Mafia Racing Blog

While I am a “Pro” in the eyes of our sport’s governing body, among other sources, I don’t truly make my living off the sport, which is a bummer in some ways, but also makes things a lot less stressful. Often, “Real” life gets tangled up with racing ambitions and goals, and for me, it’s almost more amusing and interesting to see how things turn out than if I were to be singlemindedly focused on race performance.Last Wednesday offered a particularly fun opportunity to see how my body reacts to unexpected circumstances.

Wednesday night, here in Boulder, we have our weekly short track throw down, which combines fun and suffering into 30 minutes of laps on the best short track course in the world. However, on that particular day, my (new) job had me working down in Denver. Being as I’m now employed at the Brewers Association (yes PBR is a member!), I was tasting food and beer pairings for our upcoming media lunch at the Great American Beer Festival. Awesome for the tastebuds, but a little rough on the stomach in advance of a maximal race effort only a few hours later in the day.

Remarkably, the three courses of rich food and 17 different beers I tasted did little to hold me back when the green light flashed, and I hung on with the big boys, finishing top-5. I’ve rarely turned down a beer feed, but it turns out, you can get away with imbibing beforehand as well. Just goes to show that you don’t need to obsessively schedule your nutrition before a race. Bottoms up!

Tristan Schouten took home the top Men’s Pro spot this past weekend at the famed WORS series in Wisconsin. The Border Battle, which attracts the top mountain bike racers from both MN and WI was demolished by Tristan in the 95+ degree heat. Check out this video to see what Tristan thought of the race. http://vimeo.com/14003506

 I am extremely excited to be writing this post introducing everyone out there to a new local Mafia partner. Trash Bags messenger bags is based right here in Minneapolis, yes the very city that was recently voted #1 bike city in the US!

 I heard about Trash Bags through a guy who knew a guy who made bags. I inquired about the bags, got one and loved it. When I went to pick up my new toy I got to talking to Andy Larson the man with the vision to better the world by making top notch messenger bags that were not only works of art most importantly functional and durable. Over a short period of time I have learned a lot about Andy and his passion for cycling and making the best messenger bags in the biz. Trash Bags was started a little under 2 yrs. ago with a goal and desire to make messenger bags that improved the areas where all others were lacking. Andy taught himself how to sew… that’s right he’s self taught and under 2 yrs. he has pumped out 203 awesome bags! Even though he is new to the messenger manufacturing world he is far from new when it comes to using them and putting them through the ringer. Andy has been a messenger here in MPLS for the last 8 yrs. and anyone who has visited or lived here especially in the winter months knows that mother nature is not easy on you or your equipment. Andy has raced in Alley cat’s all over Europe, competed in multiple Cycle Messenger World Championships and has even organized the grand daddy of all alley cat’s Stupor Bowl. He has used multiple different bags from a variety of companies and has always been left a little dissatisfied and he finally decided it was time to do something about it.

 The great thing about messenger bags is that you can carry all your junk around in them wherever it is you are going. Junk or “Trash” better yet Trash Bags… bingo! Now onto the logo which looks like a metal trash can, the one that is used in wrestling for added excitement. Trash Bags now had a name and a logo but what to call all the the different sized bags he is going to make? Small, Medium, Large etc… that is the same thing that everyone else does and not at all catchy or fun, no they need more character. Dust Pan, Trash Can, Dumpster, Landfill, WasteBasket (Clever name for the hip pouch model) and the list goes on from there.

 After meeting Andy and getting to know him and about his company I knew he was a total fit with Mafia Racing and the Mafia Creed. I love supporting small local businesses as well as the cycling community and industry so to me it seemed obvious we should join forces, Andy agreed! We talked, had a beer then talked a little more in the end a partnership was formed and this was born:

Large exterior pocket:

Main pocket with 2 inner slip pockets:

Trash can logo on the left side:

Shoulder pad:

 It sounds so cliche to say “the pictures don’t do it justice” but in this case they really don’t! The craftsmanship, style and thought that go behind these bags really makes them stand out amongst all the other bags out there. This particular bag is the Dumpster model, it has 2200 cu. in. of space to store just about anything you can imagine. There is the main pocket with a double inner slip pocket in addition to a large exterior pocket, it also comes with a blinky light strap and an under arm strap. The best feature in my opinion is the the shoulder pad, they are like little pillows attached to the strap. They save your shoulders when carrying that case of PBR or any other heavy load you have in there. The bag itself rests nicely on your back and low enough so it doesn’t obstruct your view when looking back for oncoming traffic.

