Monday, June 27, 2011

Nature Valley Grand Prix is a wrap!

Last week was fun, looking forward to a week off now. It was great to be part of the NVGP Team and meeting some new and old friends. I had all kind of team directors in the past, different nationalities, ages, etc. but to be honest never a woman, a french woman :-) ! But Marion Clignet definitely had her stuff together and is a great motivator, coach, athlete, etc.

As a team (Tim, Brandon, Stephen, Alec, Scott & Scott) we had no impressive results and I wasn't able to accomplish what I had in mind but Timothy Rugg, aka Mustache, saved the day for the team with his awesome ride in Sunday's Stillwater Crit which earned him the Most Aggressive Rider Award.

With Tim & Scott after Stillwater. Photo: Lyne Lamoureux

Monday, June 13, 2011

Tulsa Tough > Minnesota, NVGP

After some racing down in Texas over Memorial Day Weekend we wrapped up Tulsa Tough yesterday. My team had some highs and lows, with a "crashy" Friday night but some good sprints by Jason Waddell to place Top10 twice in a stacked field of 130 guys. Cry Baby Hill was crazy, as usual, or maybe even rowdier and more crowded then the years before.

Party on "Cry Baby Hill". Can you spot the P/1 peloton?

(Photo by Lyne Lamoureux. Check her website for full coverage of the race.)

Now I'm "back" in Minnesota for another edition of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Like in 2007 I'm racing on the Nature Valley Team, a group of amateurs compiled from across the country. Instead of the composite team of '07 where we had Jonathan Page, Olheiser, me and ? (forgot their names) this team is made up of guys who each won a regional "selection" P/1/2 race. Thanks to my trip to snowy Utah I'm here today and the crew around promoter David LaPorte are already taken good care of us. We have some professionals with great experience as team directors (Michael Engleman for the Ladies and Marion Clignet for the guys).

This will be my fourth time up in Minneapolis/St. Paul for NVGP and even though I'm a bit tired from the last 3 nights of racing I'm already looking forward to a "stinging" Wednesday morning Time Trial by the Smith Ave bridge.


Flashback: Racing for Nature Valley Team back in 2007 with Page & Co.