Daisy Racer

Waterton National Park.

This is our last day in the great country of Canada.  It's been so good to us - I've loved hearing the authentic Canadian accent (and yes, they really do say eh?).  Folks have been overwhelmingly kind and generous.  I think I'll miss it a wee bit.

Today we saw a grizzly, a herd of elk, and a ton of mule deer.  We are in the townsite of Waterton National Park, and they wander through the streets and yards like a bunch of overgrown dogs.  We had to yell to scare one away from our picnic table during lunch today!  We have seen an awful lot of little baby ones all spotted, wandering through the campground.  The hiking around here looks so good, and accessible.  If this rain would only clear....

Last night we camped in Twin Butte.  We stopped at the general store and asked about where the campground was and they said... our backyard.  They charged us five bucks, and we got a big fire going and I ate marshmallows until i felt sick.  Life is good.  SO good. 

Tomorrow we will enter Glacier National Park, something I've been excited about for a long time.  I'm also excited because my cell phone will work again! 

Fernie, BC - thunderstorms included.

So much has happened since Banff!  I will just mention the highlights, but there's still a lot since we've had so many highlights!

When we left Banff we went over the Continental Divide - again - back into BC.  It's strange, both times we've crossed it we've seemed to descended to the sign.  Seems a little counterintuitive... but we take pictures anyway.  It was a super hot day, and the climb was pretty tough, but after we descended we got the best flat stretch - it was sublime.  Right before we turned into a campground Autumn saw something jump out of the woods and made us turn around and look.  It was a baby moose and her mama!  We were amazed, after hoping to see a moose for so long!  Then we were scared, and turned into the campground with uncharacteristic haste.  Moose are HUGE animals, and you don't want to mess with a mama and a baby, especially if you have no car to hide in!

The campground was full.  Uh oh.  BUT  as we were rolling out a guy with a baby on his jumped out of his campsite and said "We saw you on the pass, and if you'd like to share our campsite you are more than welcome to!  My name is Erin, this is my daughter Gwendolyn, my other daughter Emma, and my wife Kate."  We said... Yes!  Thank you!  It was so kind of them to offer to share, and it worked out really really well.  The were the coolest family, very brave, going  on a backpacking trip with a 6 year old, and 8 month old, and a beagle.  To top it all off, the father had degrees in math and physics, and was debating whether to get a doctorate in statistics!  So you can imagine that we stayed up past the kids bedtime talking in nerd language.  Meagan and Autumn both got horrified expressions on and tried to ignore us.

The next morning we descended to some hot springsd where we soaked in luxurious heat for a few hours.  I forgot, unfortunately, that I'm bad with the heat.  I felt sick for a while, and my legs felt like limp rubber bands.  We didn't make it very far before we hit a small town and decided to stay there.  We were going to sleep in the elementary school playground, but we met a nice man, Colin, his daughter, Jadine, and his dog, Pretzel.  After talking for a while, he invited us to sleep on his lawn.   This was another great family, and the dog was precious.  We spent a long time just talking on his porch while I held the pup (and got devoured by mosquitos)  I got about 40 bites on each leg while the others got less than five total.  argh...  Colin ended up inviting us slepp on the futon inside and it was such a treat to wake up the next morning and be inside!  He gave us some coffee for the trip and we were off!

Yesterday was our craziest day yet.  I can't believe it was only one day. 

We woke up after camping in an elementary school when it started raining.  We packed up quick and ran to make breakfast in a covered shelter.  At 8:30 we were on the road again, riding in the rain with our shirts off.  It was warm, and we didn't want to wear rain gear or get our shirts wet, so it was sports bras in the rain.  We stopped for lunch at a nice little lake.  Then... a thunderstorm blew in.  It was crazy strong winds, with thunder and lightning - the whole deal.  Luckily the park had covered changing areas, and we hung out there till the storm passed.  It was great fun to watch it happen from a dry shelter!  When the rain passed the sun came out and we rode in warm comfort for quite a while.  When the next wall of rain hit us we were just pulling into the small town of Jaffray - and when it really started pissing out we ran to a nice little coffee shop where we all got coffee, and Meagan got a big burger to eat.  Yum!  It took an hour for the storm to pass, but once it did we were back on the bikes!

