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Check back once a year to see MAYBE one additional blog post. Some topics may include, racing, training, and women's cycling in general.

Intelligentsia Cup 2021

Donkey Label p/b Premier Sport Psychology

Our Custom heat pressed jersey from Donkey Label.

We are pleased to announce a new composite team for the 2021 Intelligentsia Cup, July 17th to 25th:

Donkey Label p/b Premier Sport Psychology

Our team consists of 5 Category 2 riders from CO, IL MN and VA. Our riders include Erin Ayala, Maria Larkin, Jennifer Sharp, Melissa Teeple and Lauren Wissman. We have come together as individual riders to form a stronger unit together, we aim to learn from each other each day, put a positive racing mentality forward and to hunt for opportunities within the P1/2 peloton to make our mark on the series. We are grateful to Julie Kuliecza, Head of Rider Recruitment at Intelligentsia Cup for facilitating this composite team. You can see us in person at each of the races, series schedule is located HERE

Our Sponsors:

We are extremely grateful to our sponsors. Without their support we would not be able to come together as a team and compete in this 10 day race series.

Donkey Label

“DONKEY LABEL IS AS MUCH AN ETHOS AS IT IS A COMPANY.
That ethos is based on simplicity, in life and design. It’s based on the belief that the process, ingredients and the people that go into making a product actually matter. It comes from our unapologetic approach to doing things the way we feel they should be done.“

Donkey Label is providing custom kit and accessories for our team for the week of racing. We’ll be racing in the DLR Womens Bib Short, DLR White Monochrome Jersey with custom heat pressed logos. We’ll be teaming this monochrome look with Ellen Four Dot Socks and DLR Binary Socks in Pink. Donkey Label is also extending a 20% discount to anyone who wishes to support the team. Use code INTELLIWOMEN20 site wide from July 17th to 25th.

Premier Sport Psychology

“Premier Sport Psychology, PLLC helps athletes on and off the field. We provide mindset training and counseling services to professional, Olympic, elite, collegiate, high school, amateur, recreational, and youth athletes, as well as musicians, actors, performers, and business professionals. We also work with the University of Minnesota Athletic Department, providing sport psychology services to 750+ student-athletes. Our mission is to help athletes reach optimal performance, mental health, and enjoyment in their sport and life endeavors.”

Premier Sport Psychology is generously providing financial support to the team and the costs incurred from racing a 10 day race series. We will also be availing of the services provided by Premier Sport Psychology to improve our racing experience over the course of the week.

You can learn more about the services that Premier Sport Psychology provides HERE.

Our Riders

Erin Ayala (she/her) - @erineayala

Erin joins us from Stamina Racing Collective based in Minneapolis ,MN. We look forward to her bringing her power and charm to the P1/2 peloton. Insider tip: if you want to win Erin over, it can be easily done with iced cofee and an almond croissant

Maria Larkin (she/her) - @_marlar_

Maria comes to the squad from local team the Chicago Cuttin Crew. Maria is also supported by Donkey Label for her cyclocross season. Maria loves crits and cross and hopes to put some of her skills to good use for the team. If you see her tail gunning for a lap too long please yell ‘MOVE UP’.

Melissa Teeple (she/her) - @twowheeledteeps

Melissa comes to the team from her hometown of Roanoke, VA. She’s never had a home team but is stoked to be plugging into this team for 10 days. She hopes to spend time working together to shake up the races and snag some primes all while seeing all the different neighborhoods of Chicago and the surrounding area.

Jennifer Sharp (she/her) - @jtothesharp

Jen comes to the team from her home team of Stages Cycling. Jen is an experienced racer and coach, she runs Sharp Coaching along with her husband Ben. Jen never ceases to seek out learning opportunities outside of cycling and racing. She is a certified yoga instructor as well as a Pilates instructor in training. Jen sent no less than 15 photos of her dogs Mochi and Oskar rather than sending an actual head shot for this announcement.