 This beauty custom with a red racing stripe, Mafia logo and script reading “Mafia Racing” was crafted by Ashley Bruha and Andy. Ashley is a new addition to the Trash Bag family, she works in what she calls the “Aesthetics Department”. Ashley brings a lot of skill to the crew and has the same passion for cycling and creating awesome bags as Andy does. I gave Ashley some ideas of what I would like to see on the bag, when Ashley and Andy finished the bag I was blown away! They went way above my expectations.

 Andy and Ashley are great people and it is awesome to partner up with them to spread the word about Trash Bags and Mafia Racing!

 Check them out on the interweb at www.trashmessengerbags.com. If you have a custom design you have always wanted on a bag let them know, they also have a great selection of colors available.

I seem to have started my World Cup racing career in a rut… I guess I have 5 World Cups under my belt since August 1^st, 2009, and each one has been more or less a disaster. I’m over the shock and awe factor of these races, and I feel like I am beginning to understand these beasts, but I keep allowing them to kill me.Sunday was another rough day near the back of the pack… Things started well in Champery, Switzerland, I was riding well up inside the top 100… spend some time running though the woods with Mike Broderick and Finsty, and threw plenty of punches and probably stepped on a few derailleurs. I felt good and I was definitely moving up from my 109th starting position. Michael pulled some world cup wizard moves and all of sudden he was 30 people in front of me, I was hoping to just hang on his wheel and move up through the field, but after the start loop that plan was obviously out the window. I kinda ended up in between groups at times as I face planted my way though the technical root sections for the first laps, which meant I hung out in the wind by myself when I was actually riding my bike. And as usual, I found myself yelling a lot of nonsense at the guys who happened to find themselves and their mullets rolling around on the ground.Which makes me think about how bizarre racing at the back of these races is. In the States, I am becoming more and more familiar with the front end of the big elite races… but here I am still very much relegated to the back. You back home who watch these races Freecaster at 4am, see the front of the race single file, effortlessly, in and out of the camera view. And that’s really how it feels in America at the front of the race. Back here all I ever see is bodies and bikes stumbling, awkwardly though the woods… it kinda reminds me of those gazelles on the open savannah, no one taking the same line and ebbing and flowing as a single entity as hyenas chase behind. Same sort of gig at back end of a World Cup, except we are a lot of really uncoordinated gazelles, and some of us spend more time face down in the dirt than we would like.But it’s the same result in the end… inevitably the fastest and most graceful survive… whether we are running from lions or the follow moto, it doesn’t matter. I gotta figure out how to become one of those who survive, because right now, getting pulled with 2 laps to go just isn’t gonna allow me see tomorrow in this sport.So now I am in Italy, preparing for the Val di Sole WC on Saturday… I am planning on being graceful and swift… I’ve got some legs under me, so good things can happen, maybe I won’t get caught by the metaphorical hyenas… 

Here are some photos my friend Ben Grass snapped of Mafia racers at MTB Nationals in Sol Vista last weekend. I was psyched with my race—3rd in Cat 1 short track—and there were many other Mafia racers who should be psyched about their results too!

They added a fun little bermed descent to the STXC and XC courses. Yay for pump track skills!

Me and fellow Mafia teammate (and fiance!) Spencer after my race.

Podium. In my flustered state, I initially got on the wrong step. Oops!

Mafia racer April from Seattle racked up two podium finishes in the Cat 1 Women XC and Super D.

Pro women getting it done.

Cat 1 racer Lianna smiling big in the XC. She raced the Pro Super D on Sunday.

Spencer on a rocky descent in the Mens Pro XC.

Moon dust.

Churro, the new team soigneur.

Thanks to all the supporters out on the race course and back at the epicenter of fun and beer in a sea of seriousness—the Mafia trailer!

Maybe Switzerland or Italy will like me more than Colorado seems to… I’m en-route back to Europe right now… probably by the time you read this I will be in Switzerland preparing for another World Cup in Champery, Switzerland then to Val di Sole, Italy. Pretty excited… but maybe what I’m most happy about it putting my racing at Nationals in Sol Vista behind me.

