Spring Racing & Mechanicals

April 3 NWA RR

Today started with a bad omen...two deer ran across the road and one of them did real damage to our car. I should have known it was going to be a long day!

I started the day feeling great but my head wasn't in the game. I was nervous! This was my first race since my crash in Austin and I just kept thinking what if someone takes me out again! This is the wrong way to start a race. The race started, I was riding strong and getting some confidence back. Then, we a turn straight into the crosswinds. I was in the wrong position and got split from the front group. The group I was in tried to bridge gap but I was having gear troubles. It turns out my rear derailleur was bent and I couldn't get the lower gear I needed in the crosswinds. So, I did my best but eventually had to just decide to turn this day into a great training ride. I was bummed but that's racing! Placement 50/63

April 10th Eucha RR

Today was a new race day! I had taken my bike to get a thorough check and tune up so I wouldn't have any bike issues. This is not the place you want to have any gear issues as the climbing is insane. I started off great and could hardly wait to get to the big climb (Spavinaw Hill). I was super stoked to still be with the group through this climb but trouble started soon afterwards as I wasn't able to quickly get back into my big chainring. It was a downhill/flat section and I could not stay with them in my small chainring. When I finally got into my big ring it was too little too late. I was caught in no man's land, solo! I finally got with another small group. But, trouble started when we hit the feedzone... I missed my hand up (first time that's ever happened), and I was completely out of water. Thankfully, another rider grabbed my missed bottle and gave it to me! WHEW...that was a life saver as we still had about 30 miles to race including climbing Spavinaw AGAIN! I just kept working and when I saw the 5K to go sign I dropped the guys I was with and just took off! It wasn't a great day but I had completed my longest road race and learned a lot about myself this day! I'm learning more and more with every race that doesn't go to plan! You have got to stay positive and keep working to get better! Placement 24/31

April 16 Matrix Challenge Crit

I had a rough start with trouble getting clipped in. I lost the main pack but I worked really hard to get to a group. It was just a couple of guys for a while. I had to put in a lot of work pulling because the other two riders I was with weren't strong enough to keep our speed. I finally got with a group of about 15 riders. I learned how to move within the group, not letting gaps open and got more comfortable in a pack on a technical course. I didn't have to pull anymore so was able to just sit in with them. I worked myself up toward the front of our group on the last lap on the backside of the course near Stackhouse and stayed there until the finish. I started in last place and finished 37th out of 54. I also set a new 30 minute power record! I was really hoping to race on Sunday and get a better start to see if I could use what I learned. I wasn't racing scared for the first time. Unfortunately, Sunday was canceled due to bad weather!

Hey, this is racing and I'll come back better from all this disappointment!

Camp and Wisdom Teeth

It was a long drive to camp but totally worth it! We got settled in the cabin and got dressed for a short day on the bike. We went for about 30 miles just to spin our legs out. When we got back we had to get dinner prepared. I worked with Josh Brazeal grilling the chicken. Dinner that night were these amazing chicken sandwiches. Then, I turned in early to be ready for Saturday's long ride.

Last year, I was totally dropped on Spavinaw Hill and was super embarrassed. This year my coach, Mark Teruki, had me ready! This year, I felt strong! I was not dropped and stayed with the group all day! We rode 107 miles of paved roads, gravel roads, and over 5,100 feet of climbing. I had an marvelous day on the bike! We had beautiful weather and it was awesome having so many teammates tell me they could really see improvement. YES! Hardwork does pay off! I really feel this is going to be a break through year!

Photo Credit: Kristen Ryan

Austin thinks he can get me to cut my hair but it's not happening anytime soon! Check out my cool Handlebar Mustache @hbstache socks! #sockdoping #sockgameisstrong

Day 3 of camp I woke up with a migraine headache so I helped in the SAG wagon. The guys had to cut the ride really short anyway due to the strong winds. They even had a tree blow down right in front of them on the way back to the cabin. Sorry I didn't get a picture of that for my blog! Overall, it was a really fun weekend of riding with some great guys. Thank you TLC and Josh Brazeal for such a fantastic weekend.

