Luck Is Preparation Waiting To Happen!

Development through practice, training, and competition must always be related with enjoyment and fun.

How can you expect your technical or tactical skills to develop without personal guidance and precision interface with you bike?

In our search to learn all we can from other sports and sort out what's applicable to our sport of cycling, we begin to realize that we are not so terribly unique, and that we actually share a great deal in common with regard to ideologies, philosophies, theories, practices and problems.

That is the very reason it is so hard to sort through technique that makes a difference!

The action or process of making ready or being made ready for use or consideration!

Georgia Gould's Course! USGP #3 & #4.

Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team) dominates both races this weekend.

view thumbnail gallery

Georgia Gould (WN Luna Pro) took a second consecutive commanding victory at the Derby City Cup, round four of the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross (USGP) held at the Eva Bandman Park in Louisville, Kentucky.

"I would rather just pretend that there is someone right on my wheel and stay in it because you never know. It is better to not wait around. The bigger the gap you have the more room for error."

Gould took over the USGP lead following her win at the previous day's round three and increased it after winning the fourth round. She is looking forward to the next weekend of competition held at the New Belgium Cup in her home city of Fort Collins, Colorado.

"Aside from the World Cup, the USGP does an awesome job in putting on this series and it is definitely my goal to do well in all the races and the series overall," Gould said.

Gould shot off the start line and hit the grass section fully intending to cause gaps to open behind her on the first lap. She opened up a 15-second lead on her rivals by the start of the second lap.

By the start of the fifth lap, Gould was on her way to victory with a more than one-minute lead.

On the sixth and final lap, Gould soloed in for her second victory of the weekend.

Results

		Result
1	Georgia Gould (USA) WN LUNA PRO TEAM	0:38:59
2	Meredith Miller (USA) California Giant Berry Farms/Sp	0:01:53
3	Laura Van Gilder (USA) C3 Athletes Serving Athletes	0:02:08
4	Natasha Elliott (Can) Garneau Club Chaussure-Olgivy	0:02:27
5	Teal Stetson-Lee (USA) California Giant Berry Farms/Sp	0:02:34
6	Katherine Sherwin (USA) Hudz-Subaru	0:02:35
7	Nicole Duke (USA) Hudz -Vista Subaru	0:02:52
8	Pepper Harlton (Can) Juventus Cycling Club	0:02:59
9	Kaitlin Antonneau (USA) Team Kenda	0:03:27
10	Maureen Bruno Roy (USA) MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles	0:03:48
11	Amanda Carey (USA) WN Kenda/Felt	0:04:02

Georgia Gould #1 at USGP Louisville, Kentucky.

No question: Georgia Gould is WN Fast!!!

Georgia Gould put on a clinic how to "pedal to the medal" in cyclo-cross. She motored through sections the ohter's looked like they where in slow motion.

Check it out at www.cyclingdirt.org

USGP takes place at World Championship venue

This weekend's US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross rounds, are taking place in Louisville, Kentucky. It is said, it will provide the first glimpse at the venue for Top Ten Elite Women:

Georgia Gould (WN LUNA)

Natasha Elliott (Garneau Club Chaussure)

Laura Van Guilder (C3)

Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale p/b/ CyclocrossWorld.com)

Meredith Miller (California Giant Berries / Specialized)

Kathy Sherwin (HUDZ Subaru)

Nicole Duke (The Gear Movement)

Teal Stetson-Lee (California Giant Berries/ Specialized)

Pepper Harlton (Juventus Cycling Club)

Amanda Cary (WN Kenda / Felt)

Georgia Gould (WN Luna Pro) captured a convincing victory! The course is to her liking! She finished with a more than "2 1/2 minute lead" ahead of 2nd placed!

Amanda Carey (WN Kenda) had to start at the back, called to the line 31st. Amanda worked her way up to 10th, a great effort. Carey went to the race knowing she has to "earn-he-keep" and she is learning fast!

It is never too late - Sue Butler "UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup #2"

This might be the first cyclocross?

You have to love the distinctive Celtic society of the Highlands. Below racers jumping off a five- foot river bank somewhere in Scotland in 1957. You know that water is cold!!!

Those where tough lads! How things have change, even the gals are in the game!

It’s not just athletic ability – it’s about attitude and desire to improve your game!