I came into the weekend as confident as ever… Last year I put together a great 3^rd place ride at Sol Vista, and I came into the weekend with people all around me insuring me I could win in this year. I had some phenomenal results both in Europe and in ‘Merica coming in, and was arguably the fastest U23 coming in. All of that, a really damn good pair of legs, and a renewed desire to race after some quality toughening up in Montana set me up pretty well. Too bad none of that was relevant… the course was a piece of work… It was the bumpiest, most miserable excuse for a race course I have ever ridden. Wide as a highway in some places, and full of little 2-3 inch bumps made pedaling near impossible on my uber stiff Felt 6 hardtail.

I rode in an elite front group of 5 or 6 for the first 2.5 laps of 5, but after constantly having to close gaps opened by those on full-suspensions, I started to fade. I got josseled around so much in that first half of the race that I developed a side ache and I just felt like I was getting kicked in the ribs every time I hit one of those shitty little bumps or tried to breath deeply. My day was over by lap 3.

I am however super pumped for Tad Elliott who rode away with the win. He’s had a tough bike season up to this point, and to see him kill it on a home course was awesome. I couldn’t want anyone else to win more. Russell Finsterwald put together a great 3^rd place result… sounds like he turned himself inside out for it… but he’s gonna have a lot more opportunities to stand on top over the next 3 years. Mitch Hoke finally got on the podium his last year as a U23 and considering he is one of my best friends I couldn’t be happier for him. Its good to see all my friends up there, even if my own aspirations were shut down. And Lydia Tanner pulled a 2^nd place in the chicks U23 race! Stoked for her. We spend so much time on the road together year in and year out, we see one another’s internal struggles with results and racing, its good to see some of the people closest to me finding success.

Saturday I was in serious need of something redeeming… and I found it in the form of PBR, torn dollar bills and really short jean shorts. I am not gonna be famous for my racing over the weekend, but I think I might be after our Mafia Racing/Tokyo Joes Joint superfan effort. Mitch and I instigated a crew of about 15 people between our two teams, and did amazing things in the woods. The back half of the race started taking beer feeds way earlier than I had expected… like lap 2… watched adam craig slow down from his chase for 3^rd place in order to get a dollar bill out of an empty PBR can… saw Well’s laughing as we did the wave and Jeremy got pretty excited about our spirit fingers. Care-Bear laughed as we all pushed him up the hill and Mitch chased him down with tan-lines blaring and antlers along side his cowboy hat. Look for us in MTB Action I think… supposedly there are gonna be some photos.

I got something out of the weekend on the bike Sunday… I was riding between 9^th and 11^th in the pro mens short track, and was pretty amped on what looked like might be my first top ten as a pro. I was turning myself inside out when Todd lapped me with 4 laps to go… expecting to be pulled I stopped after passing the USAC official wildly waving his arms at me. I watched 6 people go ripping past who evidently weren’t being pulled, and confused and pissed I jumped back into the race. I was able to ride back up into 13^th, which matches my XC ride in Wisco, but its bitter sweet after riding so high up moments earlier. The official was very apologetic… but it was just so typical of the weekend. A bunch of uncontrollable variables that lead to a lack luster weekend. To cap it off they got results wrong and at 6pm on Sunday night I had to frantically scramble to make sure they were corrected. What a cluster… Sol Vista wasn’t bringing it this weekend.

But I am over it. I’ve got bigger fish to fry at this point… it was one poor weekend up in the thin Colorado air and really, I just have trouble caring a whole lot. Maybe hanging out in the alps with be a little refreshing.

…Won a race in Colorado. Until last weekend. Let’s face it, the racing scene in Colorado is brutal. So many big ballers show up at any local event, which makes it kind of hard for a middling pro like myself to step up onto the top of the podium. So it was with great satisfaction (and a bit of surprise) that I won the Winter Park Super-D last weekend, breaking a dry spell for myself that dates back to the 2007 Iron Creek Off-Road Triathlon in Spearfish, SD.I didn’t know how the race would unfold. It was my first Super-D of the season, and I’ve been working on my starts. Sure enough, that helped me hit the singletrack in third, and after a few hard efforts, I was in control of the race, riding in first. I kept it smooth on the descents and drilled it on every section that presented a risk of being passed. Who knew an 11-minute race could seem so long and hurt so much!?With that confidence-booster in my back pocket, it’s off to Sol Vista this weekend for Nationals! Stop by the Mafia tent if you are out and about.No good photos yet, but this guy has one on his site. What can I say? I’m too cheap to  download it.

what a weekend!  It all began last Thursday when teammates Kathy and Stephen arrived in Madison.  Once the bikes were built Kathy and I went for a short spin around one of the lakes and Stephen explored Madison a bit by bike.  We met up with Dave and some friends at the Weary Traveler for dinner and were pleased as always.  Everything on the menu is good; definitely hit it up if you are in town!

