Valley of The Sun Stage Race, Phoenix, AZ

Arizona, world famous for its stunning views holds true to what I experienced on this trip. It was amazing in all aspects. What I saw and experience I will always carry with me. It was filled with beautiful sunsets and sunrises, smiling, friendly warm faces, unbelievable team support and encouragement, mountains that brought smiles to my face, and a very fun stage race. After completing this trip I have confirmed that I'm definitely a stage racer. My new nick name given to me is "mountain goat" thanks Leah!

Thursday, Feb 11th we flew into AZ. When we got to our host housing we made a few friends at the front gate. I cant remember the piggies names but they where very friendly.
We got our bikes together and hit the rode with Tim Louis who took us out on a beautiful ride.

Friday, Feb 12th. VOS Time Trial 14.8 miles. We woke early and left for Buckeye about 40 miles west of Phoenix. We parked our truck. Kristen made herself a very nice nest in the back of the truck. See her smiling face! She warmed up to the truck nicely. My TT start time was at 10:00. Got to the start gate and saw the start ramp. I was kinda of nervous going down the ramp. Never done that before. I was feeling pretty good and areo with my TT helmet on for the 1st time. I never use a TT helmet:). Kristen and Leah did there TT at around 2:00. Leah had some mechanical issues with her seat post during her TT but was able to finish it. I finished 10th out of 38 women. Finish time 40:26. Not bad but not great. Need to improve my TT skills.

Saturday, Feb 13th, VOS Road Race, Casa Grande. Again we left early. It was a 50 min trip south of Phoenix. My start time was at 9:45 a.m. Kristen and Leah started at 2:00.
We parked and made camp in the truck. Weather for the RR was sunny and 75. Looking out at the course I saw some mountains and was smiling! The Cat4 race started with a field size of 38. It was slow going the 1st lap. Wind picked up. I decided not to take my usual front position. I stayed in the middle. As we reached the climb, it was not a mountain climb at all. It was manageable but not for some. I knew after that climb what I was going to do. 2nd lap of our race, an accident occurred. They neutralized us for a few mins then told us to continue to race to the finish. It was a 2.5 lap race. Half a lap left, the up hill climb finish, I attacked. Two other riders rode with me. One caught up. The four of us gunned it up the climb and sprinted to the finish. I came in 3rd place. It was fun. I was happy:) Kristen and Leah's race started strong. It was a 3.5 lap race. I took my position in the truck and cheered as they came passed. Leah was a trooper. She was holding strong and pacing. Kristen was all smiles in the pack. I was wondering what she was thinking about? They both had a successful RR. Great job.

Sunday, Feb 14th Criterium, Downtown Phoenix. I raced my 20min criterium in the morning. I wished it was longer. I placed 13th out of 38. It was fast from the start. I knew it would be. I had a hard time closing the gap. Not confident taking the corners. There where 8 turns. The last few laps I closed in a bit more. Then a rider blew a tire in front us before the last turn to the finish. I slowed a bit to go around her then hit my sprint to the finish. It was fun. Kristen and Leah lined up. The Pro women and cat3 lined up together. I knew this was going to be there race. It was the perfect course for them. Rightfully so, Leah was feeling nervous. Her 1st big cat3 race with Pro women too. Pic of Kristen lined up at the front there. She hit it hard from the start. Held positions in front for a few laps. It was so great to see them race this criterium. They both did a great job. Kristen went for 1 prime but got nipped at the line. At the end, they both had excellent sprints. Leah took 3rd place finish!!! Whoo Whoo. I'm so proud you. Kristen had a field finish!!! Awesome! Way to go team.

To end the trip, we got in a few days of training and nice rides. Monday we went out easy riding with Tim Louis and his wife. Took us on a 2 hr ride through out the area. Tim made me happy and threw in a little climb. Thank you Tim:)! Again it was sunny and upper 70's. Tuesday was my favorite day of all, I couldn't sleep that night thinking about climbing " Mt. TV" Monday night we had a wonderful evening and dinner with Tim Louis and family. He informed us that Mt TV a great climb showed us views and directions on how to get there. Tuesday morning we took our time. Slept in a bit:) We got to the park around 10 ish. It was a beautiful area. We took the warm up trail out and back. Things heated up fast after the warm up. I paced them the mountain. I kept going, going and going. It was a blast! The roads curved around and the scenery was unbelievable. When Kristen got to the top of the mountain, I got a pic of her on the ground. How are ya feeling Kristen??? We decided to do the the mountain again!
We rode for 3.5 hrs on Tuesday, climbing. As we left the park, I must say I had tears in my eyes. I really enjoy that kind of training. No stop lights, just keep riding up, up and up. Leah and Kristen got me off to the airport that evening. Thank you team mates. Also, I want to thank you Carrie and Jon and family for hosting us. It was a pleasure meeting you.

Lastly, There two things I don't want to see for a while... PBJ sandwiches and Cliff bars. Thanks to Leah for using her " Park tool" wrench as a knife to spread the peanut butter!

What's next ... ABD indoor TT this Sunday. Not looking forward to getting back in a trainer!!!!