Over the past couple months I have been in Europe experiencing the infamous racing of the Spring Classics. Traveling between France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and finally to Germany from where I left to fly back to the USA. It was a challenging time of hard racing, travel and training, but I enjoyed it so much and experienced a lot that can not be experienced racing in the US. We raced in Women’s World Tour races, which are the highest level of professional racing for women. I was riding alongside world champions and national champions. The races were faster and the courses more difficult than anything I had ever experienced. But this was perfectly suited for me. I am an endurance rider through and through, so the faster, longer and harder the better.

At the end of March we raced 3 races in Belgium, I learned so much and my 66^th place at Gent-Wevelgem proved that I can hang with the big dogs.

After the block of racing in Belgium, my team and I drove back across France to Bordeaux where my Costa Rican teammate and I stayed with my director. We had 3 weeks of training (which included lots of workouts and weekend races with junior men… very fast) before the next big race in Belgium.  I was feeling great for the first 2 weeks and crushing workouts and races.  The plan was that at the after this training block we would go to Belgium April 21st to race the 23rd and then travel to Czech Republic for a 4 day stage race.  After which I would fly back to Canada.

However life did not go according to plan.

The 3 weeks of hard training became 2. The Saturday (1 week) before Liege-Bastogne-Liege- April 23rd (a women’s world tour race), I began having muscle cramping in my legs. My first thought was OH SHIT, because I am not a stranger to this feeling, and when it comes on I know its not good and will last more than just 1 or a couple days. So I quickly went into fix it mode and did my best to rest my legs, get hydrated, and eat super clean with no sugar or carbs at all.

I was getting better and feeling recovered by Thursday, but the 14hr road trip on Friday to Belgium did not help my situation. I arrived that night tired and legs very fatigued.

So unfortunately, despite all my efforts to feel good and race well on Sunday, it was not meant to be and I could not finish the race. I started and almost immediately started having cramping. I pushed and pushed and tried to get it to stop, but my body was done and telling me to rest. So at 25km (40min) I pulled over and got in our team car. It was a very difficult moment and quite heart breaking. Because I had worked so hard for the entire month and was so focused, but to end my race like this was so disappointing.

After the race, my director sat down with me and we decided the best option for me was to fly back home to New Mexico and recover and find the solution to this problem. He saw the difficulty I was going through all week and knew this was not the simple cramp that passes after a day. It was a week of struggle, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

So I got on a plane in Frankfurt Germany the next day and flew back to New Mexico.

That was last Tuesday (April 24^th). I immediately went to Urgent Care for testing and got to work contacting all the doctors or connections I knew to try and get advice or find a specialist that could help with this cramping issue. The first constructive piece of advice, and what I had already heard before, was to consider a muscle biopsy. This would give more indepth information into how my muscles work and if there could be any myopathies or diseases involved that cause me to go through this.

Over the course of the week I tried to get the best rest I could as my legs were still having some signs of cramping. I took 4 days completely off the bike and just doing some light swimming. And also doing a 3 day juice cleanse. This helped flush out my system and clean the toxins still left in my kidneys from racing and training. I really love doing juice cleanses (when I’m not in hard training) because I can get a reboost to my system and not have to think about my diet or food. Its all laid out for me and I just get to drink the amount I feel I need. I debated going for 5 days, but Sunday I began to feel a bit drained and for best muscle recovery after the cramping I needed some protein, so I began eating some avocado and fruits. That was also the first day I tried riding and it felt really great. Given, it was only 20 minutes, but still, sitting on the bike and pedaling was amazing!

So of course just as my legs are starting to come back to normal I get news that my biopsy is scheduled. Well I should say starting to, as Monday I had a slight cramp while on the rollers, but it also became a good thing for the biopsy.

Yesterday I went in for surgery and the biopsy was completed along with a kidney ultrasound to see if there is any irregularity in my kidney size or function.

Now I’m in recovery and taking it easy for a couple days as my muscle heals. It is quick recovery so I am looking forward to getting back to my active life of training and racing soon.

It has been a crazy couple weeks and as I lay in the hospital I couldn’t help but think how it was May 2^nd and I was supposed to be in Paris. But instead I was in the hospital in New Mexico about to go into surgery. Crazy how life works and just when you think you’ve got it all planned out it all changes in a second. I’m grateful to be able to have this testing done though and hopefully get some answers. I’ve been having this problem off and on for about 3 years and still don’t know what causes it and why.

