Cascade and Nationals

So I'm headed to Bend, OR as I type, for Cascade Cycling Classic July 21-26 and then Nationals(road and time trial)the following week. Lisa Hunt, the director of ValueAct Capital asked me to guest ride for their team and be a worker for their general classification gals. I was so excited and I can't wait! I shall do my job to the best of my ability:) So that probably means that I won't be looking for any stage or overall victories. All that will be great training and a great learning experience for hopefully future endeavors. I'm staying at a host house that will have 5 of the girls at the house, the other 2 will be at another house. So here I come!

Now I can add 3 more states to my list of where I've been:) Unless dad says, you've been there when you were just a little girl, that doesn't count:) Utah, Idaho and Oregon! I've never been to those and the drive has been so beautiful! The rock formations in Utah, the windmills and flat land in Idaho and I'm not to Oregon yet but I'm sure I will post something cool once I get there!

Then Nationals are after Cascade so we shall see how that goes as well! This will be my first time to do road and time trial Nationals, I did crit Nationals last year and had a blast, so this should be fun too!

Debbie Milne, my Absolute Racing teammate, is coming for Nationals as well! She has just won Master's Nationals in Kentucky just a few weeks ago and now she is coming to Bend to show the yougins how she does it:) It should be interesting, the road race is an 18mile loop that we will do 4 times and has a climb in the loop, not my best course but I will do my best. I'm considered more of a sprinter, not a climber:) Oh well, we shall see what happens.....

Another great opportunity on the horizon is the new cyclocross team I'm joining! I think it is sponsored by Hudz and it is based out of Boulder, CO. I've never done cyclocross but I think the director was interested because I'm an ex soccer player and I ain't afraid of a little mud, bring it on! So that may put a small damper in my homecoming in September but we shall see. I haven't gotten any details yet and even though I've been sent the roster, the only girl I knew(do to my lack of cycling knowledge) was Rebecca Much. She is a hoot! Check out her blog! She is laid back, super sweet, so that should be a good start:) and I'm sure she is a wonderful cyclocross racer.....

I also want to give a shout out to Michelle Williams! Thank you so much for your support! I DO have LOTS of extra parts, wheels, bikes, etc. I am taking my vitamins and eating as best I can but sometimes you just want a scoop of ice cream!! I hope all the Data mangement gals are well! Y'all are on my list of friends to see when I do get home, whenever that will be:) Dinner? Cico de Mayo?

Once Nationals are finished in Bend, it will be time to drive back to Colorado for a week, then fly to Downer's Grove, Illinois for crit Nationals. After that it will be crits until cross starts I guess:)

….and hang out with Brandon! He is flying up to hang out for the weekend!!!! YEAH! I don't know the last time I saw him but it has been a while! He is my best guy friend in the whole world! We met my freshman year in college, he was our student trainer for the soccer team and we've been best buds ever since! There was a group of us and we all still stay in touch, when we can! Brandi White, she is in Flowood, MS now as a physical therapist(another best bud of mine to this day), Amy Mann, she is from Texas and lives there today w/ her cute daughter and is fluent in Spanish, Beth Dreher, she lives in Nashville and beat cancer, Sam Corker, she is back home coaching all the soccer teams, Phil Hartness, born and raised in Starkville, lives there today as a financial advisor, Brandon and myself. True friends are hard to find and once you do find them it is awesome to know they are there for you YEARS later and haven't changed a bit! Love y'all!