To gain UCI points - you have to be there!

It is never too late

Sue is now in Europe getting ready for the Pizen, Czech Republic, her 2nd World Cup, after Aigle, Switzerland. So far this year, she has claimed a podium at 5 UCI races, the opening NACT weekend with the Rad Racing Gran Prix, Star Crossed, followed by the Planet Bike Cup part of the Greenware US Gran Prix of Cyclocross and two out of three of Cincinnati’s UCI3 Cyclocross Festival races. Her top level goal this year is to do well at the World Championships in Germany.

By:

Sue Butler

Published:

Updated:

October 11, 21,2010

Read it at www.cyclingnews.com

or www.suebutlerrides.com

I had a horrible World Cup last weekend, starting in the back, getting hosed in the start, getting stuck behind many gals that can't ride. From almost last to 20th. It was hard.
Now I have the opportunity of a lifetime. FRONT ROW AT A WORLD CUP!!! so excited, but have been sick all week. So mad, but apparently colds don't affect your performance. I hope it is just a cold. It is just nasty. Haven't been able to train this week. So no, not racing in KY. Racing in Czech republic.

Watch out world, Sue Butler is on the front row. :) I just wish I felt my best. What can you do??? I will do my best and push through it and worry about being sick later.

Sue

Amanda Carey Learns Hips! Before the race, during and then after!

If you are a top pro, many fit systems would love to have you on their fit.

Amanda's choice is WN!

Why? Results!

If your business is to win races, you want an edge and Amanda, like so many pros gets it with WN. Men and women are very different, their balance is very different, so that needs to be part of the process. Many fit systems don't take that into account.

Amanda Carey is accepting the challenge of trying something new and different. Look her up and note that Amanda was already fast, she has the results, we are just making her faster.

Amanda goal was 2010 NUE National Champion "DONE".

Those events go for 100 miles. So it's very interesting to see her "kill it" in an 60 min., training cyclocross sprint while here in Boise in prep for KY.

The body is an amazingly complex machine. All of its various cells and tissues communicate with each other, and their activities are precisely coordinated. It is also amazingly how few approach the cyclocross sport learning skills, or some form of practice?

Do we not focus on skills in every other sport? Is it about training only?

Imagine, then, how much more active a of your body systems become when you engage in active movement. As your physical activity increases, so does your muscles' physiological activity.

Active muscles require more nutrients, more oxygen, more metabolic activity, and thus more efficient clearance of waste products.

Our quest is how athletes can optimize their physical performance and it seems to work very well!

Amanda Carey was already fast, she just got WN Faster!
From the 100 mile races to the 60 min. cyclocross!

100K MTB Baja Ultra Endurance. "Pua's WN"

Pua's is very good about describing her races, sending pics, etc... Monique Pua Mata

Buenos días! (Sorry, after being in Mexico for a few days, you can't help but want to try and speak Spanish.)

I hope you had a fantastic weekend are having a great Monday morning. I just got back from my race in Ensenada
and wanted to give you a little report. Below, I wrote a little story about the weekend, but for those of you who have
busy schedules and better things to do....I took the win in the women's and was 4th overall in the men's.

On the men's side Manny Prado took the W at the finish after battling with a local all the way to the end and Evan
Plews came in right in front of me for 3rd. For those who have time, here is the story of my weekend:


As most of you know, this past Saturday was the 100K MTB Baja Ultra Endurance race in Ensenada. It was the 4th
annual and my second time making it down there for the event and racing.

On Thursday the race promoter, Jorge Trujillo, drove down to San Diego to pick up Evan Plews from the airport and
myself from my car (which he let me park at his brother-in-laws house). Without any hassles we drove across and
in no time, we were pulling into the hotel.

The minute we put our bags down, they took us downtown for some Mexican Food, I had some fish, beans and rice
and it was muy bien! When we were done, they insisted on trying some Flan for dessert. I have never tasted it
before and I wasn't sure what I would think, but it was pretty tasty. For those of you who have not had flan, it appears
to be like custard, but with a much more dense texture and is made of egg...a ton of it.

When we were done we walked back to the hotel and went straight back to our rooms to get some shut eye. There
was a press conference in the morning at 10 and I wanted to get up and be pedaling by 7:30 so that I could get a
couple of hours in before.

