Back in the DiRt!

This past weekend I went to Palo DUro Canyon to race. It was a good course, lots of different terain. But it was very sandy. I have one spill. Over the bars ended up with a mouth full of sand...yyyuucckk. It was good to be back in the dirt. I won my age group and got 4th out of 10 total women. I've got a little work to do, but its coming.. This weekend I will race another mtb race, in fort worth. Thats it for now..

Much Needed Update.

Its been a while since I have posted. Heres a little run-down...

My parents and I have moved to Bartonville, kind of old news, but its been a slow process, things are coming together, and it is actually becoming our home now.

In August I started school up again, still at TWU. I am taking a full schedule, which I am liking. It keeps me very busy. Hope it keeps going as well as it is going now.

So in early September I went to St. Louis for a week for my best friend, Lauren's wedding. I had a blast! I was there on my birthday, so we also celebrated that(I am 22 now!). I got to see people I havn't seen in forever. The bachlorette party, rehersal dinner, the wedding, everything was awesome. Wes also got to come up and join me for a few days, which was great! We all had so much fun.

And yes, I am still riding. Just taking a while to get back to riding after breaking my collar bone. My collar bone is doing good, just have to get the speed and strength back in my legs. I am trainging now for the Fall MTB season. I will do probably about 4 races then get right into winter training, and get ready for next year's road and mountain bike season. Ill keep you up to date on all that a little more frequently now.

Just this past weekend, Jim and Craig from Bicycle Heaven were nice enough to invite me to hang out with them this past weekend at the Cotton Patch/OmniSys races. Wasn't such a good weekend for me and my legs, but I had fun anyways.. I was suprised with a spiffy new kit and socks from Jim, which was awesome! Lovin it! Oh, and the Hampton was awesome! they had freshly baked cookies every evening at the front desk!

Tonight I plan on doing the ride in Irving that goes from the church. Probablly just do an easy ride and recover a little from this weekend.

On Thursday I will be heading to Palo Duro Canyon for the Mountain Bike Race. I am meeting Wes there. He's been hunting/guiding in Colorado for the last month, so it good that we will get to hang out for a weekend. My Dad may also meet us up there to watch and camp and do all that fun stuff. So can't wait for this weekend. I will let you know how it goes!

I've also still been doing soccer lessons and babysitting, which is always fun. But I will start working Blue Goose soon also!

Thats about it...
so long.

On The Road Again

"Rachel- Don't take offence to this, but you are a man." (He was reffering to me being back on my bike already) So thats what I heard on my first ride back on the road on Wednesday when the KOW ride passed me. Haha.. I thought it was funny. Not only was it good to be on my bike OUTSIDE again but to see some of the people I usually ride with on the group rides was good too! It was good to hear people have been thinking about me. I even got to do the slow part of the ride with then when they were cooling down, wow.. do I miss that! just wish I could do the fast part too! But I wont push it yet.. Im trying to be patient. I am just glad to be back on my bike .. can't wait to really get going again...

keeping busy..

Sooo.. I've been home bound the past couple weeks. .. but I had to get out the past couple days.. and Wes came to visit so that helped also. We went swimming, watch fireworks, walked the grapevine trail, and cooked. Kept pretty busy while I wasn't on the trainer or taking naps. Oh, and I've been cleaning the house, unloading the dishwasher(w/ one hand), and doing laundry! I'm a stay at home daughter. I also did a painting today! thats my life right now...

watch out! here I come....

so today was like a huge step in my recovery! I was able to sleep all night, and I slept like 12 hours. I was able to get a lot of motion out of it. I can even almost put my are straight up. It was like someone put a magic spell on me over the night or something. Yesterday I was bearly moving it and getting a piercing pain, crazy???? oh well, wont question it.. ill take all I can get.
:)

not as planned...