At the town of Elko we decided to take the "gravel alternate" to Fernie, thinking it would give us a nice respite from the highway traffic.  We didn't know it would be a steep, muddy, hard to navigate road next to the railroad tracks and in the middle of nowhere.  It was beautiful, and fun,  until the bugs attacked me.  They were everywhere and gave me my first legitimate panic attack in a long time - I was freaking out when I realized they were even inside my bra.  I rode like a bat outta hell until the wind picked up and blew the worst of them away.  We ate dinner in the middle of the road, and decided to push on to Fernie because we were afraid of camping where we suspec ted bears would frequent.  Then... we crested a hill and found a herd of cows blocking our way.  None of us are experienced with such livestock, and the mama, baby, and 3 bulls scared the heck out of us.  We tried yelling them away.  Nope.  We tried being brave, but then ran away in fear.  Finally a truck came, gave them a few honks, and the cows cleared them away.  The guys in the truck thought we were hilarious, but waited till we were safely past the cows before leaving us.  Thanks random guys in pickup truck!

We sang all the songs we knew to keep the bears away - from britney spears to Pearl Jam.  Finally we made it back to the highway, and eventually into Fernie at around 11:00.  We were happy little campers when we finally got a campsite at the provincial park!  Now we taking it easy today, before hitting Crowsnest Pass this afternoon.  It's hard to believe we're just a few days shy of Montana.  We plan on resting for a day in Waterton, and taking a hike or two in the park.  I hear it's beautiful!

I know it's been a long entry, but trust me - I've even left a lot of stuff out!  We've just been having a great time, despite the weather.  I actually find a kind of strange peace in riding in the rain.  The squeak of the rain pants, the fog and mist, the slow motion.  It's nice, probably just because I know I am lucky to have the best gear that will keep everything dry! 

Thanks for reading\1

One more day in Banff

We decided to stay an extra day here for two reasons:

one - We are going to get to go to the summer film screening of some of the films from the Banff Film Festival at the Banff Center.  That was in part what inspired our route, and we are very lucky that it is today, since this is the only screening for the whole month.  Maybe the whole summer... but I only saw the calendar for July.

two - I don't think we would have made it very far after all the excitement of yesterday!  We didn't even roll out of the campground until noon today.

Yesterday we bought a ton of groceries, and I biked them all back up to the campsite.  On the way back down I decided to try the trail next to the road, but somewhere along the way took a turn that took me far from the road.  At first I was thrilled - mountain biking in the Hoodoos!  It was lovely forest, next to the river, with impressive views of the mountains.  Then after a bit I realized I didn't really know where I was, and then I got scared of bears.  I talk a lot of talk about being a big strong girl, but when it comes down to it I'm kind of a scaredy cat.  I was all worried that I would get eaten by a grizzly and no one would know.  So I sang aloud in case one was nearby, and eventually found my way to the Banff Center, and then to town.  Still alive! 

I found the girls in the park... enjoying Canada day.  They were quite funny.  I was completely sober as is my style, but it was very fun to watch everyone else in the park.  There were a number of cheesy cover bands and a bunch of dancing kids, parents, and drunk young people.  We bought some chocolate and waited for the fireworks.  Canada Day was soooo fun.  But we didn't get to bed until after midnight, so it's good that we're here for another day. 

Have I mentioned that we do pushups every night?  maybe?  I don't know.  Regardless, today I looked at myself in the washroom mirror at the campground and just started laughing.  I am all tanned now, with huge legs and stronger than expected arms.  I couldn't help but imagining what people would think if I told them I had a master's in math.  Ha!  No one would ever ever suspect!  I laughed for a good long while until a bunch of mothers with toddlers came in and looked at me like I was crazy.  Hmmm.  Alright, I better go  get some more chocolate and caramel.  Yum!