A local racer, Tury, was my guide and he was waiting right on time for me in the lobby. It was overcast, a little chilly
and slightly misting, but perfect weather for a ride. The course headed through town for a ways and we decided
to ride the start up to the top of the King of the Mountain then turn around and head back.

Let me tell you a little about the riding in Mexico. First of all, yes, this course was mainly fire road, but remember
this is Mexican fire road which means....steep, rough and unmaintained. It feels like when you are going up, you
are going straight up and finding your groove is nearly impossible as you are trying to navigate your way through
the rocky terrain that is throwing you in every direction. When descending, you are in the same situation, but
you are just holding on as you are trying to just let go of the brakes and not be completely thrown from your bike.

We got back to the hotel with just enough time to get cleaned up and head to the press conference which was
right down the hall from my room. When I walked in, there were reporters, the local TV station, the local radio
station, a bunch of cameras and the table up front where Evan and myself were going to be sitting. As it began we
had no idea what was really going on, being that everything was being said in Spanish. Eventually the microphone
made its way towards the both of us and we were given a translator and we commented on the event and how
excited we were to be there.

When that was over, we headed over to a local cafe/restaurant called Bajafrut and had some lunch and luckily
there was a waiter who spoke very good english and I got exactly what I was looking for, a turkey sandwich and a
glass of pure, natural pineapple juice.

That afternoon was the registration and bicycle check-in where they checked every racers bicycle to make sure it
passes inspection. When the bicycle passes, it receives a bracelet to make sure that it is that bicycle that you use.
Along with that bracelet, your helmet receives a green sticker (and I am still not sure what that one was for.)

For dinner we headed over to a local Italian restaurant and other than the service being extremely SLOW, the food
was excellent. I can understand slow service, but when there are literally only 2 full tables in the restaurant....

After dinner was the racer meeting and then it was straight to bed. As I got into bed I could not believe what was
going on outside, there was some circus going on and the sound system was blaring and it felt like they were right
outside of my window. Luckily I was so exhausted that I still fell right asleep, very soundly, until my alarm got me
up at 5am.

The race started at 7am sharp and with the sound of go, we were led out very slowly by the local policia through
town until we reached the fire road that turned off of the main road. When the lead vehicle pulled off, the reigns
were released and the race began.

Less than 10 minutes of the race beginning, I could see everyone slowing and when I looked up, I saw that the
first gate that we were approaching was closed and the only way to get around it was a single file line around to
the right....only in Mexico! This really put a wrench into the race, being that the guys in front were able to take off
and get a good away, but it is all part of racing right?

The course had a lot of climbing...steep and rough climbing. We also encountered "trails" that were made right
through the dry river bed. The navigation was made very interesting. You were battling the sand while searching
for the pink ribbons that were barely grabbing on to the dry sticks and brush. Or you were mashing through the
fields on the farm land that were supposedly their "road," but it was bulldozed and covered in dry grass and it was
so slow, I felt like I was barely moving. The other excitement on the course came from the dogs that were along
the course as we pulled into different villages. There was nothing like being chased down as these dogs were
growling and nipping at your heels, especially when you were in the last third of the race and sprinting up the hill
was something that your legs were just not appreciating.

After 4.5 hours in the Mexican hills and mountains, I rolled into the finish, the first woman and fourth overall. There
was a good size crowd and they definitely were not expecting a girl to be right there with the guys and I got a
few interviews and then I was taken over to get a free post race massage. A massage after a race is insane, but
have you ever had a massage with three ladies working on you at once?! Let's just say...heaven!

The post-race event was a festival and the awards ceremony was awesome. They had a ton of prizes and give
aways and everyone was waiting to win the 2 bicycles that were being given away. I was able to do the honors
of picking the name of the Ellsworth frame winner and could not believe a) I had to choose and call out 4 names
before actually choosing the 5th name who would actually win and b) the winner had to jump in the pool that was
in the middle of the venue!

It was an awesome weekend and I am glad I made the trip over there to participate and hope that I will be back
next year. The promoters put on such a great event and do everything in their power to make sure that every racer
walks away with an experience they will never forget. Yes, it is Mexico, but it is still bicycle racing!

I have exactly a month before I am starting at the start line of La Ruta de los Conquistadores. Lots of training
ahead and probably a few cross races. Have a great week and until next time....Hasta luego!

WN Pua