Lauren Wissman (she/her) - @_wisskers

Lauren Wissman is also a member of the Chicago Cuttin Crew. A former collegiate soccer player Lauren has always been the consummate team player. Lauren is an expert in finding balance between racing and living the high life, she will always find something to do in a host city and she’ll drag you along with her no matter what. Lauren is looking forward to getting back in the break and finishing what she started in 2018 & 2019. [Maria wrote this bio for her btw]

Nationals 2020

Photo Credit: Bryan Keane Cycling Ireland

On Sunday I won the Irish National Cyclocross Championships. It was a race I have been focused on winning since I first returned to race in Ireland in 2015. I came away with a silver medal and a deep respect for what it takes to become a winner. Last Saturday night I had three silver medals, a bronze medal and a 4th place under my belt. I would have said I was willing to trade in those three silvers for a gold on the spot. On Sunday at around 1:30pm I felt glad that I still had them and knew that without them I couldn’t have won the gold.

Months and years of racing on heavy courses made hard women out of my competition, it showed me my weaknesses, taught me respect for those who were lining up each year. I was knocked into second place by Fran, Beth and Lara, three deserving champions, but it left me wondering would it ever be my time. I aimed to not feel entitled, not feel like I ‘deserved to win’, feeling like you deserve something makes you lazy, makes you think the win is inevitable, stops you from training as hard as you need to.

This year was not going as planned in November. I had gotten thrown off my rhythm in July by getting a bad cold which lasted two weeks. Before that I felt solid and secure, afterwards I struggled to rebuild the fitness I had before. I came into September a bit weaker than in years past, and the season proved to be the wettest on record, I struggled in the thick mud, but the struggle was going to make me into a hard woman, what I needed to be to win at home in Ireland. My weaknesses made me smarter, careful with my efforts, not wasting a single pedal stroke when it wasn’t needed. I began to come around and win using my brain. It helped me to plan my races, to analysis my competition, to figure out how to win on any given day. I struggle in my homeland from not knowing my competition, for doubting myself against the unknown strength of the women I would be racing against. I would build them up in my mind into invincible riders, no matter how I trained the women in my mind were training harder. This year I tried to let that go. I asked myself what could I do to win against the course. What could I do with the things that I could control, and not to stress over the things I could not.

The race itself was one of those blank mind days. A race when you have so much focus the constant chatter inside your brain is silent. Even when I was behind I heard nothing, when I lost out in a tussle with Roisin Lally, a first year junior with a sharp elbow, I did not react, I kept focusing on the full 42 minutes that lay ahead. I focused on moving forward, no matter what it would take, running half the course? Sure I would do that. When I got to the pavement on the last lap I let my mind out of it’s box, it came back with the volume all the way up, I did it, we actually flippin did it!!

Thank You

Thank you for your support and good will over the past 5 years. Thank you to my sponsors this year, Donkey Label, FKLaw, Allan Thom and PAWS Chicago, UPB Cycling Team, Abus Helmets, Colnago USA and Challenge Tires. Thank you to Ballina Cycling Club for providing an amazing venue and race experience. Thank you to Cycling Ireland, TG4 and Velotec for providing such a high quality livestream for everyone to watch the race on, this is how we grow our sport and make sure it’s accessible to all types of people. Thank you to the photographers for capturing the spirit of the day and allowing us to share these amazing stories. Thank you to my friends and family, both in the US and at home. Thank you to the women’s field at the Chicrosscup, you’ve push me to be a better and stronger racer every time we line up. Thank you to the Chicago Cycling Community for all the support and encouragement. Thank you to Alex Blom for making sure I am kind to my body when it needs it. Thank you to the Chicago Cuttin Crew for being my second family, keeping me sane, and keeping my ego in check. Thank you to Jen Sharp of Alp Cycles Coaching for guiding me through the good and the bad and giving me the tools to cope with both. Thank you to Annicka, Kelsey, Mary and Nora for being my constant friends and sounding boards. Thank you Daphne for getting me into this mess and being my partner through it all. Thank you Mam & Dad. Thank you Kyle.

Donkey Label Racing p/b FKLaw

I am pleased to announce that I will be partnering with Donkey Label Racing for the 2019/2020 cyclocross season. I’m honored to be joining Tobin Ortenblad in repping the Donkey Label elite squad this year. Donkey Label is a hardworking brand that focuses on simplicity and quality, our partnership is summed up perfectly by their ethos of

‘Be loyal, work hard, and maintain a sense of humor, a sense of self, and a sense of style.’

That’s something I aim to do every time I get on the bike and I’m delighted to find a sponsor who aligns with my values, keeps it fun, and looks good while we’re doing it.

