Girls Love Clothes

It's no secret, right?!  Women LOVE new clothes.  In this case, this woman loves her some new spandex!  :)

I came home from a week's vacation/work in Mexico to a week of heavy training to make sure that not too much was lost in the time off.  Waiting for me upon my return was a lovely bag of goodies, lovingly packaged up by Grizzly and Incline, and including the prettiest clothing this side of Poland!  Our new kits arrived!

Of course, I have wasted zero time in getting them out of the bags, cuddling with them a bit (new kits are so soft and cuddly) and getting them ready for their first road test.

The hot pink chamois is the biggest change from last year's kit to this year's...and it is AWESOME!  Incline and I were basking in comfortable glory and telling everyone how happy our under carriages were feeling today on the ride.  Maybe that would be a bit too much information for a normal crowd, but the Java ride guys just laughed at us.

I am so very grateful to our new and returning sponsors (some of who gave us some wicked cool logos this year!) and to VERGE for making some of the best clothing that I have had the pleasure of wearing on the bike!   Thank you, VERGE!!  Or, as they say in Poland, "Dziekuje!!"

My First Date

The sentiments about my new 2012 S-Works Tarmac SL4 are similar to something my best friend once told me about her TT bike when she first got it, "it's like dating someone WAY hotter than you." My thoughts EXACTLY.

My new boyfriend is way lighter than my old one (15.5lbs, but who’s counting?), way prettier (sometimes I find myself just staring at it in sheer awe that he chose me), but most importantly aggressive (a common trait we share), faster (something we’re all trying to be), and…stiffer :)

We had our first date at Grants Tomb this past weekend in New York City after only having a week to get to know one another (I know, I move quick). It was a beautiful, sunny morning, except for the 30-degree temps and 20+mph winds (def not my type of racing weather). While it’s still very early in the race season, I’m the type of person that believes in racing into the best I can be and putting myself out there even if I’m not completely ready, so this was a bit of a “let’s test the waters and see what level I have to get to.”

Last year, I raced fields with not more than 20-30 people so showing up to NYC with 40 women already pre-reg’d, PLUS more that showed up to day of register was a bit intimidating for my first race out as a Wasabi Warrior, but I was eager to achieve little victories throughout this race and make my team proud.

My Little Victories:

1) Clip in on first try (Success.)

2) Don’t get dropped (pretty much my anthem)

3) Mark riders that you know are stronger than you and stay with them. (Ouch)

4) Hide- this race was awesome because everyone was a sprinter and I felt like I was with my big can sisters so pretty much everyone’s draft was great!

5) Don’t crash-unfortunately, my eyes were super dry from the wind (my apologizes for any sketchy moves. I seriously rode the entire race in a visual blur)

6) Don’t give up. Ever.

I took the last turn wide so I didn’t get too caught up in a fight for position before the sprint. When I got back into the field, even though I jumped up some places it was a bit late for where I really wanted to be. However, for my first crit back with a brand new bike I’ve been on for a week, going from old Shimano 105 to SRAM Red, LOOK to Speedplay, fighting the cold and trying not to have a full blown asthma attack, I’m pretty thrilled with coming in 12th out of 40 plus strong sprinters and can’t WAIT to see what our team can do together in 2012! Oh, and I can't wait for my second date ;)

Photos by NYVeloCity

Cycle for Survival

On Sunday, February 12th, with outside temperatures in the teens in the Washington, D.C. area, Badger (see green arrow in overhead shot) decided to join hundreds of cyclists at Equinox in Bethesda as part of a fundraising cycle-thon called "Cycle for Survival."
Badger joined the 3-Legged Dog team with captain Leslie Heyer, Eric Heyer, Ann Mullen and Tom Olson.

The annual indoor cycling event raises money for rare cancer research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. We all know individuals who inspire us on the bike because of their abilities and disabilities --- but the organizers of this event and its founder have raised the bar.

This was such a memorable event and it was great to see members of ABRT and NCVC pulling rotations with their respective teams.

What say you MABRA: wouldn't it be great to have every MABRA team raise money for cancer research by participating in Cycle for Survival 2013?!?!

Let's give the local Washingtonians a reason to be inspired by the spandex-clad swarms of cyclists they see slowing down their commute weekend after weekend on River, Travilah, Esworthy...

While you'll have to wait for the event to return next year to show up your rival MABRA team, you can still donate to the 3-Legged Dog team by clicking here!