On Friday we met up with a friend who set out not only to ride but race her mountain bike for the first time in years!  We made our way to the Krahl Inn in Wild Rose, changed and headed out for the pre-ride and registration.  Though it had rained a lot and WI was plagued with tornadoes the past few weeks, no one coming off the course looked especially muddy.  In fact, the trail conditions were perfect!

My boyfriend Dave met up with us very late on Friday night, got a bit of sleep and raced Open Singlespeed bright and early.  He was kind enough to pit for me, Kathy and Stephen.  It was nothing too fancy but here is our tech set-up: wheels, tools, pump, bottles…

Fortunately neither of us needed the tech support, but it was nice to have the option for once!  I ditched my beloved hydration pack in favor of some bottle hand-ups for the first time this season:

photo: Amy Dykema

I had a great warm up and a good start in this race…much better than my first pro race, the Mellow Johnny’s Classic.  I stayed in the top 15 for the first half before I started to fade.  I didn’t exactly bonk, just let the awful heat and humidity get to me and wasn’t there 100% mentally.  Having only ridden my mountain bike exclusively in my last two races, my technical skills felt a bit off at first, but they started to come around as I got into a good rhythm.

The spectators were amazing!  I absolutely loved the course and had fun on the drops.  I am starting to figure out my strengths and weaknesses and hope to gain the confidence to be more aggressive in the future.  I know that none of these ladies just started riding in the past 2 years, so I am trying to be patient as I gain experience.

I finished in 20th place, which was good enough for the last spot in the money:

Kathy was 18th, Danae was 23rd, Tristan was 11th, and Stephen had the race of his season so far, finishing 1st U23 and 13th overall!  Cat 1 riders Andy, Peter and Rich also represented the team well!

It rained pretty hard again on Saturday night, but the sun was out again on Sunday in time for short track.  I felt awful during my warm-up and pre-ride; just could not get my legs ready.  I got my call up and hoped for the best:

and we were off!

photo: Christine Czarniecki

I followed Kelli’s wheel on the outside and after the first turn I was somehow with the lead group of 5!  Suddenly my legs felt perfect and I was surprised to see Willow right next to me.  I stayed with them through the first couple of laps and just tried to hold on as long as I could!  Georgia, the STXC national champ, was stuck briefly at the start and here we are riding before she totally kicked my butt:

photo: Amy Dykema

The race was 18min. + 3 laps and I made it through over 18 minutes, which I’m thrilled about!  I lost a place when I slid out on a slick corner descent, but I finished 13th overall.  Katie was on fire and lapped almost the entire field!  Kathy finished 11th, Danae 19th and in the men’s race Stephen was 18th, while Tristan killed it for 6th overall!  Dave put on a great show and won the Open Singlespeed STXC race for the second year in a row!

This weekend was just what I needed and I have renewed focus for the upcoming races.  It’s a dream come true just to line up with these women.  I loved spending time with the teammates and am really proud of the great efforts everyone put forth!  We all had a great time in Madison Sunday night and hung out with the U23 National team before everyone went home on Monday.

Thank you to Don and WORS for putting on such a great event, my family and Dave for supporting everyone at the races, Mafia Racing, Felt, PBR, and my sponsors who make racing possible for me!

Life is simple and good. Wake up, coffee, eat, ride, stretch, eat, shower, relax, eat, climb on the roof, and sleep. The past 4 weeks have been beautiful. I have spent time riding with my dad, re-uniting with friends in Cashmere and Bozeman and looking for new places to swim… I’ve ridden though ferocious thunderstorms, gone running with my old dog Ruby, and maybe best of all I have found a temporary place to call my own now, meaning somewhere to unload that perpetual suitcase I carried around the past 6 months.

I can hardly believe it’s July. In so many ways I feel like its been a long season already, there have been a lot of miles logged since that drive down to Durango in January. And all of that seems like a distant memory now. But the season is only half way through, and the biggest races are still to come!