I’ll be racing the US UCI calendar with a Midwest focus, and returning to Belgium in December for the tail end of the Kerstperiode. Having done two races there before nationals last year it left me wanting more, I always strive to continue pushing myself to race against the best competition on the hardest courses and I’m so lucky to be able to live that dream in the home of cyclocross

I’m lucky to have a continued local support in Chicago with FKLaw, Colnago, UPB Cycling Team, Team Paws Chicago, Abus and Challenge tires returning as partners this year.

Keep an eye out for Donkey Label Racing p/b FKLaw and my new kit at Iowa City and Waterloo World Cups in just over a week!! Photo by Santa Fabio Photography.

#hardworkingandhumble

Report for Women's Cycling Ireland

An Update from Belgium

I decided to come to Belgium with two objectives in mind, race my bike against the best in the world and get back some race legs before Nationals. I have always wanted to race my bike in Belgium ever since I started following cyclocross and the Kerstperiode, cyclocross’s holy week, is known around the world for it’s large fields and fearsome competition. Although technically I arrived after the Kerstperiode had ended there were still a lot of international racers around and stellar courses to race. Work and family commitments prevented me from doing the entire week of racing, but after discussing it with my coach (Jen Sharp of ALP Cycles) two races in seemed like the perfect compromise and would be the best preparation for Nationals.

Thursday - Arrival

I arrived on Thursday in Brussels airport with my husband and mechanic Kyle is tow, tired from a restless night and without any bikes. Not an ideal start to the week. My Colnago Prestiges had not followed us on to our connecting flight and were stuck temporarily in Dublin of all places, it’s almost like they knew they were almost home and decided to stay put. Denis Dhondt of Cyclocross Custom, met us at the airport and he assured me that we could cobble together a race fleet from what he had if worst came to worst. Definitely not an ideal situation as riding an unfamiliar bike on challenging courses would be tough to adapt to, but it was reassuring to have Denis and team ready to help me if I needed. We decided to leave the airport and settle in to our AirBnB and try and get some rest. Thankfully the bikes arrived on the next flight, 12 hours and a nap later, and after a long back and forth (they had been misplaced again upon arrival) with the Brussels airport staff they handed over the bikes and we were on our way.

Friday - Recovery Ride

The next day and after some assembly I got out for a ride with American Corey Coogan-Sisek (Amy D Foundation) and she showed me the sights around Oudenaarde including the famous Koppenberg climb. I was delighted to get an opportunity to ride up it, and less delighted when I got some dirt on my tire about half way up, found my tire to be slipping out and then had to run a section part of it. Honestly it seemed to me that running might be faster!

It was great to see a friendly face and to get the lowdown on what to expect from racing this weekend. This is Corey’s second year racing in Belgium and she will be staying until the end of February. You can follow her travels on CxMagazine where she’s been writing extensively about her experiences as a foreigner racing in Europe. One of the reasons I picked up a little dutch before coming here was based on Corey’s articles. Knowing the word for ‘fiets’ and ‘dames elite’ goes a long way here and is well worth the time it takes to learn a few words.

Saturday - Race Day: Gullegem

Gullegem was the perfect race for me to start off with. It was a relatively simple course, quite flat, very few death defying features, and a high but not insane level of competition. The ground was a damp, slippery but not very muddy. There were only a couple of spots where I felt out of my depth and for the most part I was riding sections similarly to the Dutch and Belgians around me. I rolled up to the line and was ready to race, I felt confident that I could get around the course and that I might have a decent day if my legs were ready.

Thankfully the course was relatively straight forward

The start was fast, down a main street in Gullegem, and in classic Belgian style, with an abrupt right turn down an alley and into a field. After avoiding the first corner pile up and staying upright after being bumped on both sides in the start chute the race was on. I felt decent but not amazing. My legs were sluggish, and I couldn’t find the next gear to hang onto the larger group in front of me once the race had settle down a bit. I tried to be positive and keep pushing forward, knowing the the purpose of this trip was to find my legs, not have them already. I had a couple of missteps. Specifically I tripped comically on the barriers when hitting them at full speed. I escaped unharmed and dusted myself off, uttering a loud ‘WHOOPS’ to the delight of the crowd standing by, they laughed with me (I think) and I continued on. I had to drop my bike at the pit as I quickly realized my shifter was twisted in, but with Kyle and the Cyclocross Custom crew waiting for me I didn’t loose any time. I had another minor slip up at a small kicker over a ditch, I reached out to grab a post to save myself, missed it and fell down the hill and let out an expletive. This time the laughter was most definitely not with me but it wasn’t too harsh either, so I got up unharmed and was on my way again. The rest of the race was pretty uneventful and I was happy to make the lead lap with Loes Sels, Annemarie Worst and Nikki Brammeier on the podium I knew I had done well on my first day out in Belgium.