Banff! On Canada Day!

After four days without any major towns, we've made it to Banff just in time for Canada Day.  And what an event it is!  This morning we went to a massive pancake feed in the park where they had so many people that they ran out of plates, and so stopped charging the $2 fee and just started handing out pancakes to anyone for free.  I had brought my own bowl and spork (reduce waste!) and they were so excited about it!  We also got Canada stickers, little flags to put on our bikes, and Canada tattoos.  So of course we applied everything to bikes and bodies and took pictures.  Later they had a cake cutting ceremony (Happy birthday Canada!) and tonight there's a parade and fireworks too.  Sure, this town is crazy full of tourists, but they are all dressed in red and white sprouting Canadian flags.  It's a little insane - but really fun! 

Beyond Canada Day... so much has happened since Jasper! 

We left Jasper not quite fully rested, and so our first day was a short one - only about 32 miles.  We stopped at a campsite called "Honeymoon Lake" and it was gorgeous.  We snagged a spot next to a couple who had ridden Sunwaptu pass that day, and set up our tent.  That night two separate RVs tried to back into our camping spot (since of course we had no car to fill up the parking spot) but luckily Autumn got out of the tent and scared them off both times.  I was sound asleep.  The rain came later - and boy did it come hard.  The next morning we were soaked and cold and moving slowly.  A kind man lit us a fire in a covered enclosure to warm our bones while we packed our soggy gear.  After a bit we did get on the road - and made it about 2 miles to the next tourist coffee shop and restaurant.  It was sooo good to get our hands and feet warm again and get our water bottles filled with coffee!  Then we were on the road again.

We climbed a big pass that day - 6,800 feet up to the Columbia Icefields.  It was beautiful, even though it constantly threatened to rain, or hail, or snow, or sun.  We had to stop every 10 minutes to change clothes!  I saw a group of mountain goats with their kids on the way to the Icefields.  Once there I was both in awe of the sheer size of the ice, and a little sad at how much it had retreated when compared to the photos in the info booth.  Apparently it has retreated .9 miles in the last century.  Dang!  I told my dad about it later and he said "Well, it's tough, but the earth has had a lot of ice ages, and warm periods... this time the only question is whether our particular species will survive.  The earth will be ok in the long run"  I guess he's right.

That night we had the most fun - we hung out in a little room with a stove with a bunch of guys on bikes, motorbikes, and cars that were clearly thrilled that there were 3 women in the campground.  Some French-Canadian guys are on a ride across Canada to raise money for asthma research, and they were absolutely hilarious and fun to be with.  They gave Meagan and Autumn hardboiled eggs because those girls had been craving them for ages.  Then some guy named Chris who was in the Canadian army got out his army rations and just gave them all to us!  So we ate Tarragon chicken, chocolate dessert, beef stew, mexican style corn, fruit cocktail... etc etc for the next 2 days, courtesy of the Canadian Army!  It was pretty phenomenal. 

We rode for half a day with the French-Canadian guys and had an absolute blast.  One of them was into the color blue and had his bike custom made with blue and gold to match all his panniers, helmet, jacket, etc.  He liked my bike's blue flair too, and made fun of his brother who he said had no style and just mismatched everything (his bike was rather drab I guess...).  They took some pics and videos of us, and promised to put us on their blog.  Here's a link in case you want to check:  http://www.4garsetuncanada.blogspot.com/  There is footage of us about 3:30 in, and until about 4:00. (on the Jasper to Rocky Mountain House video).  You can get a little bit of an idea of how lovely things are from their site too. 