I wasn't too excited to come home because I knew the coming weekend wasn't going to be much fun! The Friday, after camp, I got my wisdom teeth removed! I was pretty miserable for about 5 days and VERY swollen. I tried to ride a couple of times but it didn't go well. I'm glad that's behind me and I can start training again. My next road race will be in a couple of weeks! So, stay tuned for more from the road!

2016 Racing Has Begun

This past weekend was the start of my second season with Transitions LifeCare Cycling Team and my 2016 racing season. I went to Austin to race Bat City Apache Pass and Pace Bend. These are both road races. I went down early to ride the course so I was prepared for the "Texas Cobbles".

I was excited when race day was finally here! On the first lap, I was sitting in a great position when I hit a bump and my water bottle popped out of my cage and got stuck in my wheel, chain and chain ring (see picture below). I have never seen anything like it. Good news: I didn't go down and didn't cause anyone to go down. Bad news: it took me plus the two guys in the SAG truck to remove the bottle, was down to one water bottle with Skratch, jacked up my front derailleur, was more than 2 minutes behind the field and it was windy. The SAG guys asked if I just wanted to call it a day get into the truck. I said, "no thank you...I want to finish the race." I knew my placement would be bad but I didn't care, I just wanted to finish. I was dead last coming through the feed zone but I didn't quit. I rode hard, caught some people and ended up 44th out of 53 starters but I finished. The good part was my coach, Mark TeRuki with TeRuki Training, was pleased that I set new peak power numbers for 10, 12, 20, 60 and 90 minutes during the race. Progress!

Sunday was the Pace Bend Road Race. I felt like today was my day! Legs felt good and I was confident. I really like this course! I was on the first lap and climbing a hill. There was a gap and I was trying to make my move up through the pack when a guy changed his line, hit my wheel and took me out. My bike wasn't rideable and so my day was over before it hardly started. Super bummed!

The weekend didn't go the way I wanted it to but that's racing! I will keep training and getting faster!  Next stop...TEAM CAMP! Oh, by the way, I got new cages and a helmet from Celestial Cycles when I got home! Thanks Sheridan the Arundel's ROCK!!

First OK Race 2013

Salty/Tall is the start of the Oklahoma racing season near Tulsa, OK.  Salt Creek is a criterium, it is a hilly course. It was really windy and hard. I was disappointed with my results in the criterium. I will contiue working to get more comfortable with this type of racing.

Salt Creek Criterium

 
The good news is it didn't rain on Sunday at the road race this year but it was really cold. I beat the finish time Coach Teruki had set for me to finish the road race. I took over 12 minutes off last year's time and even had a crash! I was standing, climbing a hill, when I shifted and my chain dropped. I fell over! My time could have been even better had I not had this mishap! I am really happy that my coach was proud of my race. I was happy with my race, too, but will continue to work at getting even faster!

Coming into the Tall Chief Cove RR finish

Next race, next weekend! I'll keep you posted!

OPEN

Registration is open

for the

Luke's 5-Line Gran Fondo!

 

September 20-22, 2013

 

 

Registration for the second annual Luke's 5-Line is open! This was so awesome last year we've decided to make it an annual event. I'm excited to see what we can do when we all come together and ride to help others. Luke's 5-Line Gran Fondo will benefit two amazing organizations LIVESTRONG and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Please visit our website, lukes5line.com, to get all the ride details. Looking forward to you riding with us!

 

 

 

DNA Racing Team 2013

Changes for 2013...my mom has been helping me with my blog in the past. But, this year...it's all me! Well, she'll probably help with typing she's faster than me! Thanks for everything mom!

I'm on a new cycling team. It's called DNA Racing. Their website will be updated soon. I think they will really help me get stronger and be a better racer. There are great guys on this team. They work really hard. I'm really honored to be a part of their Jr. Development Team!

Time Trial

I was invited to the team camp. We stayed at a ranch house. Thank you Mr. Little! Thanks to Chad, Andy, Andrew, Steven, Aaron, Beau, Evan, Tony, Erin, Rob, Biff, Mark, Ryan, and many others including sponsors for making camp possible and super awesome! We had so much fun! We introduced ourselves to our new team members, Chad and Mark talked about what we needed to work on this year and we put in a lot of miles on our bikes. One night Mark brought a movie for us to watch about Team HTC Columbia, Chasing a Legend. It was amazing! I felt like a star with so many photographers...it was like we were getting a lot of press!



