable, convince someone to put you on a family phone plan, don’t get the newest phone, don’t have a car payment, get a roommate, mow your own lawn, get library books, cut out your subscription services, for the love of god give up beer – savings are everywhere. If you are desperate, send me your monthly budget including a line-item transaction report (even itemized grocery receipts) and I will tell you where you are spending like an asshole.

The worse you are at saving, the more pointless your venture of working towards chasing a dream becomes. Depending on where you live, and on your healthcare situation, if you work full time and live on the cheap, you should be able to save a third of what you make. This could be closer to 50% if you own your own car, don’t pay fuel for commuting, have cheap rent and split your internet). If you live with your parents (or other non rent-requiring people like a grandparent, sugar spouse, or maybe you are “just visiting” and that friend you are crashing with is too polite to kick you off the couch even after 4 months) you should be able to save over 75%. If you choose the right place to work, you will get PTO (paid time off) and hopefully a vested 401k. Contributing to retirement, even just a little, is worth it if the employer will match (if the employer won’t match, don’t pay in to the 401k, but instead contribute to a Roth IRA because hopefully you are never again as broke as you are now, and that is like free tax-free [(9-15%)] money, baby). These perks are pretty awesome considering you are simply working to chase a dream, and your alternative was wondering the streets trying to find a sturdy box to take shelter in for the night.

When you have a bit of a financial cushion, go part-time with the money-maker and part-time with the dream that hopefully at this point starts to make a little something, or at least offset costs of pursuing it. At some point, yes, you may need to jump in 110% in order to make it work, but just make sure you aren’t sacrificing your current potential with stress, poor quality of life, or otherwise by jumping in too soon. Make sure you aren’t risking a future by accruing huge debts.

Whatever you do, for the love of god, DON’T CROWDFUND YOUR DREAMS! Yes, everyone wants you to be happy, but no one wants to finance them. Do the work. Do it right. Then you can feel proud of it. At least get far enough in that you can run a big campaign fund-raiser.

The worst part about the responsible way of trying to pursue your dreams, is there is a probability that you never end up doing it. You fall into the grind, you fall in love, you have a baby, you never save money, you find another passion. Keep a reminder front and center in your life. Never stop practicing. Or, maybe you find you do have another passion. Or maybe it just takes longer, but you are better for it because you now have more drive to succeed, more life experience, or maybe a better support system than your fresh-faced broke-ass self.

As a success story; I finished my Master’s degree, left my program instead of pursing a PhD, then got a job to help to pay the bills while I balanced a fully racing and training schedule. Granted, I can’t afford to shop at Whole Foods, but this coming season is where I hit it big. Really. I am going to have a TV show and get sportsball money. Maybe even a record deal.

[gofahr]

Staying In and Pulling Through

Riding at the track is an interesting experience for me each and every time I show up. Adding to the variety: there are three different courses (maybe even more…). There is the road course, Frontier, and the oval (with or without chicanes). All are around a mile to 1.5 miles in length: the road course has non-trivial turns, one punchy hill and what I call a short but demeaning hill that if I don’t pay attention to, I sag terribly; Frontier I have only ridden once and is known to be hard, having one long grinding hill, and a left turn following a long descent known to cause crashes; and the oval, which is fast and hard, but allows all riders capable of following wheels to stay in – as it is usually the hills and the sharp turns that sheds any weaker/less skilled racers.

So far, I have had the most success on the road course. On the oval, I am usually too intimidated by the speed and general dickery to go for the sprints, and sometimes even to stay in. On Frontier, which I have only ridden once, I was too intimidated to stay in. I was dropped in the first lap. The first time down the hill for the left-hand turn (I was warned of crashes there), I was tail-gunning, got gapped off by other tail-gunners, and chased up the hill, never able to latch back on. Here is my Garmin data, chasing for over 30 minutes, never able to reach the group again (but passing many who were dropped, and lapping the B field).

Staying in was where I failed. The benefit of this, is that it happened the Thursday before Exeter. Chasing for 30 minutes is a lot like being off the front for 30 minutes, so this failure prepared me for a future success. I was confident that if the effort could get me away, I could maintain it to keep me away.