We rode one more pass before descending to Lake Louise, and it's the highest I've ever been on a bike at 7,003'.  I felt the altitude a little bit, but not too much.  Meagan and Autumn saw a grizzly bear and her two cubs while they were climbing, but I was already too far up the mountain to see the sights.  Coming into Banff we definitely entered a valley, and it feels great to be resting here.  The town is nestled in among mountains on all sides, and even though I thought I was immune to the beauty of the scenery in the Rockies here, I was still left with my mouth wide open coming into the town.  There are huge, grey, slanted mountains that look ready to fall over.  They tower above the town.  The campsite is ridiculously expensive here ($27.30 a night), but we are spending two nights and leaving tomorrow.  We got our bikes fixed, and loaded up on groceries.  I am excited to have my bike weighted down again.  I get a little bit bored if we are moving too slowly and my bike isn't heavy enough.  I want to struggle a bit!  I know I sound crazy... but this is me! 

Thanks for reading the latest novel.  My tanlines are ridiculous, and my helmet hair is incurable.  I mean ridiculous in its own fantastic way.  The mosquito bites are starting to fade at least. 

We made it to Jasper!!

Yesterday was our biggest day yet, but today we are resting and it feels soooo good!  So here's the tale from yesterday:

We got up, ate food, and had a slow start out of Valemouth since it kept threatening downpour, but since we were climbing we would get really hot.  So we kept having to stop and remove or add layers of clothing.  We weren't sure whether we were going to make it to Jasper or not, since it was 120 km away, but as the day progressed and the rain continued to threaten, we decided that it was Jasper or bust.  You can imagine our excitement when we turned off of highway 5 and onto highway 16 - and saw the 100 km to go sign.  We were thrilled!  The climbing was gradual and the weather was cool, so we made good time.  We stopped at the Mt. Robson visitors centre to eat first lunch while the downpour began.  The mountain (The highest in BC) was in the background and looked beautiful I'm sure... except that most of the time it was covered in clouds.  Luckily the rain cleared and we snapped a picture or two before heading out again.  Autumn got a flat, but once it was fixed the climb was on!  It was great fun actually - I was rocking out to a playlist of J-Lo, Kate Nash, Pearl Jam, and the Weepies as we flew up the hill just barely ahead of a massive raincloud.  We couldn't stop out of fear of being soaked!  Somehow we remained in a patch of sun the whole time though.

At the top we passed over the Continental Divide, and entered Alberta.  New territory for all of us!  We had to pay way way too much to enter Jasper National Park, but we did and here we are.  I think it's crazy athat we pay the same thing as cyclists that people in MASSIVE RVs do.  I mean really - think about how much less wear and tear we are putting on the road.  Not to mention our utter lack of gasoline consumption and global warming contribution.  argh... oh well.  The park is beautiful.  As we descended from the pass we hit a headwind and the last few kilometers were very slow and painful - so bad that we just started laughing at how ridiculous it was. 

We rolled into town and were a bit horrified at how much tourism controlled everything.  The mountains around the town are stunning however, and the campiste we stayed at was fully equipped with bear boxes, firewood, and showers.  I am fully clean for the first time in a week!  Today I bought new tires ofr my bike (these are bomb-proof, I'm thrilled), and a kickstand so that I don't have to lay my bike down at all.  I got to write postcards, sleep in, do laundry...  life is good.  It's the simple, small things that I am learning to love.  I am trying to learn to be idle, relax, and not always be in motion.  It is hard, but my companions are helping.  Sometimes it takes them a while to get moving, and this is good for me.  I am also learning to write with my left hand - my entire journal from the trip looks like a six year old's writing.  But it's getting better...

 Tomorrow we will start heading south towards Banff, where we hope to be for Canada day.  We get to cross a 7000 foot pass, see the Columbia Icefield, and ride our bikes more! 

I'll update more in Banff I'm sure - another uber tourist town where you have to pay for internet even at the library.  Oh well - it's well worth it.  My riding companions like drinking beer, and I don't, so I put the beer budget towards things like internet use and ice cream.  mmmm. ice cream.  I better go get some before the weather cools off!

Thanks for reading.

Day 8 - Hanging out in Valemount in the RAIN!

Hello again!  I am so excited to give everyone an update - this trip has been so amazing!  I'm truly having the time of my life.  Today, for example, we saw a brown bear foraging next to the road.  It looked up at us and skedaddled real quick, but it was something that we would no doubt have missed had we been in a car.

