This past Sunday I went out and did a group ride in Clermont. It starts at the Windermere Middle School and then goes out and does all of the "big" hills that Florida has to offer, Grassy Lake, Buck Hill, Sugar Loaf, and Stair Steps. It does all the climbs that I am going to have to do this weekend at the Sugar Loaf RR. I figured it would just be a cool ride and really good training. My dad and I drove out to the ride with some friends of ours ( Mr. Kieth and Craig ) and I was totally stoked. Our motto of the day,"Attack and make other people suffer." The first 16 miles were fine. It was a decent pace and my legs felt great...it was all good until one of my friends called me and when I tried to get my phone out of my pocket..well long story short it slipped, got run over by a couple riders, and almost hit by a car. Luckily its still working and came out of the ordeal with only a few scratches, but after that I could see the group getting further and further up the hill. When I first felt my phone fall I was bummed out because my legs were feeling really good. I chased the group and was almost back on but ended up getting caught at a red light and watched the group as they crested the next hill. I ended up racing around Clermont trying to get in the big hills and also trying ot meet back up with the group. The rest of the ride went well. I plan on going back out and doing it again.
Today was the 3rd OIA timetrail. I had pole position again and was kind of bummed at the fact that I didn't have anyone to chase. I had a good start. I set off at a descent pace hugging the curb to avoid as much of the cross wind as I could. At the turn around I felt good. After driving into the head wind it was a nice change to get a tailwind. Unfortunately it was only for about a half mile before it returned to the brutal cross wind. My finishing time was basically the same as my previous 2 time trials. I did a 17:31. I am pretty sure that I have totally mastered the 17:30 on that course ;P
This weekend is the Sugar Loaf RR. The women 1,2,3 are racing with the 3 men so it should be a challenging race. I'm looking forward to it.
Also check out Craig Creeden's blog. I set up a link to it so check it out.
Ciao
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
GA Camp #2
The GA camp was alot of fun. The last two days had wonderful weather, but the first day was rather rainy and dreary.
When we got up to ride on the first day one look out the window told the entire story, we were on the second floor but when you looked out the window you could only see about 20 feet before everything disappeared into the thick, white wall of fog. We waited a couple hours to see if the fog would clear but we were really just delaying the inevitable. So we geared up and drove out to Blood mountain.
We started about 2 miles away to give us some time to warm up.In the distance we could see Blood Mountain, not even half way up there was a layer of fog. You couldn't even see the top. Once we reached the climb it took us about 30 minutes to reach the fog. Once we got into it I couldn't see anything over 20 meters away. It brought a new element to our climb and at first it was rather fun. About 2 miles from the top we were coming up to a right hand bend when a car missed the corner and came to a screeching halt on our side of the road. The defiantly got our heart rates up and we decided to go to a different mountain. The rest of the day was basically the same. We climbed and climbed, through ran and fog. By the end of the day the weather had lost it fun aspect and became really dreary.
I ended the day with a hot shower and an intense Wii sports tournament;)
On the second day the weather was alot better. It was sunny and warm. When we got out to Woody Gap there were a ton of cyclists out riding (I guess we were the only insane ones to go out and ride the day before). The weather was great as we started our first climb of the day. It took about 40 minutes from top to bottom and it definitely got our legs nice and warmed up. Five climbs and about two hours later we were on our way over to Brass Town Bald. It took us about an hour to get to the base of the climb. When we finally saw the sign leading to the park we had mixed emotions. Only 3 miles to the end of the ride, but those last 3 miles were the hardest. It was fun to watch the road and see the signs spray painted for the Tour de Georgia. Mile 1 and 2 slowly ticked by. I was looking around every corner for the top of the climb. When it finally came I was very happy. I was very tired and extremely happy that the ride was over.
