I just had to echo a loud CONGRATULATIONS for Bo who had a MOST AMAZING race on Sunday!!!! as Bo is far too humble to "sing her own praises" I have a

bit more "singing" to do, as I was lucky enough to be there as a spectator.

It was truly a perfect day - the sun was out, winds started out on the calmer side (though

built up on the bike) and no rain. I was psyched to get to wish Bo another good luck before she headed out for the swim/race start - she looked great, fit and

ready to meet the competition which was strong in her age group. She shaved FIVE minutes off of her swim time from last year which is HUGE!!! On the bike, she

paced well and passed several of her age group competitors, and on the run, she was all smiles the whole way. I saw her 4x and she looked smooth and fast and

had the SECOND fastest run in her age group!! She raced faster last year than last year! This Ironman marks Bo's 22nd Ironman finish.

This is a truly amazing accomplishment that she is able to work full time at an incredibly demanding job, yet continue to excel and race faster.

Kiki

Stage 5

Finally, the last day of racing. The Stillwater Criterium, has earned notoriety as one of the most difficult crits around. Chilkoot Hill, at 18%, is certainly a memorable challenge. Who knew that Minnesota was home to hills like this! I think they found every hill in the state for this race. Position on the Chilkoot was everything, and the race split early. Kristen finished well, just behind the front group, but the rest of us ended up lapped by the charging leaders.

We finished up the day handing out Lipton Tea-to-Go samples and signing autographs for spectators. I was impressed by the spectator turnout in the small town and how the stage race is growing into one of the best in the country. I applaud the organizers of NVGP for stepping up and making the race longer and tougher. While I may not have appreciated so much suffering at the time, in retrospect the goal of high quality racing seems to have got a big boost from this excellent event.

Nature Valley Grand Prix

Stages 3 and 4

This race was a classic criterium in downtown Minneapolis.

Thunderstorms early in the day threatened to create a repeat of last year's race, in which thunder, lightning, and torrential rain forced a pared-down "exhibition" race. However, this year the rain stopped and most of the puddles had even dried when start time rolled around. Zoe, feeling cheated by Minnesota's apparently false reputation as flat country, was excited to read in the race bible that the crit was "pancake flat." Flat it was, but fast as heck! Zoe raced her heart out, working her way up from the back of the field not once but three times during the race due to a crash and some official confusion. Liza was a casualty of the crash, but managed to finish the race in 12th despite major contusions on her elbow and hip.

The Red Wing road race, a lengthened version of last year's stage there, was a tough 92 miler. Intense and steady wind combined with never-ending attacks from Quark and T-Mobile (who were trying to unseat Thorburn as GC

leader) made the race seem like one long chase! When we hit a section

of gravel road mid-way through the race, I started to think this might turn into an epic day. Anna's superstar cyclocross skills helped shepherd me through the tough off-road section. Soon after, the sky turned black and fat raindrops started coming down. Within a few minutes, a full thunderstorm was rolling in. We were racing as fast as ever but I could hardly see the road in front of me. The officials finally succeeded in vThe officials finally succeeded in rounding up the field and having us stop to wait out the storm. We were told to take shelter in a barn a few hundred meters up the road. After shivering for half an hour, a lot of the racers were unwilling to continue,

but the officials re-started the field. It was a tough day, but we

al survived.

Stages 1 and 2:

TEAm Lipton journeyed west to the Land of 10,000 Lakes for the second race in the Women's Prestige Cycling Series. The Nature Valley Grand Prix is a 5 day stage race that is part of the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival, held in and around Minneapolis, Minnesota. The TEAm was excited to be staying with 2 great host families from last year.

The first stage was a 5 mile time trial at Riverfront Park in St. Paul.

Anna smoked the course, finishing a very respectable 19th place in a field Containing both national and world champs. Stage 2 was a long road race in Mankato, MN. With 86 miles for the women, this was a serious stage made even more challenging by the hilly finishing circuits. This race in Mankato was new to NVGP, so we didn't know what to expect. Although the first part of the race was mostly flat (and windy!), the circuits in town made this race a killer. We did 4 laps of the 2.3 mile loop through Mankato, and each slog up the big 4-block hill split the field into smaller bits. Kristen and Liza hung tough and managed to stay near the front group until the end, which bumped them up on GC.