Bottom line: train harder than you race. You never know what you may find out. You may find the strength to stay in, pull through, and go for the lead.

[gofahr]

Ironman All World Athlete

I did one triathlon in 2014 and have earned the title of Ironman Bronze All-World athlete for 2015.

My goal for 2014 was to compete in the inaugural year of Ironman Boulder on August 3rd. I had registered in September 2013, and I was going to be an Ironman by the time I turned 25. However, in May 2014 I wrecked during the first stage of the Killington Stage Race and suffered a broken hand. Being in a fiberglass cast, I was unable to swim, bike or run for quite a while. After a couple of weeks I could ride the trainer inside, but I could not see training for my first Ironman on a trainer. For fear of injury trying to race the biggest race of my life, especially so close to the cyclocross season, I chose to defer my entry to a half Ironman instead. The race I competed in was the Timberman 70.3 half-iron. This consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run. My swim and bike went great, but improper fueling leading up to the race and during the bike left me with terrible leg cramps during the run, forcing me to walk periodically. Despite this, I finished a tough course on a hot day in under 5 hours!

5th in W25-29

33rd Overall Female

213th Overall

Swim Time: 00:29:49 Division Rank: 3

Bike Time: 2:32:06 Division Rank: 1

Run Time: 1:54:50 Division Rank: 5 (so much ow here)

Total Time: 4:59:47

[gofahr]

gofahr

[cyclephotos]

[gofahr]

Sausage Fest

What is the actual point of a “Moose Crossing” sign? Moose crossing, deer crossing, blind driveway? Are we supposed to be more cautious when we see these signs on the side of the road? Is it to remove all liability from the animal? “You hear about ole George? Hit a moose last night. Car totaled, ripped his face off.” “Yea, but it WAS in a moose crossing…”

This weekend was the 24th edition of Cycle-Smart International; a race that is run in part by JAM Fund. We help set up the course, run a food tent, and tear down the course. Do you know what it is like to set up a course? It’s hell. Stakes? That’s terrible. Worse? SNOW FENCING. Not only is it approximately 87x as miserable to put up than traditional course tape (wooden stakes+holding up+stretching+zipties), its 942x as shit-tastic to take down (cut zip ties, lay out fence, have it blow across the park, start rolling, pull leaves and grass out, have wind unroll, pull out wooden stakes with magic stake-puller-lever-system). The best thing about course setup was that the ground wasn’t  very hard, so only a few of the plastic stakes needed hammering (Much to Anthony Clark’s dismay, as he totally thinks he is Thor).

So, I was in NoHo Thursday morning-Sunday night. I pedaled around the course a little on Friday, trying out the “pro lines” for Day 1 and Day 2. Day 1 was a short jaunt up and around a tree on a VERY STEEP and rooty hill-side. All of the elite men I saw attempting had troubles more often than not, so I committed to running the section. I practiced a mount on the top (there was much bike slipping) to ride down to the next actual run-up. Day 2 involved a chute of death, which I conquered thrice before hanging up the bicycle for the day.

Check out this  Video of my not-so smooth pre-ride of Day 1’s section.

SATURDAY

It rained. We sold beer and sausages and cookies. I freaked out about not having my number when it was only 2 hours to race time. I escaped sausage duties to get in one pre-ride lap- crucial for a girl who has very little soggy race experience.

Then, we raced. I had a SECOND ROW CALL-UP! Because I HAD UCI POINTS!! Very yay. I had one of the greatest “hole shots” of my life, in which I was clinging to the back of the lead group. Then I pulled my typical first-lap shenanigans and let everyone pass me. “Oh, you want in front of me? That’s cool. You CLEARLY really want it. Go ahead. :-D” Idiot. So, in that first turny section, I let the lead group pull away. But, I fought through, and managed a 7th place, despite having one section less than dialed (trees were hugged). I pulled off my best UCI finish in wet conditions on a technical course. Not bad for a triathlete with no skills, right?

CX Magazine put in a photo (by Todd Prekaski) of me in front of some very good and lovely riders.