Sunday - Race Day: DVV Brussels

Sunday’s course couldn’t have been more different. It was the first time they hosted a race at the University in Brussels and they certainly found all the most challenging terrain they could on the grounds. There was a drop off of death, a flyover of unforeseen steepness, two trips up and down a grassy amphitheater as well as a host of other tricky off-camber spots and about 1000 curbs and roots to puncture on. I was not feeling very confident after my preride. I had attempted the drop off 3 times, and bailed each time, escaping unharmed but not feeling like I had it in the bag. I had also fallen down the flyover once, and came close to crashing down it another time. The top was so short you could not easily clip back in before heading down the ramp, and the ground was soft at the landing so it was very easy to dig your front wheel into the ground and buck yourself off.

Running - The Name of the Game in Brussels

I normally have enough skill to get around a course without feeling like I will be in tears by the end, but this was next level. There is also very little time to get familiar with the features here with only two small pre-ride windows. Usually in the US you have Friday to preride, then there is a race both days so there is plenty of time to ride the features multiple times and in different orders. I heard someone once say;

‘In the US you have course features, in Belgium, you just have the course.’

4 (ish) laps before the start would have to be enough and then it was into the deep.

Overall the race went better than expected considering I was talking myself off a literal ledge just an hour before. The course made more sense when ridden at higher speed, and I had made a resolution with myself before the race started to just run the scariest parts and avoid putting myself at risk of serious injury. I had too much at stake to try to push beyond my limits this weekend, I have a very important race coming up and it wasn’t worth it to break myself or my bike with a week to go to Nationals. My running worked out for the most part, despite loosing momentum in critical spots (un-avoidable if I couldn’t stay on my bike) I was not making huge mistakes, I was at least moving forward and cleanly, just not as fast as the others. I had one run in with the dreaded flyover after not getting clipped in before dropping off, I slipping my pedal at the bottom and landed all my weight on my bike, resulting in a saddle 3 inches below where it had started and cocked to the left. Luckily I could pit soon after that and was on my way again.

It was not a complete surprise to me when I was pulled after three laps, it was not what I wanted, but I knew that I was loosing valuable time to the leaders due to my inexperience. In fact I was not the only on loosing time, the top ten was extremely spread out with minutes between the riders. Overall I was not disappointed in my performance, only disappointed that some sections of the course had bested me and I wouldn’t get another chance to master them. My goal this weekend was not to focus on results, instead I wanted to focus on gaining experience and see what it’s like to race in the homeland of cyclocross. I did the best I could and considering the level of skill and competition here in Belgium, it’s not half bad for my first time racing here.

Monday - Sleeping In and Exploring

As is normal the morning after a weekend of racing cyclocross I felt like I had been hit by a train. Normally I have to go back to work on Monday morning and have to suffer through my ‘cyclocross hangover’ aka extreme dehydration and mystery bruises. That is not the case this week as I’m living it up like a pro. I slept in till almost ten and feeling somewhat refreshed we headed into to Ghent to explore and see the sights. Ghent is a beautiful town, with cobbled streets, castles, trams, and bicycle riding Belgians everywhere. It was the perfect recovery recipe, and with plenty of water, and a Trappist beer I was feeling like myself again. The weather has been unseasonably dry here, so I am sure it helped that we were seeing Belgium in the best light possible, and not through a haze of rain and fog.

A Flanders Weekend

I would highly encourage anyone who is thinking about coming over to race in Belgium to just give it a go. The courses are the best you can find, the competition is high and the people are friendly. Come prepared, invest in a good Airbnb, make sure your bikes are in full working order and be ready to try something that firmly pushes you outside of your comfort zone.