Let's see now, last time I wrote we were in Cache Creek.  Since then so many things can happen it's hard to know where to start!  We haven't had to pay for camping at all, having just found spots to pitch tents, cook dinners, and make breakfasts.  Two nights though, stand out.  I will tell you the story of those nights.

We were planning on camping around a little town called Savona, but which was right next to Kamloops Lake.  Once we got there though, it was a wierd town with a garbage dump right in the middle and no place we watned to stay.  So we decided to try and ride out of town before finding a spot.  Unfortunately, there was a huge hill in the way.  It was called 6 mile hill.  Ugh!  We were already tired and hungry at the bottom, so you can imagine how it felt to look around every bend and see it climb higher.  It was hot and muggy out, and we were exhausted.  Then I got a flat tire.  I think at that point we just started laughing.  It was absurd!  So we got it fixed, and finished the climb.  At the top there was a really nice rest area with bathrooms, picnic tables, and beautiful view.  We stopped to cook dinner.  THen we were too tired to move, so we decided to just roll out our sleeping bags under the stars and sleep.  Great idea - until it started raining hard around midnight.  Yuck!  So we pitched our tents and rainflies, just in time for the worst wind ever.  The tents were bllowing everywhere, and we decided out of desperation to just roll up inside the rainflies and tarps and try to sleep.  It was horrible.  The next morning we got up at 6 and just rode down the hill before making breakfast - utterly miserable.  But laughing in our delirium and recalling embarrassing moments from our childhoods.

That day we reached Kamloops and had a serious campout in front of the Save On Foods grocery store.  We used some railings to hang and dry ALL our stuff.  We must have looked like such a freakshow!  Some great people came and talked to us though, giving us some fantastic route advice.  We bought a ton of groceries, loaded them on the bikes, bought coffee (YUM) and rode out of town.  WE found a gorgeous road next to the river that took us through woods and farmlands for about 30 km (yes, we're in Canada and the metric system is in full force!).  Autumn saw two bears in the woods so we decided to wait to camp until we got to the other side of the river.  and how did we cross you ask?  On a ferry!  It was a tiny little crossing with a tiny little ferry - only room for two cars.  The ferryman came and got you when he saw you roll up, and the crossing took all of 4 minutes and was free. 

On the other side of the river we looked around at the landing area... and said "we're camping here!"  It was perfect - green patch of lawn, picnic table, clean outhouse, power outlets, a river for doing laundry... everything!  and they didn't mind one bit that we stayed there.  In the morning the ferryman gave us maps and advice for the next few days.

Last night we stayed in a little town called Blue River, which was also incredible.  We found a park with a swimming area and a slide and a gazebo... we swam around and tried out our diving skills (mine = not great...), then made dinner.  Some local kid came over, introduced us to her pet damselfly Georgy, and told us to take care of him.  She said that the bears around here hang out on the train tracks alot and chase the freigt cars full of wheat.  She was pretty adorable.  Georgy eventually dried off (she had gotten him out of the lake) and flew away. 

We also met a very neat cyclist named Todd, who was doing a 6 week tour by himself, and had done tons and tons befoore.  He was very excited to see three women out riding.  Then I noticed that all the other cyclists we had met were men.  Crazy!  I don't get it, but oh well.  WE are here to buck the norm.  He told us to get water from a hotel guy down the road, and talk to the man in the convenience store nearby who was the surliest man he had ever met.  WEll.  He was right!  It was funny though.  He said "Oh, you people are funny down there"  when he found out we were from the US and not from Germany.  For some reason, people think we are European.  Maybe Americans are generally too lazy to pedal up all these hills.  Tomorrow we take on our first mountain pass...

Now we about a day and a half from Jasper, I can't believe how many great people we've met and how many beautiful landscapes and good laughs we've had.  This life as a bike bum is phenomenal.  At the same time, I am imagining my life next year.  All the people I will meet, all the new roads I will discover, all th trails I'll learn on my mountain bike.  I can't wait to hunker down in my new bedroom and study and copy notes and prepare for exams.  I know I sounds like a dork, but it is truly exciting to me!  Penn State excitement! 