This is a big step forward for my career, and now that the test is over I can focus on my recovery and getting back to training for my next race.

So many times in life something happens that we think it’s negative and will ruin the plan we have set for ourselves. When in reality, it actually is something positive. Where we don’t realize until after the dust settles and learned the lesson, that this event or change was something good for us.

I experienced this just last month as I was finishing up my training in Tucson and getting ready to travel to Europe for racing. For a couple weeks I was feeling fatigued and tired in my cycling, I was having difficulty with intensity and pushing at a harder pace. Nothing had really changed in my routine, I was still taking my vitamins and rejuvenate, getting rest, and eating healthy. I had just finished a large block of training and so thought I was probably still tired from that. My last day in Tucson I tried to go for a hard group ride, but without surprise I couldn’t stay with them when it started to go faster. I was mad at myself and frustrated with the extreme tiredness I was feeling.

When I arrived in Santa Fe I began having some leg cramping and decided this was my body saying it needed rest. So I decided to take the rest of the week off the bike and have a blood test done. The test showed my Iron levels were extremely low (lower then I’ve ever had). My running coach from high school said this is almost certainly the reason for my fatigue. I’m not vegetarian, but I was eating almost no red meat over the winter. So I began taking a supplement for Iron, eating red meat everyday and only doing some light swimming to relieve the cramping.

By the end of the week I was feeling better and ready for my travels ahead.

I arrived in Europe and only had some slight cramping, but was able to work it out quickly. Over the next couple weeks I had my team training camp in Spain and a big international level race of 4 days. The camp went amazing and I felt strong and revived. In the race I was the best for my team and improved my finish each day, arriving 18^th on the 3^rd day.

When I arrived in Santa Fe I was nervous, scared, and frustrated with all that was going on with my body. I know I was eating more sugar than usual (because of the tiredness, my body was craving sugar), and this was one of the causes for the cramping. But besides that I was doing everything good for my body. This time of feeling down and tired felt so negative and like I wouldn’t be as strong as I know I should be. I was especially nervous for Spain and that I would begin riding with the team and in the race and struggle to keep up.

Now looking back, I feel this was a slap in the face and an awakening in so many ways.

–       The lack of intensity and tiredness telling me something was off internally.

–       The overall fatigue telling me to take it easy in training as I was potentially overtraining without adequate recovery.

–       The cramping telling me to rest and not keep digging.

I took the time to evaluate my problems and adjust what I was doing in order to come out better. And I have come out so much better. I am always having to remind myself that rest and recovery is so important. Sometimes it’s more important then actual training. Because as much as I know I can push myself, the body is also not a machine and needs rest and to be listened to.

Considering this period of turmoil, one thing that I was consistent with and know helped me to recover quickly is taking supplements and rejuvenate. I know if I had not been taking magnesium, essential fats, the mighty multi and most important the Rejuvenate, I would not have been able to recover in just a week from the fatigue. My body can feel depleted of energy and iron, but the base I have built by taking quality supplements allows my body to jump back quickly.

There are so many elements and pieces to this puzzle in the life of a professional athlete. So that when just one piece is off the image can become skewed, but as long as the other pieces remain solid it doesn’t take much to make the picture complete.

Through this sport and through my life I am always learning and these are the lessons that at first I think will ruin me, but actually make me stronger.

After Spain I traveled to Italy and spent the week training, visiting family and getting ready for traveling/racing in Belgium. On Sunday the 19^th was Trofeo Binda. A Women’s World Tour race, and just 10km from my house. It was a top race and I saw the top women in the world riding on my home roads. I was disappointed to not be able to race it, but because my team did not come and was not listed for the race then I couldn’t either. Once a race is classified as UCI (international), it has to follow a whole other set of rules and thus becomes much more strict on who is able to race.

The day after the race I traveled to France and my team director picked me up to go to our house for the week. We are staying just on the France side and less than 5km to the Belgium border. Everyday we have ridden to Belgium and on the race course for the race this coming Sunday.

Wednesday was the first race here and a UCI race also, but not World Tour. On the levels of race status the top is World Tour, then UCI, then Continental/National.

I felt good and was excited to see what I could do in my first big Belgium spring classics race. The first part went very well, but on the first cobble stone climb, and also most important, I got pushed while going around someone and then blocked by another girl. So I found myself less than halfway up standing like a chicken on the chopping block. I got back on as fast as I could and pushed myself all the way up as hard as I could. But at that point the front of the race was so far ahead and not possible to jump across. So I was stuck behind with a slower group and not happy about my finish.