SUNDAY

I did not race. My knee was in quite a bit of pain after racing and helping with course switch-over and whatnot, and it was decided that preserving my knee was better for the longevity of my season. Even though Day 2 was tacky and a power course. And even though I do better on day 2. Okay, Clearly I am bitter. BUT MY KNEE HURTS RIGHT NOW AND I DIDNT EVEN RACE WAAAHHHHHHH

Last year CSI was my first elite race. I placed 27th and 24th.

Next week I am on to Louisville to race the Derby City Cup in the Ohio Valley! Home race to home race. My parents will be there, and have never seen me race before, so this is pretty cool.

[gofahr]

Watch me race live today at 2:30 pm est. At Ellison Park in Rochester, NY

UCI C1 cyclocross race.

[truemarmalade]

738Q3495 | http://flic.kr/p/ph2htj

[believeincycling]

Hops!

[gofahr]

Anniversary Weekend

*Divine Providence* Saturday, 2013. My first CX race. The conditions were similar to Saturday this year. It had rained on Friday and the course was tacky for Saturday, but in 2013 I think Sunday was the rainy day. On the day I raced, I had a very last row callup (day of reg woes), and started behind 105 fellow Cat 3/4 women. I finished 31st, in a sprint attempting to reach (now-friend) Shane Ferro. There is a picture of me running the stairs here, and one of me just before I flew over my handlebars here. You should buy it just to say you own a photo of me from a time before I had ever worn bibs. Also, these pictures make me no longer wonder, “if I lost 10 lbs since last year, why don’t I look different?”

My first grid! Last row, pink bike, Brown U jersey, tri shorts.

This weekend in 2013 was the weekend I met so many people that have brought me to where I am today: Lesli Cohen, who has given me friendship, unconditional support, equipment assistance, (the list goes on); Alec Donahue, who is now my coach and cat wrangler; Michele Smith who had a tiny baby strapped to her in the beer tent, and is now a friendly, supportive smile on nearly every start line; virtually all of NECX, which is now a friend-base/support group more intense and argumentative than any high school clique could keep up with.

That was such a different time! Now I am on JAM and have to be all serious-face at the races. I have to sleep in and not run around heckling. I have to not eat pizza before my race and actually do a warm up AND a cool down. I have to pay attention to these pre-rides as well as my competitors. I have a lot of responsibility for my performance. But HEY, this paying attention thing is starting to pay off. This year was TOTALLY DIFFERENT AND RAD!!

What was NOT different? I had last row call ups (ok, second to last on day 1, but I am trying for some parallelism here). BUT, in the elite field. So that’s cool. I finished 21 and 22nd, respectively Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s course was slick, as it had rained prior to the race, and started raining during. A fact I did not realize until AFTER my race, but explains the slower lap times as the race went on and my one crash as I slid out on an off-camber turn I had otherwise been nailing. Sunday was much drier, a day with perfect traction. For me, this means I go about the same pace I think. Traction is not my limiter, my confidence and experience is. The best part of the weekend was finding my spot with BrittLee Bowman (wonderful Richard Sachs rider) both days, with her finishing 20 and 23.

Thanks to all who have helped me get this far: Geoff Williams for showing me the ropes in my early races, Lesli, Al, Jam Fund teammates, NECX, friendly supporters, persistent hecklers, Tom Nguyen for lending me that sparkly pink bike for my first race, ECCC, and Nick Czerula for being super supportive of my ambition to keep doing this, while I do absolutely nothing else, for not hating me when I cry while mountain biking because I suck, for making me ride more so I don’t suck, and for never laughing at me, even when I make hilarious jokes.

Also thanks to my friends Hillary and Eyal for getting FroYozzz with me in PVD!!

Now stop being sappy and someone get me some chemically flavored pumpkin things

[gofahr]

Fall is a better season than action.

Took an endurance ride this morning. Wore leg warmers, which is a gross sign that fall is here. The benefit is missing the bruises covering my legs, a sign that I fall. A lot.

The ride was just shy of 2 hours, but was my first cold morning ride of the season. Such beautiful views of fall are already here in New Hampshire.

[whatshouldwecallgradschool]

EVERY SMALL WIN COUNTS

[gofahr]

Even in cycling. Win a Cat 4 race? HELLZ TO THE YES! Not flat hopping that curb? Still a victory I have yet to achieve....

