Archery may be my next sport...Seriously

It's saturday and its been over three weeks since i have entered my last cycling race. The last time i raced was at Nature Valley Grand Prix. After that event, i had a realization it was time for my mid-season break. I took a break for about a week and then I went to the mountains of NC to find my legs again and get ready for nationals.

After doing the math/finances and having absolutely nobody to make the road trip with me to Seven Springs, PA, I decided it would not be in my best interest to make the trek north. Instead I decided to put my efforts into getting ready for Tour de Toona which is the last week in July. I have been riding lots of miles and recovering the correct way for the past couple of weeks. It's amazing how good you can feel on the bike when you do everything right or so you think.

Today I went and tried my legs out at a local crit. I started the men's cat 3 race with 27 other riders. I was the only girl and felt pretty confident. That didn't last long. The course was a power course with more than half of it climbing. I made it through the first 5 laps and then got gapped off by this big guy on a long steady uphill. After that there was really no hope of catching the group. They were putting out some serious wattage. I had already hit of max wattage of 875 and was averaging over 250 watts. I was more than happy to be pulled after a few more laps by myself. Next race would be the women's pro 1/2 race. I was looking forward to this and planning to be very aggressive.

The riders that showed up were the usual suspects. A few Cheerwine girls, a few Fuji's, some BMW-Bianchis, a couple of randoms and one teammate. Beth Frye of Cheerwine and I had talked about pushing the pace up the hill from the get go. We did and should have been more aggressive about staying away, instead we would attack each time up the hill and then would let up on the backside. Each time we attacked it was clear that we could get away at will. We just needed a plan. After a few laps on NOBODY working except Beth and I, we pulled off for no longer than a minute and a FUJI girl who was sitting on attacked from the back. She got a small gap and we let her have it. Another Cheerwine rider, Lauren Trull was having mechanicals. She was down and lap and when rejoined went to the front to help us pull the rider off the front back. No sooner than one lap, we made the turn up the climb and she took the turn a little tight. Beth Frye went up on her wheel and left me nowhere to go but up the back of Beth's bike and into the curb. I fell over and by the time I jumped up the peloton was up the hill. Like with most crits, typically you get a free lap if you go down or have a mechanical. For some KRAZY-ASS reason this race ended free laps with 10 to go. That never happens. Most times free lap ends with 5 or 3 laps to go. Once i wrecked i headed to the pit so i could rejoin the group. Once i got there the official asked what i was doing there, I said, "Uh getting my free lap, what does it look like i am doing?" He said no free laps after 10, you have 7 laps to go. GO CHASE. Well, that was the end of my race. I had already wasted a few minutes and knew i wouldn't be able to catch the pack. I got back in and started going hard. The race leader passed and i rode with her for a while and then decided to wait for the pack and try to help them catch. The main group came by and i jumped on. It was the last lap so i decided to go to the front and give a leadout to whomever wanted one. With 2 corners to go and a slight uphill finish. I drilled the pace. Fuji rider, Christina DeKray must have been the only one who wanted the win. She stuck my wheel till the very end, like a smart sprinter, and came around for the field sprint.

I was pretty bummed after the 2 crits. I had really hoped for a good outing since it was my first races back in weeks. My legs and lungs felt good but unfortunately i can't say the same for my luck. I was ready to go home and chill and catch up on the TDF. I knew my favorite rider Boonan wouldn't be in yellow after today so it was a sad day on the bike all around.

Luckily we had to drop off a friend and take a tour of his house. As we rounded the last part of the house, we came upon this deer with a target on it. I told Herman I sure would love to shoot at that thing if he had a gun. Instead, he pulled out this heavy duty cross bow. I said what the hell, I will give it a shot. Herman gave me a quick run down and had to help pull the arrow back.
I looked through the eye hole saw my target. I shot and sure enough nailed the bulls eye. It was so much fun! Chris, Herman's wife Mason, and Herman were all in shock. I called it beginners luck. Here is a pic of my first shot. Not bad for a girl who's never shot anything in her life...Just wait it gets better.


One can't just stop after getting a bulls eye on the first try. The crowds were heckling me and saying there is no way i could do it again. I had 2 more arrows to shoot and i wasn't about to call it a day. It's way too fun shooting things. So i gave it another try. This one landed a on the front leg of the deer. I was still shocked i hit the little bambi with horns. One more try, this time i did every step and took a long hard glare at the little deer and said, "It's supper time!" BAM, I nailed it again, dead on BULLS EYE, right next to my first shot. See here is another pic.


After this money shot, I was pretty sure that my cycling career had just about ran it's course and it was time to pursue the 2008 Olympics in Archery. I will keep you posted on that. First I must sell the bike and get a bow. Any suggestions? And while i am on the subject of quitting, I have just about had enough Mr. Boonan's quitting the sprint. For that, he only gets to have this picture in the blog today since he did take the time to kiss the fans.

Finally, I really didn't quit cycling. I just got a little mad after sat. SO MAD I went out and rode 96 miles and now i feel like my legs are going to fall off. So today is a much needed rest day. And if you can't ride with Boonan, you might as well train with the guy that designs his socks! www.defeet.com