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kristi
henne
dob
4.28.1987
in
worthington, oh
current
residence plainview, ar
first
race mammoth ncs '99. the super hard core junior
olympic 12 and under category!
fave food chocolate chip cookies, not the healthiest
thing... but my favorite treat!!
pets tina the boston terrier (a.k.a pookie) and
pabloba the scottish
fold cat.
fave
book hard to say... i really enjoyed the lord of
the rings triology, the dune chronicles was excellent,
eragon by christopher paolini, mental training for peak
performace, can't forget harry potter!, and im currently
reading abarat by clive barker.
fave
quote this month Words are like leaves;
and when they are most abound, much fruit of sense beneath
is rarely found- Alexander Pope
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November 21
in
the past three days i've had a lot of new experiences!
first time snowboarding, first visit to the E.R., first
broken bone, first visit to the O.R... snowboarding
was awesome! i took a lesson and figured it out pretty
quickly. next thing i know i'm doing runs by myself...
on my last run my family was skiing down with me and
my uncle got in front of me to take a picture, through
the lense it looked like i was a lot further away. i
went over his skis and lost my balance and fell backward.
of course the first rule of snowboarding is when you
fall to tuck your arms in, but i failed to remember
that. so i got to experience the whole ski patrol thing.
my right wrist was in the shape of a backwards S. in
the E.R. i found out i broke my radius and the tip of
my ulna. the doctor there wanted me to see an orthopedic,
so i had a very long, painful night. the orthopedic
thought it needed to be pinned, but if it set stable
the pins wouldn't be needed. luckily it popped right
into place and stuck there. now i have a hard cast that
goes from my wrist to halfway up my bicep. the biggest
problems are finding shirts that fit over it and not
hitting myself in the head with it when i sleep. when
the pain killers get out of my system and i'm not so
spacey i'll figure out the exercising situation.
November
16
today
i went on my first single track mountain bike ride in
over a month today! i thought my technical skills would
be off, but i did pretty well. my bike felt light and
smooth sailing through the single track... it was so
much more fun than a road ride! this evening i went
to the track to run. for some reason i enjoy running
in circles more than just going for a several mile run.
to me the track has more variation. next week i am doing
my first running race! i haven't decided if i want to
do the 5k or 10k yet... no cyclocross racing for me
this weekend. i am doing a lactate threshold test on
monday and i have finals on friday and monday. soon
i'll be done with high school! yippee!
November
9
She's
alive!!! Yes I'm still here despite the lack of
journal entries! After Mammoth I needed a break from
the cycling world. Last month I didn't have a training
program, no one was telling me what to do, and I just
did what sounded fun to me. IÊwas swimming, running,
lifting,ÊandÊIÊdid some cyclocross races. I even went
on a REAL vacation! No bike, no pressure to go work
out... it was great. My cousin was in a dance performanceÊat
Disneyland, so we went down for 5 days to the happiest
place on earth! After that we drove over to Hermosa
beach and stayed another 4 days with family. Disneyland
was awesome!ÊI'm going to be done with my senior year
by Christmas so it was like my senior trip! We stayed
in the GrandÊCalifornian so we could come and go to
the park as we wanted...ÊI evenÊwent on my first real
rollercoaster and loved it! My favorite rides were California
Screamin, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Splash
Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Peter Pan. Basically
all the big, fast ones. I've always been reallyÊtimid
of those rides but I figured I'd just go for it this
time. I think the highlight of my trip was learning
how to surf! The feeling of getting up on the waves
and riding in... it was incredible. I can't wait to
try it again... I called my mom and told her I was selling
my bikes to buy a strand cruiser and surf board... she
wasn't thrilled. After having a break I feel 110% ready
to get back on my bike. I started riding last week and
I did a UCI 'cross race last Sunday. I'm going to nationals
December 10-12. That should be awesome! I'll get to
see my buddies Lauren and Rebecca there! I am officially
going to Lees-McRae fall 2005! They have a great mountain
bike program and I'm looking forward to being apart
of it!
September
7 ÊÊ
Sorry
for the lack of journal updates lately! Right now I
am in Carson City, NV getting acclimated to west coast
riding! Mountain bike nationals are on the 25th for
me at Mammoth, which is about 3.5 hours away. The riding
here is awesome and I'm feeling good! This weekend I
will do my first race out here at Northstar, my favorite
place to ride at Tahoe. Re-cap from the past couple
months... In July I was riding really well and towards
the end of the month I started to have some knee problems.
After a couple weeks of riding easy things got back
to normal and I was off to Park City for road nationals.
