Race Like a Girl

RLG returned to Des Moines

and the VeloRosa ladies, plus the hotest guy in pink,
showed up in force to take part.


It was wonderful to see all of the new


riders coming out to learn the ropes.




Erika, Aryn, Melinda, Dee, Megan and Jason rocked the pink jerseys and rode like the wind.





Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Photos by Kim and Karolyn............thanks gals!!!

Pink Gals Master Bluff Creek Tri

Congrats to all of the pink that rocked the Olympic Tri course at Bluff Creek. Aryn lead all out of the water and added a strong bike (2nd best time overall) and run. For all of us that have been riding with Aryn, a strong bike is not a surprise. She finished 4th overall and won her age group. An awesome first race and start to the 2011 season.

Competing in her first Olympic Tri, Jane showed that hours of bricks can make one very successful. Even thought she found the 54 degree water chilling she used all of her pink strength to survive and get to the disciplines that she is more fond: biking and running. Congrats Jane!

Michelle also tackled this tough course. She blew away her time from last year. In addition to a strong race, she showed pink love and kept newbie Jane calm and ready to race!

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Dee and Dave Whip Almonzo

Dave has pretty high standards on when he will ride. There are very few reasons that he won't get on the bike, solo or tandem, and tear it up. He had held a pretty strong line on the position that he will ride when it is cold; and when it is raining; but not when it is cold AND raining. Well he can toss that one out but apparently only if you toss in a half inch of facial mud!

Dee and Dave rode in some awful spring conditions to knock out 100 miles of gravel roads. Welcome to Almonzo where it costs nothing to enter but can tear your heart, soul, and guts out. Tide may be able to solve all stains on TV but it could not touch Dave's kit.

Being true students of biking, they used the time on the bike to show that drafting works. Dee stayed tucked nicely behind Dave and she clearly has 20% less mud on her.

As Dave summed it up on his FB: ‎42 degrees. strong NW wind, endless hills (endless), mud, fresh gravel, rain, rain, rain, mud, hills, wind, rain, mud, hills, soft gravel, mud, hills (leg-breaking), rain, cold, wind. Oh, and a flat.

Congrats to both Dee and Dave on this momentous accomplishment.

Your Roving (but clean) Race Reporter,

Luann

VeloRosa Riders Place 2, 3 at Zealous Race

The rains held off to allow for cool but drier race conditions. Megan continued her early season prowess by placing 2nd at the Zealous Road Race in Des Moines.

Melinda opened her road race season with a solid 3rd place finish in the same race. The tough course may have kicked rear end, but she kept pedaling away.

Congrats to both Pink Ladies!!

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

ARTCRANK Opens This Thursday

ARTCRANK opens this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the Des Moines Social Club located in the Kirkwood Hotel (4th and Walnut). This is the ultimate poster party for bikers of all types. The are original, bike-inspired pieces of art from many local artists.

Admission is free and all posters are $30

ARTCRANK Des Moines 2011 is presented by Des Moines Bike Collective, a nonprofit organization that promotes cycling as a viable transportation alternative and advocates for making Des Moines and the surrounding metro area more bike-friendly.

Full Schedule:
Thursday May 19
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Friday May 20
5:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Saturday May 21
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM


Luann

Race Like a Girl THIS Thursday

Yes, the series is back. Thanks to all of the ladies that love to ride, RLG will not fade away. The race is held at Union Park in Des Moines and starts at 5:30 p.m. This is the best $10 you can spend on a Thursday night. You do need a license and one-day ones are available for sale (also $10, I think).

Everyone should give this a try. It is a short course road race. There are usually 3 races for each group. They are rather short races with 6-8 laps. You can ride one or all three.

Bring a lawn chair, some beverages, a little food. Come to watch or ride; bring the kids. There is a rocking kids race with rising superstars like Reed who wants to ride a full lap. Kids get a free cookie from Baby Boomer Cafe. There is no fee for the kids race.

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Pink Riders Super Fast at Elkhart TT

The winds finally calmed down and the rains held off so that VeloRosa could race time trials this last Thursday.

Aryn lead the team with a 20:38 for the 12K race. She earned 2nd in the Eddie Merckx division while Melinda took 4th with a 22:56. Julie G put down a 22:09 for 5th in the Women's Masters.

Ride on, Pink Ladies, ride on!!!

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Pink Goes 2, 4 at Squaw Creek

Megan road an awesome race to take 2nd at the Squaw Creek Crit on her birthday last Saturday. The race started on a steep hill and had many tight turns. Megan held up front with the Cat 1/2/3/ gals through the winding course.
The Mercy team worked hard as a group and Megan could have been wearing light blue. She rocked the pink right in the midst of that sea of blue!

Lee held on to take 4th in the same race.

Lee continued to show that a year's worth of experience is the best medicine for improving at the Cat 4 level.

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Pink Gals Run Too

Congrats to Jen Veak who put away the ease of riding a bike to put on her running shoes and beat down on the Country Music Half Marathon. She joined her cousin and fellow running friends to put some rock into the country race.
Jen commented that this was "one of the best races I have ever run."

The highlight of the day may have been this 5th place pewter medal or the fact that her Dad was able to come over from Dyersburg, TN, to watch and wonder what type of crazy daughter he had raised!!!!

With VeloRosa, you do not have to rock the bike to make the blog!


Your Roving (but not running) Race Reporter,

Luann

Iowa City Road Race Starts Season

The last Saturday of April marked the start of the road race season in Iowa. The Iowa City Road Race in Kalona brought forth a typically windy day on the open fields of Iowa. The pink team sent three stalwart ladies to battle the conditions in this race that runs 13 miles per lap.

A strong winter training regimen helped Megan hang on the main pack and finish just off it in 5th place. She used a great plan in hanging with the pack to finish near the front of the field.

Lee survived a crash that took her off of the road and put fellow biker and pink-friend Kim Topp on the ground. Shecame back with a nice pull from Kim and took 2nd in the Women's 35+ category.

Dee toed the line with the big gals in the Cat 1/2/3 race. She battled the wind and took 9th over all in this tough division that brought in highly competitive teams (that took 6 of the top 8 spots) from outside of the state.

Congrats to all of the Pink Ladies that showed up and rock the road in Kalona.

Your Flying and Roving Race Reporter,

Luann

Old Capitol Crit

Three Pink Gals rode hard in the challenging crit last Sunday in Iowa City. This is a race that starts with a steep downhill into the 90 degree right turn, a sprint to the next corner with another 90 degree turn into an uphill climb that will take the power from your legs and the breath from you lungs. A few rights and lefts and a sprint into the strong Iowa wind before you head downhill at breakneck speed. It takes nerves of steel to not jamb on the brakes before the turn at the bottom. Medical personnel man the post at the bottom of hill, hay bales line the poles and spectators hold their collective breath as the bikers whip down and into the turn.

Megan, Lee and newcomer Melinda Reese showed up on the cold and windy morning to tackle the Old Capitol Crit..
Megan stated out strong leading the pack to the first corner. She showed no fear, cut the sharp angle and took off down the straight away. Lee started off with the front line but eased into the turn and fell off the main pack. She battled back up the hill eventually overtaking sometimes-pink but racing DMOS orange Laura K. Lee and Laura battled it out for a fun finish with Lee showing her year's experience in beating Laura to the line.

Newcomer Melinda showed up and made this her first race. What a tough course to battle through. Congrats and continued success to Melinda! She makes Pink proud.



Meghan finished 7th in the Cat 4 with Laura behind her. Lee took the podium with a 2nd place finish in the 35+.



Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann


Thanks to Joann for the photos and her support!!!!