Early Season "Results"

While the pro peloton is sweating their butts off on the dusty straights of Qatar, or enjoying an unintended day off at the end of the Challenge Mallorca due to snow, the ladies of CAWES are already tearing up the local training ride scene, also known as "The Weekend World Championships".

Currently, the girls hold tight to the Women's sprinting and climbing "jerseys" at the much beloved Java's ride in Royersford, PA consistently taking first in the sprint (Jackie "Incline" McClure) and the unforgiving climb up Miller road (Sarah "Porkchop" Iepson).  While it's no surprise that McClure would dominate the "women's field" at the ride...the fact that Porkchop can get her butt up that hill in good position continues to be a source of amazement.  McClure's reign as Sprint jersey leader continues to be challenged by SynFit Racing's new sprinter Kelley Bethoney who holds a firm grasp on 2nd place and will continue to push us to ride faster and eat more of Bob's amazingly delicious muffins!!  I hear that there's going to be a "Muffin Bowl" and that Kobayashi will be there as a guest judge.

McClure is quoted as saying, "I think these early season Java sprints are really important.  There's a lot of pride involved in being the first woman across the line in the "World Championships."  I know that I'm not going to get a Rainbow jersey (Oh, Cav...sigh!) for it, but I can use these for upgrade points, right?!  :)"

I could mention that the three of us make up half of the total women who show up for this ride, but admitting that would really lessen our excitement about these imaginary competitions.  Oh, shoot...did I type that out loud?!?

Meanwhile, in our nation's capitol...Mitch continues to kick some major booty at Boot Camp and has begun to mark out her plan of domination for Mud Runs and Crits the world over.  This girl is lean and mean this year - scrounging around in the mud and clambering over walls will do that to you - so watch out, peloton...she growls a lot now, too!

Official racing season is right around the corner, y'all.  We hope that you're enjoying this "wintery" weather and we'll see you at the REAL races soon!  Keep smiling and keep pedaling (or mudding, as the case may be)!

The Specialized Amira...revealed!!

As always, we are so grateful to our shop and our sponsors who continue to support our team and our sport.  We do what we can to make them proud both on and off the bike, and it means the world to us that so many of our sponsors return year after year to make our season successful! 

Each Spring, as we put our noses to the grindstone to get our bodies in top shape for the season, the crew at Twenty20 Cycling in Baltimore are hard at work helping us get our gear in order.  They are fundamentally critical to helping us make sure that our gears are shifting smoothly, that our fit is right, and that we have pristine working equipment.  This year is no exception as they help each of us build up our new Specialized Amira framesets!!  

We are SO excited about these bikes!  We have been anxiously awaiting their arrival since the end of the 2011 racing season and spying these gorgeous frames at the shop a few weeks ago made our hearts skip a beat (or twelve!).

I was fortunate enough to take my Amira (her name is Mari) out for her maiden voyage yesterday.  I was told by Kris that I would never want to ride another bike...and he was RIGHT!  The frame fits me like a GLOVE (thank you, Kris, for working with me the other night to dial her in!), and the extremely light and stiff frame is responsive.  I tend to personify my bikes (giving them names and personalities - like Bernie, who loves to lead the charge at the end of races), but in this case, it literally felt like Mari WANTED to do what I asked.  When I stood up to sprint or climb, she answered smoothly, quickly, and eagerly.  She is comfortable, fast, crisp, and an amazing ride.

THANK YOU, SPECIALIZED for your continued support of Team CAWES!

 And, did I mention that she's beautiful?!  ;)  I think I'm in love!  

Food For ALL!!!

We are very excited to announce that due to an amzing outpouring of support from the community, Food For All has been SAVED!! We really love this place and the fantastic folks who invested their time and money to save this tremendous local business are heroes in our eyes!

The store's Grand Re-Opening will be on February 10th! Come by and join us in celebrating the survival of a true gem in Mt. Airy!!

Saving Food For All!

We're incredibly sad to announce the possible closure of one of our favorite sponsors, Food For All.  This amazing local grocery store in Mt. Airy has come under financial stress due, in part, to a failed Groupon deal.  Since the store announced it's plans to close, the neighborhood has responded by coming up with nearly half of the money that Amy needs to stay open!

We LOVE this place...and we LOVE Amy.  If you can help and wish to invest in one of the most wonderful small businesses around, please contact Amy Kunkle at: amy.kunkle@comcast.net 

PLEASE HELP SAVE FOOD FOR ALL!!