The past four weeks have been an opportunity to find some balance in my life again, which means a lot of long rides (a few of which I’m happy to say have been in baggies and a t-shirt), and spending as much time as possible outside of ‘bike world’, which generally involves backyard barbeques and dance parties. I’ve had a lot of time to catch up with friends, reflect on how awesome my life is and how supportive my friends, family and teammates are, and work out little details I have been neglecting all spring. Its been time to slow down and get back some of the matches I burned up over the first half of the season. It’s felt so good.

I have also had the opportunity to do some of those rides and races that really make me remember why I love this sport so much. The other day I rode the Bangtail Divide in Bozeman and just had my breath taken away for a couple hours. The balsam and lupine were out, alpine meadows were green and snow was still flanking the Bridger range, just a stones throw away. It was sunny, warm and the trail was tacky and the soil was dark. I couldn’t get over it. It was just the perfect ride. I had a smile on the whole time. 

After I got back from Europe, I was pretty worked… emotionally and physically. It was a long trip with bad weather and tough races… we just never got those perfect days over there. So to come home and get to race the Leavenworth Bike n’ Brews race was a total treat! It’s a course I have ridden hundreds of times, its only 15 min from home, and I had friends and family out enjoying the race. It helps that I won, but James put on a great show as always… everyone had a blast at the awards ceremony, good beer and live music! It was great to meet some of the Mafia Northwest guys and gals as well. We have such a good presence up here, I love it!

To top off a brilliant June, I just put together one of my best races ever out in Wisconsin at the Subaru Cup Pro XCT. I think Wisco is one of my new favorite places. The race was well done, and such a fun course. It literally couldn’t have been a better weekend. I got to meet some more of the Mafia/Felt/PBR Pro Team, Meghan Korol and Tristan Schouten, and Kathy Sherwin… I met Meghan and Kathy in Madison Thursday evening, and Meghan showed us around town a little. We met some of the locals and got a good feeling for the town. I had only heard good things about the area, and now I know why! Everyone is super friendly, and a few of them are complete characters. People are progressive and thoughtful and it felt good to be surrounded by awesome people! Tristan put together a great race too, he finished 12^th and I came in right behind him in 13^th! That’s two Mafia Racing guys inside the top 15… but then Tristan blew us all away by throwing down a 6^th place finish in the short track! It was so rad! We raced together inside the top ten for the first half of the race, but when things started to break up I wasn’t able to hang with the lead group, and ended up 18th. But man, just a super impressive ride! After a good weekend hanging out up in God’s country in the middle of Wisco, we came back down to Madison and Meghan and her boyfriend Dave gave Kathy and I the full tour of Madison… it was an evening fueled by PBR, and once Ethan, Mitch and Greg joined us, things got pretty wild. I don’t remember the last time I went to bed at 330am… I spent all day Monday bumming around Madison with some friends from school, and after that I kinda fell in love with that town. Its just super cool. Put it on your list of places to go. It’s not often that I get to tourist around somewhere, I’m always on a time frame, have my legs up or race venues tend to be out in the middle of nowhere. So it was a real treat to spend time exploring a new place!

So now its back to the grind stone… my performance this weekend got me on the National Team squad for another trip back to Europe after Nationals. There are two more world cups over there this summer, Val di Sol, Italy and Champery, Switzerland. So I have a quick trip back to WA this weekend for a wedding then its four weeks of big races all over the world. Before I know it, its gonna be august and time to set up for Windham and World Championships at Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec! But right now I’m gonna go get some ice cream and sit on my roof.

 Every place I’ve lived has had a weekly practice race series in the summer — back home in Vermont, it was at Catamount Family Center, just a few towns over from home. As great as that (and many other race series) was, nothing seems to top the Wednesday night short track races at the Research Park in Boulder. I’ve literally seen multiple World Cup pros (legit ones, like Kashi Leuchs, Liam Killeen, etc) line up to throw elbows on the dusty, twisty, whoopy track that is, to me, the finest short track course I’ve ever ridden.

Summertime truly begins when these races become part of the weekly ritual, and (at last!) it is that time again. I have to say, I’ve never been riding so well in these events. They’re usually stacked, and I often race conservatively so not to blow up halfway through, but the legs seem to be coming around nicely, and for the first time during the last five years I’ve lived in Boulder, I’m on the front, mixing it up in the lead group. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m focused on only mountain biking this year, or maybe I’ve finally figured out the right pacing. Heck, it could even be that sweet new Felt Nine that is the sickest bike I’ve ever owned! In either case, the weather is finally warm, the racing is fast and summer is in the air.

Bike racing. Fun.