Crit

Getting ready to start road race

This past weekend I went to Mineral Wells and they had a big stage race--a crit, time trial and a road race. I have been getting up so early to go train with my team on Saturdays. We start at Elemental Coffee, ride out and around Lake Hefner and then back to Elemental Coffee to pick up some additional riders and then put in more miles. I think this is really improving my speed and confidence. I think getting up early is paying off. I was happy with my results from the race in Mineral Wells. My road race I placed 6th, crit I was 9th and my time trial I came in 5th. I ended up 6th in the GC and 4th in the Team GC! Lee McDaniel took this awesome picture of me at the top of the BIG climb! Thank you Mr. McDaniel!

 

OCTOBER WAS BUSY

October has been an exciting and interesting month. First, let’s talk about the obvious thing so you understand my feelings about the news that has been on every news channel around the world...LANCE ARMSTRONG! I have my personal feelings about Lance and you may or may not share the same feelings but those feelings. The news was about him as a cyclist and the choices he may have made or did not make. I don’t know what happened. I wasn’t there and I don’t truly understand the pressures of having to compete at that level and what’s asked of you everyday. What I do understand is that he IS a cancer survivor! He and his foundation have made a difference in the lives of millions around the world. I will always proudly wear my yellow wristband until there is no longer a need because cancer has been cured. I will continue to support LIVESTRONG as they help those affected by cancer, their families and friends. I hope you will join me! I have included a video, set to music, so you can see what LIVESTRONG has done for millions since it began http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tENdDtkJX5E&feature=youtu.be.

Now, for the Luke’s 5-Line Ride...it was an amazing event! Our biggest hurdle was the weather which we couldn’t control. We woke up Saturday morning to bitter cold, rain and fog. Although the weather was crummy the spirit of our riders couldn’t be dampened. We went out, did the best we could to stay warm and dry and had a blast doing it! The community support was amazing, especially Felt Schools. They moved their Power Stop to their basketball gym and we were greeted by a cheering crowd and Felt cheerleaders. The gym was all decorated and we had a nice warm, dry place to eat some lunch, then get back on the road! After the ride, we had a great time back at camp with music by The Dizzy Pickers, a fabulous meal and some even enjoyed the beer donated by Black Mesa Brewing Co. We all had a super time! We are already planning for next year and are seeking a corporate sponsor so we can even make it even bigger!

During the concert by The Dizzy Pickers we drew the name of our raffle winner, John Otjen! Congratulations to John on winning the Trek LIVESTRONG FX! He told us he was giving it to his mom to help her with the rehab of her recent knee surgery! I know she’ll love it!

Luke & John

 As you know, my goal this year was to raise $20,000. I didn’t reach that goal but was still really happy to have raised $10,114! I have now raised over $21,000 in the past three years for LIVESTRONG. I also qualified for the Ride for the Roses for the second year in a row. I participated in that event this past weekend in Austin. It was a blast to see all my LIVESTRONG friends I have met over Twitter, Facebook and last year Challenge. We attended the 15 year LIVESTRONG Gala on Friday night, dinner at Lance Armstrong’s on Saturday and then rode 65 miles on Sunday! When I crossed the finish line I hugged my mom and told her that I did this for Poppy! I actually put so many names this year on the LIVESTRONG Tribute Wall and I rode carrying all of them with me! I was honored to be able to ride side-by-side with many survivors as well as those, who like me, had lost someone they loved or honoring those still in the middle of the fight! This is what LIVESTRONG is about...community, family, support!

Brad, Jennifer, mom & me

Lance & Luke 2012

Caner Warriors Scott Joy, Steve Bartolucci, me & Brad Didier

 If you get a chance go to our website and see our picture gallery from our ride http://lukes5line.com.

Thank you to all of you who have supported me in 2012 or in the past. I will continue to fight for those who are in need! The funds I raised will be used to help support LIVESTRONG services. These services include, but are not limited to, call-in cancer information line, survivorship planning tools, alliance of young adult cancer organizations, LIVESTRONG at School program, and now, an on-site patient navigation service (walk-in, for under-served and those without insurance), information classes and webinars, so thank you as you are truly part of making a difference in people’s lives.

I hope I can count on your continued support in 2013!