While riding, I can't help but think about what a shame it is that I can't do it all - race bikes, tour for months on end, raise guide dogs, make music, and study math/statistics.  There is just not enough time!  So I have to fit in as much as I can.  So far so good!  Ah... I'll write more in Jasper in a few days.  Hopefully I'll have some great new stories!

Four Days In - Cache Creek, BC

So far so good, we've seen some lovely scenery, climbed over some beautiful mountains, and crossed the Canadian Cascades.  We are definitely in the desert now, and stopped at this library during the heat of the day to wait out the sun.  I am covered in mosquito bites (at least 30 on my butt alone, and sore in the shoulders from our nightly pushups designed to keep our upper bodies in shape for holding that riding position.  So far our average is about 60 miles a day, and it feels just about right.  A few highlights include:

An elvis cafe at the very top of a "mountain" with all the elvis paraphernalia you never knew existed.

Our first summit - "Jackass Mt"

My mosquito butt won the ugliest butt award when we went swimming in the river.

We saw Bighorn sheep today! 

and we passed through a town called Spuzzum (can't wait till we reach Spatsum)

Alright, more people are waiting for this computer so I better be off!  But I probably won't reach internet again till Jasper.  Hope Summer is great so far!  I'm loving the life - oatmeal in the mornings never tasted so good.  but then we always need to eat again like two hours afterwards... so much food!

Bags are packed and...

I am writing this last entry before I pack my laptop away in the folds of my (overfull) car.  I don't know if i've brought all the right things, or if I've brought too much of everything.  Will I be warm enough on the mountains?  Will I have enough water on the long days?  Yes, I think I will be fine.  I am excited.  Last night was spent doing the last minute packing and cleaning expected of someone moving out of their house - I was scrubbing mold off the bathroom walls for far too long.  It makes me all the more excited to get into the fresh air of the ride. 

Last night I was up until three cleaning, pakcing, and composing emails.  My companions on the tour were out partying, so even though I am low on sleep... at least I won't be hung over!  Well, I guess I better get on the road.  Thanks for reading, I will update as soon as I have some more sotries to tell... and there's a library nearby.  Have a great solstice!

Summer Touring Blog!

I am taking the tour of my dreams!  Well, maybe not entirely... but pretty close!  I just wish I had more time to ride, but school starts out east in August, so I have less than two months.  I do have those two months though. 

My friends Meagan , Autumn, and I are leaving from Bellingham on Wednesday June 17th, and riding North.  We will be crossing the border at Sumas, then riding to Jasper, BC, via the quickest route we can find.  Then we'll be following Adventure Cycling maps through the Canadian rockies, to Glacier National Park, through Montana, to Yellowstone, and as far towards Colorado as time allows.  I cannot wait.  I've got my bike all set up with front and rear panniers, fenders, lights, everything!  I got a one-woman tent, a great sleeping bag and pad... I've got everything!  Even a spork.  As we stop by small towns we'll be sure to hit up the local libraries to charge our cell phones and ipods... and to update the world on our travels!  I can't wait.  Just a few more days and I'll be travelling. 

Summary of the season...

It was awesome.  Heartbreak and glory.  I kind of lost steam on writing the blog reports after I went down hard in Ellensburg courtesy of a huge gust of wind that stole my bike from under me while going around thirty miles per hour.  I was mostly fine, and so was the bike.  I had to buy a new seat and new handlebars, and I've got a neat scar on my leg from a tire burn, but besides those minor details and a DNF, I turned out to be pretty darn lucky. 

As my season continued it was always me and Kendi duking it out - she'd win, I'd win, etc.  We were often frustrated in our races since there were very few other A women, and they often were unable or unwilling to "play".  Kendi and I would be the only people attacking, countering, sprinting.  It made us very very strong, but the races were kind of strange.