ÊÊÊÊ Road nationals was pretty sketchy for me. I missed
the top-end intensity part of my training due to the
knee/sick issues... So I wasn't riding at myÊfull potential.ÊAfter
a couple daysÊof racing I felt a lot better for the
criterium where I was 8/16. From Park CityÊI came out
to Nevada and here I am!ÊIÊfeel fully acclimated to
the elevation and my training is back on track.
I can't wait to see everyone in Mammoth!
June
21 I'm back home finally! It seems like the West
Virginia/Vermont trip took a lot longer than 2 weeks!
West Virginia was great... before it rained! I pre-rode
the course 3 times when it was dry and loved it. But
you know, what fun would it be if it didn't rain the
night before the race? I was out front with Hilary until
we got to the muddy sections. After that I was getting
passed like I was standing still. Almost everyone was
running their bikes and I don't run, so I was really
hurting. Worse than all the walking was my bike. My
wheels wouldn't move there was so much mud caught up
in them. It made it so much harder to push it, and it
was too heavy to carry. I finished in 5th place. For
this race being a runner and having disc brakes was
a major advantage. Sunday I did the open women's short
track race and won it! I was stoked, I needed a win.
Sunday afternoon Tonya, Jessica and I drove to Baltimore,
crusied around D.C., and flew to Boston Monday afternoon.
Tonya is NOT joking when she says her life is epic!
Everything we did turned out to be an epic adventure.
It was hilarious. Mount Snow was my first junior expert
race in 2001. Then the course scared me to death, but
this time I loved it! Once again all my pre-rides were
dry and it rained the night before the race, making
the rooty climbs and decents slippery. We started with
all the expert women under 40. I was called to the line
first, which was pretty cool! Right after the start
there is a long, steep climb and I led most of the way
up it. Several girls passed me at the top, and I passed
them on the next singletrack climb. I was in second
place at the top of the mountain with Hilary in sight,
about halfway down the downhill I passed her... She
went hard back to the finish line and up the climb again.
I knew we had 3 laps so I let her go. Third place was
way behind me at that point. Near the bottom of the
downhill on lap 2 I hit a rock really hard and flatted.
It was a sidewall puncture that was pretty big. (I was
running normal Kenda tires, with Stan's, on a tubeless
wheel). I picked up my wheel and moved the Stan's in
the direction for it to seal, it finally did and then
my Big Air wasn't working. Even if my CO2 did work I
think it would have leaked out through the hole still.
I was pretty upset. I was having a good race and the
thought of having to DNF for the first time in my life
wasn't pleasing. Luckly I did finish the course only
to be told that they decided to cut the race back to
2 laps. I wish I would have known that going out on
my second lap! So instead of not finishing I finished
5th. Short track went well again, I really like that
event! We lined up with about 15? women, and I was off
the front for the first couple laps. It was really windy
and I have no idea why I did that, usually I sit in
and see how everyone else is riding. My legs were tired
to being with so that drained me even more. I still
got 4th place. I was happy with that, it's good to know
I can be competitive with the expert women. I knew going
into these two national races that it was my last chance
to get an automatic nomination for world's. Yes, there
are two more qualifing races, but that time of year
I am gearing up for junior road nationals and the schedule
is just too crazy for me to go to Idaho and Aspen. So
if you don't see me out there at these next couple nationals
don't think I've quit. I'm just focusing on training
for nationals and next year. I'm planning on being at
mtb national camp, road nationals, Durango?, and Mammoth.
And who knows? Maybe I still have a shot at world's
this year... road world's are in Vernoa, Italy...
June
2 I am the new unofficial Southern singlespeed champion!
It was a great race, despite the 90 degree weather with
75% humidity! I rode my dad's Cannondale 1FG and my
mom raced too! I won a heavy weight wrestling belt that
has the race name and category! It's really cool! I
felt back to my normal racing self! The next day I beat
all the expert women in the cross country! Although,
I was stuck in the 3rd cog from the bottom the whole
race! After the race we concluded that I didn't put
the derailleur on right when I unpacked it. So I raced
singlespeed both days! Good training!
May
29 Finally! Race reports from the past two weekends!
When I thought of going to Sonoma I thought Napa...
wrong! But at the Infinion raceway you could see the
vineyards in the distance! Sonoma had a very interesting
course, 9 miles of freshly burned trails and fire roads.
I guess it was a trail?. Anyhow, it had lots of short,
steep, loose climbs. I felt great pre-riding, but I
went to bed with a sore throat and woke up race day
with a sky-high resting heartrate. No worries. The junior
expert women's category was composed of 3 racers, including
myself. Hilary Wright and I rode the first lap together
and I started to have chain problems. It would fall
off before the climbs, so I would get off, fix it, run
up... Then finally on the second lap with about 3 miles
to go and Hilary in sight, the chain just refused to
work anymore. So I was walking my bike, trying to decided
what to do... so I got out my chain tool and squeeze
the link together so I could finish. I did, second place,
3 minutes back. I got a new chain the next day. Big
bear was the best course! Definetely made up for Sonoma!