So.. this weekend was AT&T crit in Austin. Went from San Antonio to Austin Friday, ate with the team and headed to the hotel. Saturday morning we rode a bit, and I got to try out my new, awesome purple shoes! We raced at 6:50pm. I was excited to race, that soon ended in about the 30th minute, coming around turn 4. Coming around the corner, seeing a girl go down, and having no where to go. i was headed straight for her, my only option in my head was to bunny hop her. Which I think I did successfully, this is when everything becomes blurry. I think I must have hit the curb on the way down and flew into the metal barriers and slammed my face into the pavement. Well that's what I assumed happen, with my swollen face and sore right side of my head. So the outcome of it all was a new bloody white kit, cracked helmet, black eye, cut under my eye, broken collar bone, road rash here and there, and a few swollen spots. But the good news is my bike is already all set up on the trainer with an awesome new stem, I am now just a townie cruiser. I'll let yall know when I can get back out on the road. TTFN.

San Antonio!

So I am here in San Antonio. Riding and just having some fun. Will be doing the local races here with my teammy- Jenny..wooohoo... we went to the river yesterday after our 50 mile ride. Very relaxing! Tubing and just hanging out.

Nexy big race will be the At&T crit in Austin! Can't wait!

i ride a bike.

SO this past weekend was the Memorial day weekend crits, which included the state championship crit. It was a great weekend, racing and just hanging out with the team. Friday night, Brad had us over for dinner-Very good dinner, and played some pool and just hung out. It was a very good time. That night, jenny and I stayed at lees house, saturday morning, woke up at 530, and headed to the race. We raced at 8am. 1st time all us girls have raced together. FUN! i loved it. We got 1,3,4,and 5 over all. Then that also included 1st and 2nd in the 3's race. Because Sue raced with us! Sue won the 3's, off the front with shannon, and another rider. Then satuday we ate at Lee's for dinner, swam, and hung out. Sunday, Jenny, kim and I raced. got 5, 6, and 17. Then Sunday night jenny and I had my good luck dinner at outback... looks like it good luck for Jenny too! Monday we raced at 1:30..soso hot! we even got a splash zone...ha.. well make a long story short.. Jenny stayed off the front from the begining of the second lap... ashley, kim, shannon, and I all worked together, covering attacks, shannon attacked a few times, brought riders back... with 3 laps to go we got orginized, Kim then Ashley then Shannon then me. They made the last few laps hard. We came around the corner with shannon 1st, then another rider, then me... the other rider jumped, so I did too. I won the field sprint, thanks to my awesome teammates. 2nd overall, and won the 3's race. I had so much fun this weekend! Thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way. I couldn't be happier. THis coming weekend is Tulsa Tough... it will be my first NRC race... :)

Change of Plans..

Unfortunatly, I am not going to Tour of Arkansas. Did not have a good weekend at Joe Martin, due to my stomache problems, and I am also looking to get some points so I could possibly be a 2 by Tulsa Tough.. I am going to go to Houston to do some crits this weekend. Which I am excited about because one of my best friends, Irena, is back in Houston for the summer, so I get to stay and hang out with her. May stay and extra day or two also! Back to Joe Martin, I got 15th in everyrace, and 16th GC, not what I was looking for, but thats how the world turns. But I've got to go. Talk to you soon!

Getting ready..

This weekend was pretty full for me. Friday I headed to Lee's house about 11 am, so we could head to Austin to do the Shiner Rally. Friday when I arrived at Lee's house I got a call from nathan, "hey, see what lee thinks about taking you to Sugarland sunday, to race the Sugarland crit." So, that pretty much means I would race Sunday. So that was the plan. Friday when we got to Austin we met up with TOny and Doug to take the extra cars to shinner so when we got done with the ride we didn't have to ride back to Austin on the "bus". After that little trip we all met a couple more of their friends for dinner, Michelle and Chuck. We went to a high end Cici's. It was so good, I can't remember the name, but there was so much to chose from, and even dessert! After we just headed to the hotel and headed to bed. We had an early start Saturday, the ride started at 7 am. It was nice because our hotel was right at the start. Rode out the door, and right by all the "rally-ers", wanting to stay in the safe zone(ahead of the wobblers). The ride was 90 miles, rolling hills a couple decent climbs. I am so glad I went. THanks Lee! We averaged 22, so it was a good ride for me since I am getting ready for Tour of Arkansas and Joe Martin. Then Sunday was an earlier morning for Lee and I get up at 4:40, and we got on the road about 5 or so. Of course, with Lee driving. I fell asleep for pretty much the whole ride :) So the Crit started at 920 and we got there with pleanty of time for me warmup and get ready without rushing. It was a womens open race.and there was a decent turn out like 21 girls. .Jenny also came to race! yay, first race I got to have a teamate! We worked together well. It was my first 60 minute crit, so that longer duration was different for me, along with a little faster pase. So anyways, by the end of the race, there was one off the front, who had been off since about minute 20. We were as close as 7 seconds at one time, until a jr.boy(who we were also racing with) got across and started working with her.. so now we were racinging for second. one lap to go me and jenny started getting ready before the tight turns jenny began to led me out, and what a leadout it was, I think we gapped the girls almost immediately. and coming around the last turn we definatly did have a gap, when I got up to sprint I did not see anyone on my wheel. and as I went by jenny i told her she could go for third. keep it up. and she did. so we got 2nd and 3rd! Very exciting. and we have to give lots of credit to Lee, at least I do for dragging me along all weekend and taking care of all my stuff and bike and whatnot.
So I had a really good weekend! Fun, and all that! ANd tomorrow we leave for Joe Martin, can't wait!