I was in yellow up till conference champs.  Kendi was only ten points down at the crit, and she had three strong teammates who just worked me over.  I couldn't chase them and beat Kendi, and I was racing solo.  By the end of the race I was toast and the conference title was Kendi's.  I tried to be gracious, and think I succeeded.  She's strong - and her team played me well.  So they've got all my respect.  I wish I could have kept that jersey, but the battle was the real prize.

At nationals I didn't expect too much based on my performance last year.  However, in the road race I stayed with the lead pack until the final climb when I had the worst double cramping of my life.  It happened on this crazy steep hill, and the men from our team were there cheering for me - I'll never forget riding up that hill in severe pain while Phil runs next to me yelling - Go! Go!  Thank goodness those guys were there.  As soon as I recovered I shot off in pursuit.  I never caught the main pack, but I finished fifty seconds after them - the first "dropped" rider.  In the end, I was proud and pleased with my 14th place finish.  It placed me in the top half, and I was so happy just to not be pulled!

Of course, the criterium was the next day and I didn't dream too big.  I got my bike checked out by the Shimano mechanics to deal with some shifting issues I had been having the day before.  The fellow who helped me was a really nice guy - he told me I had my chain on backwards, and he proceeded to fix it.  Once I got back on the bike... It felt like a dream.  My thighs felt great, the bike felt like an extension of me.  So I started to think... maybe I can have some fun today!  So the lineup was called, and the race began.  It started out so fast - Kendi took off from the line like a bullet, and we all took off after her.  The course was great - super flat, wide, with eight corners, and a lot of spectators.  Near the beginning there was a crash that took the confidence out of my teammate, and after that I was racing alone.  I sat still for a while, and did some work with the Whitman girls to bring in attacks, but somewhere in the middle of the race I attacked immediately following two Whitman attacks.  I was well off the front by myself when a prime lap was announced.  I knew then that of course I'd get pulled in and lose any chance at a prime point.  The announcer saw me shaking my head and called me out on it.  It was pretty funny, but in the end I stayed away for the whole lap, and got my own solo prime!  The pack caught me in the next lap, and then Kendi and Rita took off.  This attack was serious, and the peloton had to get really serious to pull them back in.  But they did.  I spent some more time having fun, but then decided (based on my feelings during prime sprints) that I better rest a bit and try for the final sprint.  So I did.  Then with a lap to go Mia began to give Kendi the lead out of her dreams.  It was beautiful.  I was on Kendi's wheel, she was on Mia's and I could hear her urging Mia on - Go!  You're doing great!  Just one more corner!  Then when we were in the finishing straight Rita started the sprint on the left side of Kendi, who blasted off in fast pursuit.  I put the heat on from the right side, and somehow, magically, saw myself pass Rita, and cross the line right after Kendi.  Kendi and I went one two at Nationals!  The look on my face as I cross that line is utter shock and joy.  All the photos of Kendi winning have me in the background with this ridiculous open mouthed grin.  Kendi didn't know I took second until we were halfway around the course again and I said ' congratulations!' then she asked how I finished and when she heard she just got so excited!  The perfect way to end the season for us - Battle of the Titans, showing the rest of the collegiate peloton how we do it in the Northwest!

Of course, there was more at Nationals.  Including an incredible win in the criterium  by Western's very own Phil Elsasser!  Congrats.  Lifted by these results, and a great sixth place finish in the mens TTT, the team got third overall.  Amazing, I've never been happier.  I ended up fifth overall as an individual too, so I brought home three medals. Additionally, the Whitman TTT won.  This presents me with excitement and sadness - they wouldn't let Kristen and I race because we didn't have a third rider, but in every single TTT that I've competed in against Whitman we've won.  Every single one - regardless of the fact that we had two women and they had four.  So I can think of the very real possibility that Kristen and I would have won the TTT at nats.  Happiness!

So that's my season.  Amazing.  I wouldn't take any of it back - I have loved leading the team, and will miss it dearly.  I am running for the collegiate board of trustees next year to try and advance women's cycling, and can't wait to meet my new team in Pennsylvania.