Long climbs, rocky decents... It was perfect. I felt
great pre-riding the day before and I went into it with
a lot of confidence and a lot of pressure from myself
to win it. My sore throat from the weekend before turned
into a cold that had me coughing up goo all week, and
by race day I did feel fine, but I was sicker than I
thought because I just didn't have anything. Right away
I was spent. Hilary took off like a scalded monkey and
pulled up the climb. I was in second and gradually made
my way to being off the back. This race had seven junior
x's, which was really cool to see that many out there
(compared to 3). We mass started with the 19-29 year
old expert women at 8 am, so it was very cold. My feet
were numb the WHOLE race, not just my toes, my whole
foot. I was having to watch my feet up the hike-a-bike
because I couldn't feel them. Fun fun! But I survived,
and I did feel good for about two minutes during the
race! I was like "yeah! maybe now I'm warmed up!!" So
I went hard, only to be exhausted shortly after. I finished
6/7, 10 minutes back. It happens. You just have to turn
disappointment into motivation and go on. Tomorrow I
am going to race the South Central Single Speed Championships
on my home course! Should be interesting, I haven't
rode my singlespeed a whole lot!
Friday,
May 7
Getting
back to it I started training again yesterday! I
have only done one hard ride in the last 10 days. I
spent most of last week recovering from the Pan Am's
and my coach wanted my resting heartrate to go down
before I started back. My resting heartrate has always
been really high, 60bpm is about the average. I wanted
to see it drop in the 40's-50's, but it didn't happen.
I have been getting lots of sleep and I'm not over trained,
I just have a high heartrate. So I went out for my 3
hour, hilly road ride and really enjoyed it! It felt
great to be back on the bike. The first hour and a half
my climbing legs weren't there, but the rest of the
ride I attacked the climbs and felt strong! On the road
again I leave Tuesday for Sonoma and Big Bear. It should
be a fun trip! I am flying into Reno and staying with
my family during my two week stay. Hopefully I'll get
to do some rides with the Reno Wheelmen, they have the
best cycling club I have ever seen. Qualifying for Worlds
There are 6 qualifying races- Sonoma, Big Bear, Snowshoe,
Mount Snow, Idaho, and Snowmass. To get an automatic
qualification (all expenses paid I think) you have to
win one and place in the top 5 at another. Very possible
goals!
March
27
Pan
Am Games Report
I'm
back from Ecuador! It was an AWESOME trip! The county
was gorgeous, the people were super friendly, the food
wasn't bad, and the team was great. No complaints at
all. Ok, where to start!? I have so much to write about!
But I'll go with the highlights day by day. Thursday-
got on the plane at 9:30am and arrived in Quito, Ecuador
(10,000ft) around 11 pm. It was pretty cool to get to
the gate in Miami and see the country's best mountain
bikers all together. After claiming our bags and on
our way out of the airport I noticed all these armed
military guys standing around. And I figured no big
deal, the airport has security... But then Alison informed
me that they were for us! And they were everywhere!
They escorted our bus and stayed on every floor of our
hotel patrolling. Friday- After 6 hours of sleep we
loaded up a full to the brim bus and headed out on a
4 hour bus ride to Banos (6,000ft). At one of our rest
stops I bought a really cool oil painting on pig skin
or something! This lady hit the jackpot with all these
Americans... Our Ecuadorian special force crew lead
the way and we had one guy in the bus with us. So after
eating lunch (rice, lots of rice there), building our
bikes and getting changed we left for a ride, expecting
to pre-ride the course. But, without notifing us they
changed the pre-riding schedule so we would have to
wait and ride it on Saturday. Instead the juniors and
pros split up and went on seperate rides. We rode up
the mountain (there are mountains everywhere, so there
wasn't an option) on a dirt road for about an hour.
It had steady/steep grade. After that we rode the portion
of the course that went through the town of Banos. Our
hotel, the Chalet Bascun, was really cool! It was all
these cottage like buildings linked together with 2
pools and a restaraunt in the middle of the complex.
There were all these exotic flowers that we plant here
just growing naturally all over the place. The active
volcano was right behind the hotel. You could look out
and see the smoke rising out of the top! Pretty cool!
Holly Liske, Elke Brutsaert (former pro downhill diva,
soigneur for this trip) and I roomed together. We had
lots of bottled water because we couldn't drink the
tap. But you got used to brushing your teeth with bottled
water and thinking about the foods you were eating.