But as my director said, it’s my first experience and learning how Belgium racing works. It’s technical and tough. Not just about pushing up the climb, but being in front at the start of it and riding in the right spot too.

I am looking forward to Sunday and know I can do well.

4 Days, 4 Stages.

This was the team’s first race of the year, and my first big race.

Day 1- Team Time Trial, 5km.

I was planning for an individual time trial, but found out the evening before that it was a Team.  We were not ready for this as only 2 girls (myself included) had time trial bikes.  The plan from our director basically put me and my teammate on the front pushing the majority of the time.  It was a hard effort on my part, but going against big 6 woman teams it was hard for us to contend.

Day 2- 110km Road Race  – 31st.

A solid finish considering there were a couple tough mountain climbs and that is my weakness.  I finished in the 2nd group with a couple of the other top sprinters from other teams.  It was also 32 degrees/90 degrees, so a really hot day considering its just spring.

Day 3- 87km Road Race-  18th.

Good top 20 finish.  The 2 climbs were not that hard and I was able to stay with the front group no problem.  The last 20km were a drag race for positioning and getting set up for the finish.  My sprint is strong but in the final 400m I was not in the best position and got pushed back, I always want to be better and know I could have been top 10.  Learning and have to shake off the cobbwebbs after a long winter of not racing.

Day 4- 97km Circuit, 4 laps- ??

I’m not sure what my finishing place was.
The last stage was all flat and a great race for me. VERY FAST.  I felt great and was in great position for the finish.  Unfortunately, with 6km to go 2 girls crashed in front of me and as a result so did I.  I was not hurt so got up right away fast, but it was too close to the finish and so I couldnt get back in the race.

Overall it was a good first step for the season and I am very positive for my fitness and how I feel.  It’s just the beginning of a long season ahead.  With a top 20 finish I am looking forward to what is to come.

Also, during camp there was a camera crew and journalist shooting for a documentary.  The woman is working on a story to show the difficulty of a top UCI level women’s team to compete and succeed in a sport that is so divided from men’s cycling.  It will be shown on Radio Canada, one of the largest Canadian TV networks.

First off, I apologize for the delay in posting.  When training volume gets higher and then I have to travel a lot I don’t have much free time.  So here is a big post with lots of pictures and what I’ve been up to the past couple months.

Arizona

From the beginning of December until mid February I spent in Arizon training to be ready for this year. I took 2 weeks away over Christmas and New years. It was a great couple months and a lot of hard work.

My time in Arizona finished with a feeling of fatigue and a bit of delusion for why I didn’t have the spark I usually do. I was able to ride long amounts of endurance, but when in a group ride I really struggled when the pace picked up or with intensity.  When I went back to Santa Fe I got a blood test for my iron and discovered that it was incredibly low and the lowest I’ve ever had it.  So I immediately started taking an iron supplement.  Iron is so important, and since I don’t eat much red meat and was training at such a high level my iron continued to drop and I felt more and more fatigued. It’s a feeling I’ve never had before and the tired and lack of power in my body was quite worrisome.  But I’m glad I figured it out.

The weather was up and down all winter, and now as I was leaving it was holding out with some warm sunshine. I packed up all my stuff and headed back to Santa Fe on Feb 15^th. It was a long drive, but I was also looking forward to upcoming travel that made me excited but also nervous. My legs are pretty much allergic to travel, so I always fear cramping when I go on long trips in a car or plane.

Santa Fe

Arriving in Santa Fe I started having some cramping right away, so I knew this would be a week of rest and recovery before Europe. I was not worried for my fitness as I have a HUGE base from this winter’s training. So I took this time to swim, unpack my car, see friends/family, and pack my bags for a long 2.5 months in Europe.

Europe

I left February 21^st and began the LONG few days of travel. Going through Atlanta to Toronto, then spending the night there. The next day flying out of Toronto to Montreal and getting a flight from there to Paris. The overnight flight didn’t involve much sleeping, but I tried getting up and walking around as much as possible. Arriving in Paris our team soigneur (massage therapist, and overall helper) picked up me, Sarah, and Frederique (my teammates from Canada).

We drove in a tight van 6 hrs to Bordeaux. There we arrived at our director’s house. It’s a small farmhouse in a VERY small town (like 5 houses), and beautiful countryside. The next couple days we relaxed, rode, and had a team presentation for the smaller national team, DN17, that we attended as well.

