Originally, we were to race a 40k out and back, but some recent severe weather washed out a good bit of the road, and the race was shortened to 30k.  I have to say the course was so much better then Picacho in regards to traffic and general road condition;  the wind however seems to be consistent no matter where the course is – a not so awesome head-wind on the way out and sick tailwind to push us home at speeds exceeding 30mph! Unfortunately we lost some horse-power early on when Kim suffered a mechanical, many people would have simply given up after such an early incident, so needless to say we were all impressed by her drive and dedication when we saw her not too far from the turn-around.

Thanks to Nippy and SW Hand for putting on the race! Great day ladies, it was awesome riding with all of you! Rock on!

- Heather

I’d like to bring your attention to a worthy cause here in Arizona.  A young cyclist by the name of Thomas Jondall, with whom I’d had to pleasure to ride, is seeking support to race his bike in Europe with the US Junior National Team.  Thomas is not only a very talented athlete, he’s a great kid with a lot of heart and potential.  He’s worked very hard to earn the opportunity to race in Europe, but he needs a little dough to make it happen.  I am personally going to contribute, and I’m sure he would appreciate any amount you can give, whether is $5 or $50.  To learn more about Thomas, read on or visit the Thomas Jondall Donation Page.  Thanks!

Hello,

My name is Thomas Jondall, I’m 18 years old and I race for Landis/Trek White Mountain Road Club. I’ve recently been selected to race in Europe with the US Junior National Team. The team will be racing some Kermesses in Belgium and then go to Italy for the Giro della Lunigiana UCI 2.1 and Giro di Basilicata UCI 2.1. It has been an exciting year for me and I’m looking forward to this new challenge.

After a lot of racing in AZ this spring I took part in the USA Cycling Regional Camp in Flagstaff AZ.  I had a very good camp and in the end I was the #1 rider. Because of this result and a 3rd place at the U.S Junior National Time Trial Championship, I was selected to race with the U.S National team in the six-stage Tour de l’Abitibi in Canada. There I was able to help my teammate pick up the best young rider and sprint jerseys. Along with helping him I was the highest-placed rider for the US team in the overall classification in 6th place. Based on my teamwork and result at the Tour de l’Abitibi was invited on this European project.

This project will cost around $2.000 including airfare and incidentals. WMRC has helped me set up a PayPal account for donations at

WMRC will also cover the PayPal fees to enable the full donation to go to me.

Thank you very much and I appreciate any support.

Sincerely,

Thomas Jondall

More stories from this year about me can be found at:

USAC Development Wrap-up

Bicycling Magazine, August 2010, issue:

Scottsdale Cycling Festival Face book bio

Donations can also be made out to WMRC and mailed to:

Landis Cyclery

c/o Thomas Jondall fund

1006 E. Warner Rd. Suite106

Tempe, AZ 85284

Thank you for supporting America’s developing cyclists!

XOOD is a natural, healthy energy drink with no added sweeteners and no artificial colors or flavoring. It is composed of a blend of maltodextrin, whey protein, fructose, electrolytes, and vitamins meant to go easy on your digestive system.

XOOD is a product of HeartWise Fitness & Nutrition and was developed by two cardiologists who sought to provide endurance athletes with a nutrition product composed of only high quality, natural, heart-friendly ingredients. One of the founding docs, Sal Tirrito, is an Ironman athlete and an occasional writer for our Doctor’s Corner section of Women’s Bike Talk.  Lou Lancero, the other founding cardiologist of XOOD, is also an avid bike racer and triathlete.

XOOD is available in three varieties:

XOOD Green Tea · Lemon, with a natural source of caffeine from green tea extract, designed to energize your workouts. Personally, this is my favorite flavor of XOOD.

XOOD Pomegranate, which contains  polyphenols from natural pomegranate extract, designed to act as powerful antioxidants to cleanse the body of toxins built up during sustained exercise and reduce oxidative damage.

XOOD  Mangosteen, which contains mangosteen, a unique tropical fruit with anti-inflammatory properties thought to  revive tired muscles, as well as to decrease fatigue and gastro-intestinal issues.

Although XOOD is not as well known as, say, Gatorade, it’s definitely worth giving a shot. In my opinion, it does not disappoint.

Today I competed in the Epic Single Track Winter Park Super Loop mountain bike race. The weather was perfect, my bike was fast, and the dirt was phenomenal. Even with tired legs and a heart rate that seemed stagnant, I had a blast.  This race was only my second pure mountain bike race in my racing history so I was thrilled to win my age group and place third overall for Expert women.

Next up, Xterra West Mountain Championship in Beaver Creek, Colorado on July 17th. Thanks for checking in.

2 Wheels 4 Hope is a non-profit in Arizona whose goal is to help cyclists in need.  This year, their benefit MTB race and ride will go to help our teammate Heidi Clayton who was hit by a truck on a training ride in March.  Heidi has since been on a long, hard road to recovery, so 100% of the proceeds from this benefit will go to help Heidi and her family.