Saturday- Early wake up call at 6:30am to eat and go
pre-ride. The course was 3.5k, with a 1k section on
pavement (it seemed longer than that, the pavement and
whole course). It had rained for most of the night so
the trail was slippery. It had lots of short steep climbing
and downhills, unexpected big drops, and no real flow.
The climbs were steep enough to spin out/ loose balance
quite often for me. And some of the downhills/drops
were also hike-a-bikes for me. So I was hiking my bike
more than riding it. The first lap was really hard,
but the second was easier. After pre-riding my legs
were so sore from hiking. It was like a constant muscle
contraction. We ate dinner and then got our team USA
clothing!! Woohoo! It's really cool stuff! Sunday- Race
day. The junior races started at 8 am, men did 3 laps
and junior women did 2. 7k race- endurance fest! The
8 of us rode down to the start area, proudly wearing
our national team clothing. It was the best feeling
to be racing for the USA. My legs felt tired durning
the first part of my warm up but then got better. There
were around 13 junior women in our class. We did a lap
around town before hitting the singletrack. It started
fast, Holly moved up to the front and I went with her.
We had a small gap coming into the finish line, but
they moved around us as we went up a small hill before
the trails. And then they just kept coming around. These
girls were aggressive riders. I just wasn't having a
good race. My balance and confidence was off, so I was
crashing all the time. Which then makes you even more
skittish. My legs were tired from the days before...
It just wasn't my race. Instead of being able to push
myself I was giving my all to finish. And it happens.
So I haven't seen the official results, but I think
I was around 10th. Holly thinks she got 6th, she looked
like she was riding really smooth. Ecuador got 1st and
2nd, while Chile got 3rd. They had a big jr. women's
team. It was hard watching the awards and seeing the
champion jersey and the national flags behind them.
But it definitely lights a fire inside me. I was disappointed.
I felt I could have done a lot better, but at the time
it was my best. And I am fine with it. It was a great
learning experience! Other cool things- I signed my
first autograph! And second and third.... A lot of guys
wanted my picture after the race. I spoke spanish down
there and that was cool. I was suprised at how much
I remembered. I traded jersey's, tee shirts, socks...
and I got an Argentinian national jersey, and 2 co2's.
Well, I gave a lot away! But they were really stoked
to get American stuff. Hanging out with the pros was
great! They all have great attitudes and loads of experience
to learn from. The 6 junior guys were all about having
fun and they did. At out hotel there was this slide
at the pool that was soooo fast! Oh man it was fun!
Check out this fall the movie Trek 2 Athens (www.trek2athens.com
), these 2 guys followed us around filming the trip
and interviewing everyone. They are maining following
Sue Haywood and Jeromiah Bishop on their journey to
qualify for the Olympics. Our special forces were never
needed. They were really nice and I never felt threatened
there at all. It was a great country and I wish I could
have stayed longer! It was an experience that I will
remember for the rest of my life and I look forward
to many more like it!
Monday,
April 19
Ah!
The wonderful world of road racing! (Hang in there!
I'll have some mtb race reports soon!) This past weekend
I did the Bob Herbert Memorial Stage Race, 3.5 mile
time trial, 24 mile circuit race, and 40 minute crit.
I decided to race with the women this time instead of
the 4,5's for safety reasons and I had a better chance
of not getting shelled racing with women. My coach laughs
at me all the time because I don't like road time trials.
But mountain biking IS a time trial! And I love that!
I don't know what it is about road time trials... the
aero position is usually uncomfortable, and there's
nothing to think about besides how much your legs hurt
and no technical riding to keep your mind off that.
But this time my tt bike (a Javelin) felt really comfortable
and fast. There were 1 minute gaps between the 7 of
us in the open women category. 1 minute is a lot of
time, so I didn't catch anyone and no one caught me.
My goal for the weekend was not to get last, but I got
last in the time trial. This stage race was based on
points not on time so it wasn't a big deal. Besides
Magen Long, who was about 1.5 minutes ahead of 2nd place,
the rest of us were all within 30 seconds of each other.
Pretty close! The circuit race was 3 miles long with
1 climb, not long, but long enough to break things up.
We started with the master men 35+ and together had
a field of around 20. 2 of the women missed the start.