Our last day in the mountains was alot of fun. It was also very tiring. We decided to go out and do a new loop, it went from Jacks Gap, to Unicoi Gap, then to Hog Pen. At the top of Jacks Gap is Brass Town. If you look at the mountains in the distance while you're riding up Jacks Gap you can see Brass Town in the distance. It was a much prettier sight when I knew I didn't have to climb it! Jack's descent wasn't huge but it was nice and long. I think that has to be my favorite thing about when I ride in the mountains. I love to fly down the descents. Unicoi was fun. It wasn't to long or to steep and it was nice and steady. The descent was well worth the climb. It was long, fast, and had windy turns. I think that was the best part of that ride ;) The ride from Unicoi to Hog Pen gave us a much needed break. After missing our turn and going through the scenic little town of Helen, we were finally back on track and on our way to the final climb of the day. Hog Pen was by far the hardest climb of the day. It was very long. As we neared the top we kept getting our hopes up thinking that the finish was just around this corner. Finally we saw the Appalachian Trail sign. If I had to pick my favorite thing to see on this trip it would have to be that sign. There was one about 50 meters from the top of every climb.
All in all it was a great weekend. I'll have more later! There is another OIA timetrial on Tuesday and next weekend is the Sugar Loaf Road Race.
Thanks for Reading,
Ciao
When we got up to ride on the first day one look out the window told the entire story, we were on the second floor but when you looked out the window you could only see about 20 feet before everything disappeared into the thick, white wall of fog. We waited a couple hours to see if the fog would clear but we were really just delaying the inevitable. So we geared up and drove out to Blood mountain.
We started about 2 miles away to give us some time to warm up.In the distance we could see Blood Mountain, not even half way up there was a layer of fog. You couldn't even see the top. Once we reached the climb it took us about 30 minutes to reach the fog. Once we got into it I couldn't see anything over 20 meters away. It brought a new element to our climb and at first it was rather fun. About 2 miles from the top we were coming up to a right hand bend when a car missed the corner and came to a screeching halt on our side of the road. The defiantly got our heart rates up and we decided to go to a different mountain. The rest of the day was basically the same. We climbed and climbed, through ran and fog. By the end of the day the weather had lost it fun aspect and became really dreary.
I ended the day with a hot shower and an intense Wii sports tournament;)
On the second day the weather was alot better. It was sunny and warm. When we got out to Woody Gap there were a ton of cyclists out riding (I guess we were the only insane ones to go out and ride the day before). The weather was great as we started our first climb of the day. It took about 40 minutes from top to bottom and it definitely got our legs nice and warmed up. Five climbs and about two hours later we were on our way over to Brass Town Bald. It took us about an hour to get to the base of the climb. When we finally saw the sign leading to the park we had mixed emotions. Only 3 miles to the end of the ride, but those last 3 miles were the hardest. It was fun to watch the road and see the signs spray painted for the Tour de Georgia. Mile 1 and 2 slowly ticked by. I was looking around every corner for the top of the climb. When it finally came I was very happy. I was very tired and extremely happy that the ride was over.
Our last day in the mountains was alot of fun. It was also very tiring. We decided to go out and do a new loop, it went from Jacks Gap, to Unicoi Gap, then to Hog Pen. At the top of Jacks Gap is Brass Town. If you look at the mountains in the distance while you're riding up Jacks Gap you can see Brass Town in the distance. It was a much prettier sight when I knew I didn't have to climb it! Jack's descent wasn't huge but it was nice and long. I think that has to be my favorite thing about when I ride in the mountains. I love to fly down the descents. Unicoi was fun. It wasn't to long or to steep and it was nice and steady. The descent was well worth the climb. It was long, fast, and had windy turns. I think that was the best part of that ride ;) The ride from Unicoi to Hog Pen gave us a much needed break. After missing our turn and going through the scenic little town of Helen, we were finally back on track and on our way to the final climb of the day. Hog Pen was by far the hardest climb of the day. It was very long. As we neared the top we kept getting our hopes up thinking that the finish was just around this corner. Finally we saw the Appalachian Trail sign. If I had to pick my favorite thing to see on this trip it would have to be that sign. There was one about 50 meters from the top of every climb.
All in all it was a great weekend. I'll have more later! There is another OIA timetrial on Tuesday and next weekend is the Sugar Loaf Road Race.
Thanks for Reading,
Ciao
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Lucky Day
Last week we adopted a 3 month old kitten from the Humane Society. We named him Lucky after the 3 Amigos "Lucky Day". He is a energetic ball of fur and will most likely be getting into plenty of mischief during the next 6 months.
This week is a recovery week. I get to hit the mountains this weekend. I'll post some pictures on Tuesday. It says it is going to be rainy so it might turn into an epic weekend! But hey, if you don't train in the rain you wont race in the rain.