Event Information

When: Saturday, June 5, 2010

Where: McDowell Mountain Park – Competitive Track (Fountain Hills, AZ)

Events – Sunset Time Trial & Moonlight Fun Ride:

• Time Trial – Starts at 7:15 pm @ 20 second intervals / Long loop ~ 9 miles/ Categories: Pro, Cat 1, 2, 3, SS, Masters, kids race/ Awards 3 deep/ USAC License Required / $5 One Day License Available / Helmets and lights required.
• Fun Ride – Starts at 7:00 pm / Short & Tech Loops Open / Long Loop opens after TT – approx 8:00-8:15

Registration: Closes Friday, June 4 at 5:00 pm ET / Bike Reg

Fees: $20 minimum donation for time trial  (includes Fun Ride) / $15 minimum Fun Ride donation / 100% of proceeds go to benefit Heidi!

Event Website: 2 Wheels 4 Hope

Please do consider doing this event or simply making a donation.  Heidi is a wonderful woman, and this is definitely a very tough time for her.  Every little bit helps, and we are so grateful to you for your support!

Be careful out there — please!

Nonetheless, she could certainly use some support!  Below is some information the team has received with instructions for helping Heidi and her family during this tough time.

Updates are being posted to the Ahwatukee Cycling Group on Facebook.  Here is the latest:

I just got off the phone with Tripp. Heidi’s in ICU recovering, and needs her rest. She appreciates all the concern and wishes, but the best thing for her right now is rest. So please, NO visitors. In the meantime, we have set up a CaringBridge page for everyone to share their wishes – http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/heidiclayton. Please feel free to go to the GuestBook. Once she starts feeling better, she’ll be able to read all your comments and well-wishes.

A lot of people have also asked how they can help. Right now, the answer is to keep Heidi in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery. Once Heidi returns home, I’m sure there will be 1000 things she’ll need, so stay tuned — we’ll figure out some way to organize all the volunteers to make sure she has meals, help, groceries, drivers, etc. And just as importantly, to make sure she doesn’t have 100 visitors (or 20 zucchini casseroles). Stay tuned here for more details. But for now, no visitors — go up to caringbridge and post your wishes so Heidi can read them once she starts feeling better.

That is some information I received earlier today.  So for now, please just keep Heidi in your thoughts!  Thank you!

Team Camp

Meanwhile, I wanted to share some photos from our Team Camp back in early February (yes, I’m a tad bit behind).  We had a great weekend of training in Phoenix, Arizona.  The riders got to know each other on and off the bike, which was a blast.  We also distributed some product from our great sponsors, including Genuine Innovations, Recovery Sock, XOOD, Athlete Octane, Fluid, and Honey Stinger.  We also had dinner with the great guys at Bicycle Haus, and a bunch of the girls got to ride their brand-spanking-new Specialized bikes for the first time!  In short, it was a great weekend and the perfect way to start off the season for the team.

Group Shot near Tortilla Flats

Maggie Williams – Team Director!

Judy and Cara enjoy the break.

SURVEY

Little Red Riding Hood is an all women’s ride that takes place in the beautiful Cache Valley north of Salt Lake City.  Women of all ages and abilities can choose from 5 distances, and the feeling surrounding this event is hard to describe.  “Girls Ride” with lots of love!! The past several years LRRH has become involved in raising funds for women’s cancer research.

There is a wonderful sense on camaraderie that starts Friday afternoon on the drive from SLC to Logan – cars with bikes and women all heading north to Logan, UT. The anticipation and fun for me begins each year when the jersey design is posted.

It’s fun to see women in their various (and collectable) Little Red jerseys ~ always a shout out – no matter where we ride!! 2009 also brought a new and improved staggered start that worked great, the music always gets you warmed up and the various costumes were a hoot.  The support couldn’t be better ~ food is fabulous & the male volunteers really get into the spirit of the event.

This year (2009) I took a few minutes and made sure the prayer flags I made for this year’s ride were visible and thought about the two women I was riding in memory of and a friend that had just completed cancer treatment for ovarian cancer.  As much as we rejoice with cancer survivors, I will always look for ways to honor and remember the women I have known who have lost their battle with cancer.

My riding buddy Renee and I had talked about doing the 80 mile distance, but changed our minds and went for the century distance.  Truth be known, I think I wanted to see if I could actually ride 100+ miles two years in a row.  As we got to about 97 miles, with 10 to go, I knew I was going to make it and it felt so good!  I used that last ten miles to remember my aunt and friends.  They were and are wonderful women and I was/am fortunate to have them in my life.

Registration for 2010 just opened and last year was full by mid-March ~ please go to www.bbtc.net for info.  For those of you reading this post that knew Colleen Whealdon-Haught, I will be riding in her memory this year, as well as in memory of my aunt and Colleen’s great aunt, who also died from breast cancer, Jean Hornig. I invite you to join me in supporting this great event ~ come on up to Utah and ride with 3000 of your new best friends in the effort to find a cure.

Gaylen Hasson

Gaylen’s Bio:  Age 56 ~ Started riding on a mountain bike 5 years ago and after one year realized I probably could handle skinny tires and have been loving recreational road biking ever since!  I work at The Sharing Place in Salt Lake City, a non profit that provides grief support groups for children that have had someone they love die.  Because of what I see and hear from the families that are grieving, events like LRRH are close to my heart.