And the first 3 laps went ok, my biggest problem that
cost me finishing in the pack was the downhill 90 degree
corner. They were going so fast and I wanted to stay
safe, so EVERY time I would fall back and have to ride
hard for 200 meters or so to catch back on. And this
effort over time wore me out. The climb was about 3
minutes after that and I rode up it in the group no
problem. But after having to chase hard after that corner
lap after lap I was spent. Luckly for me so was another
girl! So we both rode as hard as our legs let us. We
would catch the group going up the hill and get dropped
at the top and catch them again... I finished 4th. I
have to say that was probably the hardest I have ever
tried in a road race. I didnt' give up when my legs
were screaming at me, I kept telling myself it will
get easier... So I was really proud of that effort.
The crit was very windy!!! Plain course, 4 corners,
little hill, nice downhill stretch, and a long section
with the head wind. This time we started with the master
men 50+ which are very fast guys! I wasn't expecting
that! I was with the group for about the first 20 minutes
until powerhouse Magen attacked. I just couldn't stay
with them. Luckly once again the other girl was off
with me! So we worked for several laps when it occured
to me "why are we doing this? why don't we just sit
up and let them lap us and get back on?" We weren't
going to catch them, so we let them catch us and then
we hung on for the remainder of the race. And like the
circuit race I fell off the group on the downhill corner
EVERY TIME!!! So I was working twice as hard as everyone
else having to catch back up. On the bell lap downhill
corner I was telling myself to be careful! I was lapped
and there was no need to go down. Right after I told
myself that the girl next to me tire blew! She had just
told me to get up there because I was falling back.
She wasn't hurt, she managed to save it and fall in
the grass. So 5th in that race I think (1 girl didn't
come). 6th overall! I was happy with my effort. I didn't
let my mind give up first. I let my mind push my legs
as hard as they could go. But I am going to work on
cornering!!!! Magen told me after the race that I'm
strong enought to keep up I just work too hard in the
corners.
Ecuador
Update Yesterday I bought my big bag. I was told
I can bring 1 bag and my bike. 1 bag!!! Those of you
who know me know I don't pack light! So I needed a BIG
bag. Big, but managable, with wheels. And I found one,
it's not huge or even really big. But I needed something
with a lot of compartments and this one will work. I'm
going to pack LIGHT! It will be a challenge, but one
I'm up to. I leave on Thursday! It's come up quick and
I'm ready for it!
Tuesday,
March 13
Ahhhh
Sea Otter time! Every cyclist should experience Sea
Otter. It has to be one of my favorite races! The cross
country course is so much fun! And the road courses
are challenging. Lots of climbing. That makes it fun!
Climbing is good climbing my friend. I have gone to
Monterey for this event for the past three years, but
I will not be going this year. (Haha it's kind of sad
typing that) But, when you're checking out the results
look for Rebecca Much racing the elite road stage race!
She's 18, from Chicago, and is going to do awesome racing
with the big girls! And if you're there cheer for her!
Monday,
April 5
Last
night I was thinking about how much I've grown. Not
in height or strength- but I've grown apart from the
world of road racing. The road race I did yesterday
felt completely alien to me. It wasn't fun like mountain
bike racing is. I raced the 4,5 men and stayed with
them for most of the first lap and then got dropped
and finished the next lap in a group of 5 or so. But
unlike mountain bike racing, I haven't seen much progress
in my road racing. Last year I was getting dropped by
the 4,5's. This year I'm getting dropped by the 4,5's...
(maybe not as quickly, but still dropped!) It frustrates
me because I'm not seeing progress. Yes, I am 16 years
old racing with the guys, which in itself is pretty
cool, but I don't want to get dropped! I've been racing
longer and I train more than most of those guys. Yet,
they can ride for a year and kick my ass. I became a
mountain biker last August while spending a month in
Colorado/Nevada with my aunt and uncle. I didn't even
bring my road bike, we just mountain biked all the time.
And it was so awesome to see progress! I was riding
technical sections that 3 months before I would have
never thought I could do. But something clicked that
month. I was finally having fun on my bike. I will never
give up on road racing. It's a challenge and I'm not
going to let it defeat me. It's great for training and
has given me an advantage on the mountain bike. A day
will come when I'm dropping the guys.
Saturday,
April 3
I
ran over a snake today. Well I think it was a snake.
I was climbing up some single track that was covered
in leaves and I under my front wheel I felt what I though
to be a snake. There was some thrashing around, but
I didn't stop to look! I did slow down though to check
and make sure it wasn't in my spokes (that's the first
thing I do after I run over a snake, I heard a story
about one getting caught in there and I look every time...).
After that I thought about another snake encounter of
mine, although this one was in a road race. I was in
the middle of a pack of around 30 women at a stage race
in Madera, CA 2002 when I heard shrieks and screams
coming from the front of the pack. My first thought
was a crash and then I noticed the piece of rope in
the road. But it wasn't a piece of rope, it was a snake
and I ran right over it! The girl behind me yelled "you
killed it!!!!" Not in the "thank you for killing the
snake so I didn't have to run it over too" kind of tone,
but in the "save the snakes from blonde bike riders
that can't bunny hop" kind of tone. So, on my list of
contact made with snakes I have Madera, Nova, and today!