Also I've added some new links so check them out. The links go to a site with info on Laura Charmeda ( my coach ), Tyler Brant's Blog ( one of my teammates ), and the Team Swift Blog.
Ciao,
Ashlyn
Monday, March 24, 2008
Webster Roubaix Road Race
This past weekend was the Webster-Roubaix Road Race. It was a 68 mile race over a 10 mile course with a 3 mile section on a dirt road. I did the women pro, 1, 2, 3’s and we raced with the masters 35+. We had about 15 women in our race and 35 men. I felt great and was very excited to get out and test my legs.
The start was neutral until the last rider was off the dirt, which was about 2 miles from the start line. Once we got the go ahead to race the men picked up the speed. I felt great. I was about mid field and was just getting sucked along in the draft. I was in the field for the entire lap and my legs felt good. When we turned onto the dirt one of the first riders slid out and most of the group was slowed down. I was not ready for this and wasn’t able to bridge back up to the main field. There was a group of riders just in front of me but I was unable to close the gap. Once I had turned back onto the pavement they had already picked up the speed. I was with another girl but we didn’t work well together and I could see the group slowly pull away from us.
During this lap my little group grew to about 10 riders, but we still weren’t working together. I did a hard pull through the front and ended up just dangling off the front by maybe 40 meters. I held my gap for about 3 miles but let up after my feed on the dirt section when I saw the gap had closed down. When I got back into the group we were finally able to get a steady pace line going and I was content to just stay in the group.
For the next 3 laps our little group stayed together. I had given up the hope of catching the group in front of us and had turned my thoughts to how I was going to work the sprint out. Our group consisted of 5 women, myself, two ladies from Team Naples Cylery and two from Herbal life, along with 3 master 35+ men. I knew all the women and have been racing with them since we were all category 4’s. I didn’t know how the sprint would go down but I was excited for it.
We were still together with 3 laps to go. Then I started trying to conserve more energy and let my legs recover. This lap went without anything exciting happen. On our sixth lap we lost 2 women. They were teammates so the race was down to me and the two Herbal Life riders.
Half way through the last lap we got caught by the pro men. We were passed by the field and the official in the follow car told us to not mix in with the other field. They were going relatively slow so the official allowed us to sit on the back. About 3 miles from the finish the pros picked up the speed and one of the ladies popped off the back. About a half mile later myself and my remaining completion dropped. As we made the right turn onto the dirt I slowed up and let her pull. I could tell she wanted to be on my wheel but I didn’t want to pull through. About 100 meters away from the finish I could just see the start/finish banner. I kept waiting until about 50 meters away then I drilled it. I nearly crashed while sprinting on the dirt but I help it upright and won the sprint. I ended up 8th overall.
It was a great race and I was really happy with my result. I’m continuing to improve from race to race and hope to get my first win of the season in the near future.
Ciao,
Ashlyn
The start was neutral until the last rider was off the dirt, which was about 2 miles from the start line. Once we got the go ahead to race the men picked up the speed. I felt great. I was about mid field and was just getting sucked along in the draft. I was in the field for the entire lap and my legs felt good. When we turned onto the dirt one of the first riders slid out and most of the group was slowed down. I was not ready for this and wasn’t able to bridge back up to the main field. There was a group of riders just in front of me but I was unable to close the gap. Once I had turned back onto the pavement they had already picked up the speed. I was with another girl but we didn’t work well together and I could see the group slowly pull away from us.
During this lap my little group grew to about 10 riders, but we still weren’t working together. I did a hard pull through the front and ended up just dangling off the front by maybe 40 meters. I held my gap for about 3 miles but let up after my feed on the dirt section when I saw the gap had closed down. When I got back into the group we were finally able to get a steady pace line going and I was content to just stay in the group.
For the next 3 laps our little group stayed together. I had given up the hope of catching the group in front of us and had turned my thoughts to how I was going to work the sprint out. Our group consisted of 5 women, myself, two ladies from Team Naples Cylery and two from Herbal life, along with 3 master 35+ men. I knew all the women and have been racing with them since we were all category 4’s. I didn’t know how the sprint would go down but I was excited for it.