I am incredibly lucky to be able to take the time to race here. I couldn’t do this without the support of my husband Kyle, my coach Jen Sharp and my sponsors. I also have to thank my friends and family who are constantly encouraging me to continue to follow this journey. I’d also like to thank Cyclocross Custom for their support. They provided washers, trainers, start and finish line support, and if I had needed it, a whole bike to race. If you want to get the full race experience over here I recommend using their service, it makes life a whole lot easier to have someone showing up to the course at 9am, setting up a tent and then being able to speak the right language in the pit.

Tomorrow we pack up the bikes and head home to Mayo. I’ll be taking everything I gained this weekend and putting it towards one last race of the season on Sunday. So far this has been a fantastic trip, and something I would definitely do again. Maybe next year I can squeeze a few more days in before Christmas and get to really experience the Kerstperiode in full. I’ve had a taste for Belgian racing now, and I have to say, I liked it.

Kerstperiode Racing - Gullegem & DVV Brussels

Why did I come here?

I wanted to get a chance to do some racing in the home of cyclocross. The courses, the conditions, the crowds, the competition. I wanted to see what the fuss was about and bank some experience in the toughest place to race bikes. I also traditional find it tough to keep my fitness going strong after a month off racing between early December and nationals. I do spend a lot of time on the trainer and riding in this period but with holidays and no racing it’s difficult to know how my legs will feel when I get to the start line in Ireland. I also wanted more time to adjust to the time change and get as far from the plane journey as possible. Rolling up to the line just 3 to 4 days after over 12 hours of travel has always taken a lot out of me and the year I gave more time to adjust I perform better.

Goals of the trip

Adjust to the time zone
Get back some racing legs
Practice handling in some tough compeitions
Try some Belgian Frites and Beers
Achieve a life long (cycling) goal to race in the home of cyclocross

Things of Note
- Arriving in Belgium, no bikes. Fail #1. Eventually got them back 10 hours later. Thankfully Denis was there in case of emergency and assured me we would get some bikes together if worst came to worst.

-Day I race - Thankfully mostly dry course, but slippery enough that I needed my mud tires. I brought Challenge Limus on two wheel sets and I was expecting mud everywhere. But it has been unseasonably dry here and in Ireland.

First time I’ve had the option of the same tire on two bikes - LUXURY

Course:

Slippery conditions, mostly flat but with some tricky transitions from one field to a lower damper area. There was also a tricky feature which I am referring to as the pyramid. A vertical ditch which you approached from and angle and which came to a point at the top. A two story flyover, the tallest I’ve ever ridden. Two weird step ramps in a row. Smoking crowd of ever increasing hoard of Belgians.

Results:

31st and made the lead lap with Loes Sels and Annemarie Worst and a lot of really great women. The course worked in my favour as it was not a death defying feat of bravery to just get around it. That didn’t stop me making some comical errors, probably symptomatic of my rusty cyclocross skills which haven’t really been tested in the last few weeks. I tripped on the barriers and landed 4’ from my bike, to which I could only say ‘Whoops’ to the delight of some belgians looking on, and grab my bike and continue.

What is different;

The start. Aggressive, I haven’t been bumped like that on a start shoot in a long time, maybe ever. Felt like a crit, and not the good type.

Crowds, they are huge, they smoke, the music is terrible. I found it hard to breathe on lap II because I was inhaling cigarette smoke at every turn.

The course - twisty and turn-y, not many places to put out huge amounts of power, or at least when you could it was short. Constant hoping on and off of your bike, hard on concentration levels.

Day II - DVV Brussels University

Big field and a brand new course. To be honest this race course pushed me to my limits. There were critical sections where I could not ride due to fear and lack of technical skill. I consider myself a good technical rider, but this was next level, racing over here exposes your weaknesses and it isn’t pretty. There was a death defying drop off, a steep flyover with soft squishy ground at the bottom which could and did cause people to flip over the handlebars if you failed to clip in. There were several sections which required both on bike and off bikes skills.

My main issue was that I have other plans this trip, and risking my bike and my body to prove myself up to the Belgian standard was not worth it. Instead I committed to running sections, which meant I had a relatively smooth race. It was vastly different to the preride, as is often the case with crazy courses, they make more sense at speed. The tougher sections are linked together in a different way, instead of disjointed, sometimes stopping and re-riding, often at speeds that never happen while racing.

Overall I loved this trip and racing in Belgium allowed me to achieve some of my lifetime goals. I’ll be back dammit.