I'm not sure that's a good thing... I wonder what types
of snakes there are in Ecuador....
Friday April 2, 2004
It's
official!! I am going to the 2004 Pan American Games
in Banos, Ecuador April 22-26!! I have been waiting
to say anything about it until it was 100% positive.
A couple of days ago I received my flight and trip itinerary!
Yesterday I got tetanus, hepatitis A and hepatitis B
shots for the trip. Ecuador has around 40 volcanoes!
Banos is near the Tungurahua Volcano that has been "ejecting
significant amounts of ash and incandescent rocks over
the past three years... geological experts advise that
an explosive eruption could occur quickly and with little
warning." Woohoo! Adventure beckons! Also from Arkansas,
Noah Singer is going to the Pan Am's! He qualified by
kicking butt at national camp and getting second in
junior x at Waco! We will be traveling together and
I know I'm going to meet a lot of cool people, but it's
great to have a friend going with you. This will be
my first out of the country experience! I have been
to Canada and the Bahamas, but those aren't too different
from the U.S. Everyone I know is being super supportive
about going! I'm really excitied about it and getting
to wear the team USA uniform!! How cool is that?!
NOVA
Desert Classic Race Report:
Wednesday,
March 24 I have a new appreciation for shade. After
spending 6 days in Arizona at the Nova Desert Classic
with over 90 degree temperatures, shade is very good!
The Desert Classic was another stage race, 8 mile time
trial, 15 minute short track, and 18 mile cross country.
The time trial course was awesome! Fast, no major climbs,
but lots of rollers. I didn't expect to do well in the
time trial. After we left Waco and entered the dry,
dusty southwest my allergies flared up like crazy! Friday
morning I was feeling pretty sick, my legs were heavy....
not good. But after warming up hard I felt better. Racing
I just kept telling myself to stay in control, stay
smooth, and don't panic. The course had lots of places
to wipe out if you had too much speed. I was the first
one off for junior x and I just raced! About halfway
through it I started to loose focus and the heat was
getting to me. When I was done I found the water hose
and rinsed off, only to be dry 5 minutes later! I was
suprised to see the gap I had on the other girls! And
I won by a minute and a half! And for being in first
place I got the leader's jersey to wear the next day!
The short track course was vesurprised, less than a
quarter mile I want to say, around the venue. My plan
was to sit in and go at the end. Sabina (second place)
pulled most of the race and I sat on her wheel. With
2 laps to go the other girls started to come around
me and I was in about 4th position. And I did not want
to be there, so I started to move to the front and ended
up just attacking and getting a huge gap! I won the
short track by 10 seconds! When I pre-rode the cross
country course on Thursday I ran over a 3ft long rattle
snake! I was climbing up a wide section of trail and
didn't see it! I would never had even know I ran it
over if my mom wasn't behind me yelling "Kristi!!!!!!
You ran over a snake!!!!!" She avoided it and just a
little further down the trail I saw another big one!
Ewwww!!! So from then on we decided that there were
no sticks in the trail, just snakes, and to be aware
of it. The cross country course was my favorite (besides
the snakes), it had lots of fun, fast, curvy sections
and a good climb to break things up. We started at 7
am (which I was very happy about, the other races we
did were all around 11 and it was hot!), originally
we were supposed to do 3 laps, but because of the heat
they cut it back to 2 laps. 12 miles. Woohoo! At sub.
30 minute laps it was going to be a short race! The
first lap was pretty slow, we just stayed together,
it was like a road race. When we got to the climb about
4 miles in things split up. Sabina and I had a gap on
Rachel and Chantel. We stayed together for the rest
of the lap and as we started the second lap Rachel caught
up to us and she pulled until we arrived at the climb
again. Before the climb there was a pretty big drop
off that had 2 options, go off the drop or go the safe
way. Every time I went the safe way, but Sabina launched
off the drop, sailed through the air and passed me on
each lap! It was so cool! Out of the corner of my eye
I could see her in the air, it was great! I was behind
Sabina and Rachel going up the climb, and I had no plans
to attack but something just told me it was time to
go! And I went! I won the cross country and the overall!
I met a lot of wonderful people over the weekend! My
mtbchick teammates are awesome! So it was a fun and
successful 2 weeks at Waco and Phoenix!