[gofahr]

Results

2016

Cyclocross

World Championships – 25th

US Nationals – 8th

Cross Vegas UCI World Cup – 6th

Valkenburg UCI World Cup – 15th

Resolution Cup Cross Day 1 – 4th

Jingle Cross UCI World Cup – 11th

Jingle Cross – Day 3 – 5th

KMC Cross Fest Day 3 – 3rd

KMC Cross Fest Day 2 – 3rd

Ruts and Guts Days 1&2 – 3rd

North Carolina UCI CX Day 1 – 1st

Rochester Cyclocross Day 2 – 2nd

Rochester Cyclocross Day 1 – 5th

2015

Cyclocross, Elite

Elite Cyclocross Nationals – 6th Resolution Cup Cross Day 2 – 4th Resolution Cup Cross Day 1 – 4th Jingle Cross – Day 3 – 11th Jingle Cross – Day 2 – 12th Jingle Cross Day 1 – 9th Supercross Cup Day 2 – 2nd Supercross Cup Day 1 – 3rd Derby City Cup Day 2 – 11th Derby City Cup Day 1 – 8th Kingsport Cyclocross – 9th Continental Championships – 11th US Open of Cyclocross Day 2 – 6th US Open of Cyclocross Day 1 – 5th Providence KMC Cross Fest Day 3 – 12th Providence KMC Cross Fest Day 2 – 14th Grand Prix of Gloucester Day 2  – 8th Grand Prix of Gloucester Day 1 – 12th Cyclocross at White Park – 1st Nittany Lion Cross Day 2 – 3rd Nittany Lion Cross Day 1 – 3rd Ellison Park Cyclocross Festival Day 2 – 6th Ellison Park Cyclocross Festival Day 1 – 8th

Road

Tokeneke Classic Road Race, New England Championship – W P/1/2/3 – 2nd Concord Criterium, New England Championship – W P/1/2/3 – 1st Exeter Classic Criterium W Open – 1st Purgatory Road Race – W P/1/2/3 – 1st Lake Sunapee Bike Race – W P/1/2/3 – 1st

2014

Cyclocross, Elite

Elite Cyclocross Nationals – 15th Resolution Cup Cross – 9th NBX Gran Prix of Cyclocross – Day 2 – 5th Baystate CX – Day 1 – 10th Supercross Cup – Day 2 – 7th Supercross Cup – Day 1 – 10th Boston Road Club Cyclocross at Shedd Park – 2nd Derby City Cup Day 2 – 18th Derby City Cup Day 1 – 16th Cycle-Smart International Day 1 – 7th Ellison Park Cyclocross Festival Day 2 – 11th Ellison Park Cyclocross Festival Day 1 – 12th Providence KMC Cross Fest Day 3 – 22nd Providence KMC Cross Fest Day 2 – 21st Grand Prix of Gloucester Day 1 – Cat 3 – 1st Sucker Brook – 3rd Nittany Lion Cross Day 2 – 10th Nittany Lion Cross Day 1 – 17th

Road Vermont Overland Grand Prix – W Overall – 5th ECCC Conference Championships Criterium – W A/B – 1st ECCC Conference Championships Road Race – W A/B – 1st Mystic Velo Criterium – W 3/4 – 1st Myles Standish State Forest Road Race – W 1/2/3 – 3rd

Triathlon Timberman 70.3 – W24-29 – 5th

2013

Road Jamestown Rotary Classic – W 3/4 – 1st New England Time Trial Championship – W23-29 – 1st Lake Sunapee Bike Race – 3rd Rhode Race Collegiate – 5th Rhode Race Criterium – 1st

Triathlon ITU Age Group Standard Distance World Championship – London, England – 16th/53 W20-24, 3rd Team USA (2:09:46) Olympic Distance National Championship – Milwaukee, WI – 13th W20-24, 75th Overall Women (2:17:29) Lowell Mill City Triathlon International – Lowell, MA – 2nd Overall Female (2:23:05)

[gofahr]

Couldn't flat this tire even after cutting the valve stem off. Talk about your weird first world problems.

[gofahr]

I broke my hand in May, and the struggle was very real. Better now. #shredon

[gofahr]

If you win, you don't need to be fashionable.