I am babysitting lots latley..

and changing nasty poopy diapers...

and some how I still love to babysit...

i love ice cream....

<3<3<3

"at least they won, other wise I'd be really mad having to be in this rain"

so last night I went to the Stars playoff game! Very exciting game! They won 3-1. Our seats were like the highest possible, but you could actually see really well, and it was a plus that no one was behind us to spill beer or peanut shells on us. They gave out towels, if anyone watches hockey, you know what those are for .. I did have to dodge the whirrling towels a few times. people were getting a little crazy. The craziest part of the night was going back to the car! It was pouring down rain, and sooooo windy.. and it was actually funny watching the women who were actually dressed up in heels and whatnot running, getting soaked and freezing. By the time I was in the car, I was drenched! But oh well, had fun. Love going to sporting events, its worth it. ..

:)

This past weekend was Rocky Mount stage race, just outsde of Shrieveport, LA. We stayed with Russ, one of Nathans buddies. Thanks to Russ and Shana for the food and hospitality! I had a great time. It was a womens open race, the roadrace was saturday morning, bright and early. 8:05am, still very chilly! But it went well, just sat in and rode, got the 7 sec hot spot. One girl was off the front for a lap, but she was back towards the end of laps 3. The pace actually picked up on the third laps, when people actually decided they wanted to bring her back. So by the end of the third lap I think thre were about 10 of us for the last stretch. Sat 4th with 1K to go then 3rd, then 2nd and at about a 100m to go I went for the win! Yes, I won a road race. :) So I was 10 sec infront of 2nd and like 20 or so infront of 3rd. After the boys got done, we headed back to Russ' to rest a bit before the TT. I was pretty neverous going into the tt, knowing I havnt figured out how to TT yet. Havnt had any very succsessful TT's yet... but, I went out, did all I could, but it wasn't enough. 3rd place(Milissa) took first and I got bumped back to 3rd :( The crit was Sunday morning, chilly, once again. Got the 5 sec hot spot and sat i again. Kind of a non exciting race, no real attacks or anything. On the last lap, I was thinking of going early to try to make up some time and move into second. Yet, I've never been successful off the front by myself..so I decided to just stay in for the sprint. Came around the last turn 2nd, and went with about 150m to go. I won the stage, yet did not make enough time to move up in GC at all. So I came out of the weekend with 2 stage wins, 3rd GC, and some cash, not bad.(3 seconds short of 2nd and 12 short of 1st.) I'll get 'em next time.. :)
Oh ya... im loving the picture of me on the website.. haha....not

thank goodness.

So this past weekend I raced the Mineral Wells road races, and I got my points to upgrade(to a 3)! for sure... yes its confirmed. I did what I was told, sat in the group, and waited for the sprint. I won the field sprint both days. 2nd and 4th. Pretty fun weekend. We had a team dinner sat night for the everyone who was in town, and lee even graced us with his presence! ANd today I went to the Rangers opening game! so fun! and it didn't rain, like they thought it would. it was actually very warm. so, I wore shorts to the game, and my cycling tan showed. and multiple people commented on it! people I did not even know.. so weird. " Hey you.. Nice tan line" mmm... Irena and I just laughed.. :)