The first evening, I got a small massage from David and I think that helped with cramping. I still had some cramps after the massage, but the next day on a small ride I didn’t have any so I was positive. It was the following day on a longer ride that the cramps came in full blast. At first I held back and thought to do the relax thing for them. But soon realized that they were in the cramping “zone” where I have to “break” them. It’s a strange feeling, but the only way the cramp stops is if I do slow pedaling and really hard pushing (big gear). I also did some intervals and it makes them go away. The cramping traveled all over my legs, going from my glute (butt), to my quad, then the other quad. At home I relaxed but knew to really get the fatigue out I had to get back on the bike and spin. So I got on the rollers and sure enough my other glute cramped before all was complete. I knew that that was a turning point. Unfortunately I was once again feeling nervous for ANOTHER round of travel.

The next day we got in the car at 6:30am and drove all day (11hrs) to Peniscola, Spain. It’s a small town on the coast. It was a LONG drive, and unlike the plane, I couldn’t get up and stretch/walk as much. So as often as I could I got out for a little bit. But by the end I was feeling the drive fatigue and sitting. My legs were not happy and even started cramping a little in the last hr. So as soon as I arrived I asked to get on rollers, and to David for a little massage. I took it easy on the rollers and just listened to my legs. My quad started wanting to cramp at one point, but I just got off and stretched it and then after it was ok. With the little massage also, in combination, it was my saving cure for this trip. The next morning I got on rollers again and despite some interesting sensations from my legs, they never cramped. I was cautiously optimistic. In the team ride I took the first bit super easy, but then soon realized I was in the clear and began to have some real fun.

Spain Team Camp

It has been amazing here. There are 2 teams, the DN17 developing girls team. And SAS-Macogep, the UCI pro women’s team. So about 16 girls in total. There is the director, Jean-Christophe, David, our siogneur, and a couple other people that are here helping out. It is an amazing set up and the support is so fantastic. I am very impressed and grateful to them all for the help. They are obviously experienced as the rides everyday are organized into times and efforts. I really like riding with this development team also, because these younger girls are very strong and growing in the sport. This big group makes the rides fun because we are all at different levels and specialties, so we push each other and have fun too.

The weather has been great. A bit cloudy the first 2 days and a little cool. And now 2 days with sun and warmer. Still wearing long sleeves everyday, but shorts haven’t been a problem.

I am feeling great and having so much fun. I feel my endurance and strength on the bike and have no problem with efforts or being with the group or guys. I am so excited to race next week and for the whole season. The first race for the team will be the Tour di Valencia. Here in Spain starting next week on the 8^th, Wednesday.

Tour di Valencia- 4 Stages, 4 Days- TT, RR, RR, Circuit. I will post more information and about my results and how it goes.

For the past 3 weeks I’ve been in Tucson, AZ training and getting ready for the 2017 season.  My base miles are building and I feel stronger everyday.  It’s been a tough couple weeks but I also know it’s getting me ready to race hard.

The weather has been pretty much perfect and I’ve been enjoying the short sleeve weather.  Mt. Lemmon is a great mountain for hill training.

I’ve also been using Redington pass for training, it’s a dirt road that goes up and over this 5 miles climb.  A tough ride, but my coach says it’s my weight training for strength.  As I ride up I sure feel that, and know there is no one doing this kind of training.

Last week I met with one of my personal sponsors to take pictures for their company and to use in marketing.  Integrated Health is an amazing company based out of Tucson.  They provide me with supplements that help me recover and keep training hard.  There is nothing else like it on the market and the quality is beyond anything in stores.

This Thursday I leave the winter paradise to spend 10 days in snowy and cold Canada.  I’ll spend my holiday there and have a little rest and trainer time.  Then beginning the new year I’ll head back to Tucson for the January/February portion of my training.  And it’s sure to be a challenge. 😉

It’s always a good feeling to come back to Santa Fe after a long time on the road.  And 6 months was definitely a long stretch.  I arrived back at the end of October and have spent the past month focusing on my diet, training, and cycling life.

I brought back a new mountain bike from Europe and was so excited to hit some trails.  It was so much fun to do some cross training and getting back in shape.

I also went hiking with my friend Hannah and caught up on friend time.