Waco
Race Report:
Tuesday,
March 23 Home at last!!!! Our 1,300 mile drive wasn't
too bad, we did about 900 miles yesterday! But on to
the race reports!! Waco was awesome! 3 mile time trial,
20 minute short track, and 14 mile cross country. The
courses had tons of climbing!! Yes! Climbing in Texas!
Tight singletrack with short steep climbs. I raced in
my granny gear the whole time and ran up most of the
hills. The time trsingle-trackmiles long, my strategy
was to go hard on the paved climbs and stay safe and
in control in the single track. I passed my 30 second
girl within the first mile and she hung with me into
the single-track. I wasn't riding very smooth, dabbing
where i shouldn't have had to... I endoed pretty hard
on one downhill, but got up quickly and caught back
up to Chantel. I have (or used to have) a chain guard
on my bike that was supposed to prevent it from chain
sucking, but it failed me! The chain some how got stuck
under the chain guard and it took me a couple minutes
to get it out. By this time Chantel was long gone and
I wasn't too happy. I finished a minute and a half back
from first place and 30 seconds back from second. Afterwards
I was really upset. All the training I had done... why
was I getting beat? I did so many hours, I did everything
that was on my training program... so why wasn't I fast?
But then I knew what I had to do. I had to make up the
time. My dad and I talked about the short track and
got my strategy down. For the short track the junior
x women and the 19-29 women were combined. The course
was mostly road, and had everything. Flat power sections,
a climb, downhill, sharp corners... It was a fun course!
The first lap I stayed behind the other juniors just
to see how their riding styles were. It's really easy
to tell if people race road or not, road racing has
given me so many skills and in the short track they
really helped. Taking corners wide and cutting in, braking,
drafting, pulling... After the first lap the older expert
women took over, the pace picked up and the 2 other
juniors were dropped. One other girl and I worked together
the whole race. The expert women were all together and
really had no need to be going hard and pulling. But
I needed that gap to get big. My legs felt great and
it was just a perfect race! To actually be racing was
so much fun! I road race with the men a lot and it gets
so frustrating getting dropped all the time. But during
this race I was glad I raced with the men. Now I was
calling the shots and setting the pace. Racing, actually
racing. On the last lap the women that sat in the whole
time came around me, but I expected that! I was thrilled
with my finish! I wasn't expecting to make up a lot
of time, but now I was only 2 seconds down. For the
cross country I knew I had to get out ahead and get
out of sight, I was going to stay in the little ring
in the single track, ride safe, and go hard where I
could. But I was surprised warming up! Hilary Wright
showed up just for the cross country! Hilary won mtb
nationals last year in Durango and races for Devo. All
I could do was my race and see how it turned out! Stephanie
took off hard, I latched on her wheel, she eased up
at the bottom of the paved hill and Hilary attacked.
I stayed with her and at the top of the steep part Stephanie
attacked from behind. She was out of the saddle sprinting
and I just remained seated and went with her. Hilary
and Chantel were dropped at this point. Before entering
the single track I passed Stephanie and I was gone!
Throughout the race I kept telling myself, don't let
up, she's just around the corner, don't panic, stay
smooth, have fun. And that's what I did! My legs felt
great, I was racing on tubeless tires for the first
time (which are AWESOME, I don't think I'll go back!),
and I just rode a smart race. I finished with a huge
smile on my face and around 7 minutes ahead of Hilary!
I was even interviewed by the announcer! "I'm down here
with Kristi Henne, unofficial winner of the junior expert
women's race. So Kristi, how did you handle all the
wet roots and rocks?...." It was great! And to stand
on TOP of the podium at a Norba national was even better!
I have to say a huge thanks to my Dad, all my Arkansas
fans out there cheering me on, and to the mtbchick crew!!
Troy, you're awesome. Tonya, Hana, and Jessica were
super supportive and encouraging. My family and friends
all across the country called me after each race and
I really really appreciate it! It has taken me 4 years
to get here. 2 years ago I was over 30 minutes behind
the leader at every national mtb race. Last year I was
10 minutes behind, and now my training and determination
is paying off. What I learned from this race is you
should never start expecting to win or expecting to
beat someone, but to finish knowing you did your best.
And that's all you can do.
journal
entry- 02/29/04 Today I did the Highway 71 Classic,
a 75 mile road ride. Well I did about 55 of the 75 miles.
My mom and I woke up and looked at the radar which showed
that we would be riding in red or dark red thunder storms!