We were still together with 3 laps to go. Then I started trying to conserve more energy and let my legs recover. This lap went without anything exciting happen. On our sixth lap we lost 2 women. They were teammates so the race was down to me and the two Herbal Life riders.
Half way through the last lap we got caught by the pro men. We were passed by the field and the official in the follow car told us to not mix in with the other field. They were going relatively slow so the official allowed us to sit on the back. About 3 miles from the finish the pros picked up the speed and one of the ladies popped off the back. About a half mile later myself and my remaining completion dropped. As we made the right turn onto the dirt I slowed up and let her pull. I could tell she wanted to be on my wheel but I didn’t want to pull through. About 100 meters away from the finish I could just see the start/finish banner. I kept waiting until about 50 meters away then I drilled it. I nearly crashed while sprinting on the dirt but I help it upright and won the sprint. I ended up 8th overall.
It was a great race and I was really happy with my result. I’m continuing to improve from race to race and hope to get my first win of the season in the near future.
Ciao,
Ashlyn
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Updates
This weekend is the Webster Roubaix Road Race. It is one of my favorite road races in Florida. The 10 mile course has a 3 mile dirt section. With the women pro,1,2,3's racing with the men 35+, it promises to be an exciting race this year. This week has had good weather so I'm hoping for it to hold out for us and not rain. I'll have a full report on how everything went after the race on Saturday.
Only 12 weeks until the Junior Cycling Camp I am going to! Is it going to be a blast. I'm really looking forward to a full week of a camp totally devoted to cycling.
I'm totally stoked to play my guitar this week. I just got a capo and I'm going to try and learn "Realize" by Colbie Caillat. I really enjoy playing my guitar and now, I find, that it takes up a lot of my free time.
Ciao,
Ashlyn
Only 12 weeks until the Junior Cycling Camp I am going to! Is it going to be a blast. I'm really looking forward to a full week of a camp totally devoted to cycling.
I'm totally stoked to play my guitar this week. I just got a capo and I'm going to try and learn "Realize" by Colbie Caillat. I really enjoy playing my guitar and now, I find, that it takes up a lot of my free time.
Ciao,
Ashlyn
Monday, March 10, 2008
OIA Time Trial #2
After being postponed for 2 weeks, because of bad weather, we were finally able to do the TT by the Orlando International Airport. The weather was good, the wind was ideal, and my legs felt great. After a solid warm up I was ready to go. My 30 second girl was Michelle Blake ( a close friend of mine ). Three minutes before my start two of the junior boys finished. I had my dad on the stop watch to see what there times were. If I wanted to beat them I would have to ride a 16:30. Finally I was at the line to start. Then I was off. My legs felt a little tired at first but then I got into my zone and was just motoring along. I caught my 30 second girl and could see my 1 minute man just ahead of me. It made me go a little faster. I was feeling pretty good. Right after the turn-around I caught my 1 minute man and could see about 5-6 riders in the distance. I had a tail/cross wind on the way back and I felt like I was flying. I soon caught all but 1 rider that I could see. I could see the finish, it was at the top of a little "hill" after an underpass. I was going all out. My time was 17:28. I won the womens category and finished around 20th out of 58 riders. It wasn't my goal time but for my first TT of the year it was pretty solid.
The laugh of the day was in the middle of a water bottle fight that Michelle and I were watching between JP and Jos. Long story short it ended with Jos stealing Michelle's bottle right as she took a drink. When she started laughing the water went out her nose and all over Jos who just happened to be in the line of fire. The laughs that followed got all of our sides hurting.
Thanks for reading,
Ciao,
Ashlyn
The laugh of the day was in the middle of a water bottle fight that Michelle and I were watching between JP and Jos. Long story short it ended with Jos stealing Michelle's bottle right as she took a drink. When she started laughing the water went out her nose and all over Jos who just happened to be in the line of fire. The laughs that followed got all of our sides hurting.
Thanks for reading,
Ciao,
Ashlyn
Friday, March 07, 2008
First Post
Hey everyone,
Well this is my first blog post. I'll keep the site up to date with all the latest and greatest on whats going on, races, big rides, news, all that jazz.
ciao,
Ashlyn
Well this is my first blog post. I'll keep the site up to date with all the latest and greatest on whats going on, races, big rides, news, all that jazz.
ciao,
Ashlyn
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