SANTAFONDO!!  I organized a cycling event called Santafondo, which was a big group ride/ granfondo from Santa Fe Brewing Company.  With only 2 weeks to organize I was busy contacting cycling groups, making fliers, and going around to bike shops to spread the word.  One of my sponsors and a great brewery in town, Santa Fe Brewing Company, hosted the event.  We met in their main location and rode a 50 mile loop south of Santa Fe.  It was a huge hit and had over 50 people show up.  The weather was great too and just in time before winter arrived.  I loved doing a community event to get cyclists out and active riding together.

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, and yesterday the first snow fell on Santa Fe, I think it’s time for me to head to warmer weather.  After the month in Santa Fe I’m ready to go to Tucson and start some solid winter road training.  I’ll be there until mid February, then I’ll come back to Santa Fe for a couple days before heading to Europe.  On to the next adventure 🙂

Over the past 2 months I’ve been in central and southern Italy working for Butterfield & Robinson as a tour guide.  It’s my 3rd year working for the company and this year I guided 4 trips in Puglia.  If you don’t know where Puglia is, it’s the southern most “heal” of Italy.  Guiding is a good break from training and racing where I can make some money to support myself and do something different.  In the trips we did all kinds of activities with the travelers.  Since 2 were private trips it was especially different.  For the family we had gokarting, archery, a scavenger hunt, and a magician.  In the last trip I guided, that was also private, I had the extra budget and organized to have a private boat on the second day.  This was a huge highlight of the trip and loved the opportunity to do something unique.

After guiding finished I went back to Northern Italy for about 10 days and then at the end of October flew back to New Mexico.  I’m excited to be back and back to training.  Especially with a new mountain bike that I bought and can get on some trails in Santa Fe.  November will be time to get back in shape and into training for 2017.

If you’re curious …. A day in the life of a guide:

The Trip: The B&R trips are 5 nights usually. So pickup on the first morning the travelers go by private bus/car to the bike storage where bikes await.  Nights 1&2 are usually at 1 hotel (for Puglia this year it was south near Otranto), then Night 3 is just 1 night in a more “city” hotel (for Puglia it was in Lecce), then nights 4&5 are in another hotel (for Puglia it was north of Lecce and Ostuni, just outside a town called Savelletri).

The Day:   Every morning I wake up about 6am to either get in a run/bike ride, or to get stuff ready for the day.  Then we get the bikes ready and a table with snacks for the travelers. The travelers leisurely wake up around 8 and have breakfast, they meet at the bikes around 9.  They head out on the route with one guide on the bike and one in the van as support.  The ride to the lunch spot usually involves a coffee shop stop or van stop along the way.  Since you can never have enough coffee or snacks.  Lunch isn’t just a light little snack or sandwich, but has the full meal complete with wine.  After lunch there is another section of riding to get to the destination of our previous or next hotel.  There is usually a long option for anyone that wants to go ride more.  Travelers usually arrive at the hotel about 4, or 5 if they did longer.  Then everyone meets about 6:45 for a drink and 7:30 for dinner (if we can manage to get the restaurant to cook that early for our Americans).  The dinner usually runs super long, even with a quick service, and finishes about 10.  Then the last to leave at about 11. Then travelers go to their rooms and we guides head back to our rooms or hotel (if we are out of the trip hotel). But for me, the day doesn’t stop there.  I usually work another 2 hrs on minor accounting to keep track of spending, and then work on video editing which I show the final night.  So my night ends between 12 and 2 every night.  I cram in a few hours of sleep and then rise and shine again for another day of running this fun and exciting trip.

The Guide:
We have a few days prior to the trip(s)  to prepare and see the routes, hotels, and restaurants for the trip.  Like a dry run, its called a pretrip.  Then on trip everything is already organized, confirmed and run through.   While on trip I feel like personal time is pretty non existent.  I am constantly working, running, or thinking of whats coming next to plan on the trip.  It’s partially the nature of the job, but also partially how I am as a perfectionist and giving more than 100%.  Our days are busy and a big puzzle of problem solving that keeps me on my toes.  It is like no other job in the world and feel like I’m almost an adult with so much responsibility but also like a kid when I find myself having fun with travelers.  As guides, we are cyclists, hikers, picnic makers, hosts, sommelier, historians, comedians, everything and in-between.  B&R guides are superheros that manage to be at two places at once and behind the scene fairies to create the impossible and make miracles happen.