Woohoo! But that didn't stop us. She was going to do
a shorter ride while I did the whole thing. So we planned
on the if it really started storming she would come
and pick me up with the car. I rode with a group of
10 guys for the first 2 hours, our pace was really steady/hard
(for me, probably not for them). When we arrived at
Mount Gaylor the group split up and I was riding in
a group of 3. At the top, the group had stopped to wait
for us. But when we were about 300 meters away they
took off down the mountain! Thanks guys. So after chasing
and trying to catch back on I just let up. After riding
with my heart rate over 174 for the past several hours
I was not going to continue to chase them downhill with
my heartrate around 190. After recovering for a while
I came to the turn around point. The guys were still
eating and refilling their bottles so I was glad I made
it there to ride back with them. I didn't have enough
time to eat anything and just enough time to refill
my bottles before they took off again. Right after we
started riding again it began to rain. The guys took
off and I was left by myself to ride 37 miles back in
the rain. Things didn't look so good to me then. Shortly
after that I caught up to a guy and he turned out to
be an adventure racer! We talked about bikes, how adventure
racing works....he was a really nice guy and made the
pouring rain seem really pleasant. I was enjoying being
out there with the view of the surrounding hills and
seeing the rain. 3 hours into the ride the rain started
to soak through my clothes, into my shoes, and I was
getting cold. I still had 25 miles to go. But through
the pounding rain I saw the lights of my car coming
to rescue me and my adventure racing friend Steve. I
don't like giving up. I have never not finished a race
or organized ride before, but with Waco in 2 weeks I
wanted to stay healthy! It feels like the racing season
as snuck up on me! Wow! I am going to be racing at a
national soon! So when I get back I will update my journal
with the race reports from Texas and Nova! Wish me luck!
journal
entry 2/15/04 last night we recieved several inches
of snow! when i woke up the sun was out and it looked
like it was going to be a beautiful day! the roads were
clear already... a perfect day for a road ride! so when
my dad said we were going mountain biking i have to
admit i was a little apprehensive. the idea of riding
on one of the toughest trails in arkansas in the snow
didn't sound so great. driving to the trail the snow
on the sides of the road just kept getting deeper...
(deeper as in 3 inches! haha) our ride started on a
dirt road for about mile and then we arrived at the
traihead. there was around 2-4 inches of snow on the
trail, but on we went! and what i kept expecting to
be a miserable ride turned out to be a lot of fun! feeling
the fresh power beneath your tires... it was great!
and a totally different view of the woods from what
i am used to seeing. riding in the snow was good for
skill practice too! you have to really watch your balance.
i'm sure all my west-coast buddies ride in conditions
like this all the time! but in arkansas we rarely get
snow, so i need some tips for riding in it! after the
ride we came home and suprise suprise!! it was 54 degress!
when we crossed into our valley the snow had melted
and it was warm! fine with me! i am ready for spring
and some texas racing in 3 weeks!
journal
entry- 2/3/04 when the weather outside is not so
great for road riding and the trainer is not so inviting,
i go ride on the million dollar highway. the m.d.h is
about 15 miles of well paved road in the middle of NO
WHERE! you actually have to take a dirt road for 2 miles
to get to the start of it. there are no homes, no traffic
(except for deer season), and lots of great, long rollers.
it's well protected from the wind and i ride my mountain
bike on it. what i have been able to find out about
why this great road exists is that the county had extra
money for highway development. by constructing it, logging
trucks had access to the forrest, fire purposes, and
maybe there was hope for community development? i will
do more research on it and post what i find. it is a
great road for riding on and i am glad they made it!
journal
entry- 1/31/04 today i went mountain biking in northwest
arkansas at devil's den state park with my roadie boyfriend,
jacob. it was chilly, about 38. here in arkansas the
temperature is never really cold, but the 89% humidity
makes it seem a whole lot colder than it really is!!
devil's den is one of my favorite state parks. it's
in this little, tight valley with a crystal clear stream
running through it. the trails are rocky, but really
fun! fossil flats is a 5 mile loop with my favorite
part being the gravity cavity!! the gravity cavity is
this really short, steep downhill that as soon as you
get to the bottom it throws you right back up the other
side! no pedaling needed. it's like a roller coaster!!
woohoo!! the trails that day were muddy from a couple
of inches of snow they had received earlier in the week.
and devil's den mud is not just normal mud. it's sticky
mud. i'm talking really sticky. our tires at times had
.5 to 1 inch of this sticky, black mud all over them!
fortunately, there we also a lot of creeks on our 3.5
hr ride! and just like the sticky mud, these creeks
were not just ride- through-like-normal creeks. these
were rivers. wide, cold, shin deep rivers. during our
ride we crossed 4 of them! no, we didn't ride through
them. we waded, or forded i should say. haha. my feet
didn't get cold until the end. the neoprene booties
i was wearing held some water in my shoes and my body
heat warmed the water, which kept my toes warm! it was
great!! experiences like that are pretty cool! makes
you feel really tough!!
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