lanterns on the final night

guide hosted picnic, I made this one 😉

farms near Alberobello

Dinner in a castle with private music

stopping along the coast

the gate of Acaia

quick stop for an olive oil tasting

Over the month of August I had been in Italy training up and down mountain passes, but nothing could quite prepare me for the feat that lie ahead at the Tour de L’Ardeche.  The race started September 1st and went until September 6th.  With 7 grueling stages that never gave a second of rest.  It was hard climbing everyday in high heat, intense competition, and long races.  The first day I went out hard since it was the only “sprinters” stage.  It was a circuit course with a small kicker of a climb each lap.  I felt good and with 20km to go I attacked and went solo.  I got 45 seconds on the pack, but in the last lap just before the only gpm/qom they caught me and it was a race for the finish only 4km later.  I was dissapointed to not hold for the win, but I was also proud of my strength and ability to be aggressive.  I won most aggressive rider for the stage and 200 euro that was on the 16th lap of the circuit.

The second day I felt the fatigue and pain in my legs from the previous day.  I struggled, but also stuck it out.

The third stage contained the epic climb and finish at the top of Mont. Ventoux.  Since I am not a climber and had no real chance of doing well this day I stayed with the peleton until the bast of the climb and then went up at my own pace.  Which actually wasnt too bad as I continued to pass other riders along the way up.

The 4th stage was actually potentially harder then the 3rd stage with mont ventoux.  Because after the difficulty of that climb there wasnt much rest, so going into another day of almost the same elevation gain (2900m) was so difficult.  I struggled, but stayed tough to complete it.

The 5th stage was a short time trial.  But without a TT bike I really couldnt compete with the girls with full equipment.

The 6th stage was my best chance at a good result and I went in positive to do well.  But unfortunately on the 2nd and last climb my legs felt heavy and blocked.  It was a day of incredible wind so the pack was split up very easily through the valley.  I dropped back and finished with the second group.

The 7th stage was more hills and hard from the start with 3 main climbs.

I completed the race, but the last 2 days I was in survival mode as my body was feeling the repercussions of dehydration, fatigue, lack of recovery/massage, and overall tiredness.  The first day I dug deep and payed for it the rest of the race.  I was sick the first night, which i think was bad food, and after that felt constantly neaucious.  This made it hard to eat well feel good going into each race.  I also learned the huge importance of massage in cycling and this race.  I did not have anything to help with recovery until the second to last stage.  The build up of lactic acid and fatigue in my legs was difficult to overcome each day, especially when each stage started racing hard from km 1.

I am extremly grateful for this opportunity that I had though and the strength I gained from this race.  I will carry it on into next year and will make me tougher for any other races that lie ahead.

The past couple weeks have been an incredible experience. For cycling I have made a huge step in just a short time. Racing in Europe is a whole other level of racing and I took the challenge ready to succeed.

The team began this Euro trip in Toulouse, France, where we spent a week of training camp in southern France to get our legs ready to race.  Here are a couple pictures from riding, visiting Toulouse, and going to the start of Stage 17 of the Tour de France.

Then we traveled 10hrs north to the region of Bretagne, in the north-west corner of France.  It was a long drive but I liked seeing the french country-side.

On July 17^th began the tour of Bretagne. A 5 day stage race with a short prologo TT, 135km RR, 11km TT, 120km RR, and 110km RR. I was initially surprised by how close the cyclists ride here and despite bumping and touching at high speeds there are rarely crashes. I had fun with the technical roads and speed that these women race.

I had some great results and took big risks as well. The first day for instance with 40km to go I attacked and went in a solo break. I was caught in the last 5km and finished 7^th for the day.

Results:

Tour de Bretagne

Prologo 2km TT part uphill: 55^th (20sec back)

135km Road Race: 7^th

11km TT: 25^th (no tt bike or would have been top 10)

120km Road Race: 21^st

110km Road Race: 15^th

GC overall finish: 21^st

Belgium:

GP Zottegem-Strijpen : 2^nd place – break away with a Rabobank woman and Lotto for the finish. Hard race but very fun. Including some difficult cobble sections

In a second race the next day we worked on the offensive by attacking a lot. We got my teammate solo with 30km to go and so I played defense after that and went to close attacks by other teams. She stayed away and so the team got the win.

Racing in France and Belgium were an amazing opportunity and a great step for my professional career. I was always in the front of the groups and strong enough to attack and close breaks that were dangerous.

Now I am in Italy at my family’s house for some good rest, recovery, and training in the next couple weeks. I will hopefully be doing some more racing and racing in france at the end of August in the Trophe D’Or and the Tour d’Ardeche.