November Events for a Good Cause

Bikes aren’t just a toy, or a means of physical exercise. What you often forget, once you’ve become an adult, is that they’re also a ticket to freedom. They open up new worlds of opportunity in terms of getting outside, riding around the block or to the pool or to a friend’s house, or even just being involved in something constructive and new.

“Our primary clients are low-income kids,” Chris Stanton, founder and executive director of the Ghisallo Cycling Initiative, explains, “so as much as this is about bikes, it is about opportunity, access, independence, and equity.”

Ghisallo, a 501c3 in operation in Austin since 2011, puts on classes and clinics, ranging from one-day “Bike Rodeo” skill-based clinics to weekly “Bike Clubs,” typically in the form of semester-long after-school programs. The “Earn-a-Bike” program encourages kids to learn how to repair a bike; if they don’t already own one, they receive a donated bike and work with an instructor to refurbish it. “Apprentice Mechanic” classes provide in-depth bicycle mechanical skills training and feed into a program that places outstanding students in paid apprenticeships at local bike shops and bike organizations.

The Ghisallo name is one you’ll see everywhere, and it’s one that’s doing real work in the Austin community. If you’re looking for an event benefiting a worthy cause, look no further—in November, take part in one of the races or festivals below.


Urban Assault Ride
When: Nov. 1, 9 a.m. start
Where: Camp Mabry; see checkpoint locations here 
“Beer, Bikes & Big Wheels” is what it’s all about, apparently. This event takes place in five cities across the U.S., and Austin is one of them; in fact, UAR was born here in 2003. Teams of two visit checkpoints across the city, taking on obstacles at each stop. Ghisallo is a beneficiary of the ride, and you can use code Ghisallo to save $26 per team when you register at http://urbanassaultride.com. Sign up to volunteer here.


Fun Fun Fun Fest
When: Nov 6-8
Where: Auditorium Shores
Now in its 10th year, Fun Fun Fun Fest is billed as “one of the most relaxed, creative, and pioneering festivals in music today.” The Ghisallo Bike Village will be a highlight for those traveling to the event on two wheels, providing secure parking for more than 1,500 bicycles. Split between a free bicycle valet by Bike Austin + Spinlister and a monitored self-park area, it will be the largest public bike valet to occur in Austin. The site will also include B-Cycle (Austin’s bike share system), free mechanical support, and a managed pedicab queue. Ghisallo is a beneficiary of the event.

Georgetown Cyclocross Festival
When: Nov 14-15
Where: McMaster Athletic Complex, Georgetown
The Georgetown Cyclocross Festival, put on by the Texas Cyclocross Project, will kick off a dedicated four-week fundraising campaign for Ghisallo. The event is the Austin Cyclocross Cup finale and offers a roughly 1.75 mile course with a railroad tie run-up, 250 feet of sand, and bleacher seating for spectators. A beer garden, face-painting for kids, and lots of other fun extras make it an entertaining weekend for both racers and spectators. If you’re a supporter of women’s cycling, there’s even more reason to attend and support the Georgetown CX Festival: the women’s prize purse will equal that of the men’s P123.

Bike E.A.S.T Art Attack
When: Nov. 15, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Where: 1500 E. 4th, Big Medium’s East Side venue
A social-media scavenger hunt by bike for the artistically inclined, the second annual Bike E.A.S.T. takes you a tour of East Austin studios. You’ll earn valuable raffle tickets along the way for prizes, including the grand prize—a new bike from MJ’s. In addition to the swag, expect food, live music, and a worthwhile-in-itself experience of exploring great art and the East side. Cool for the kids: 12 and under ride free with a registered adult. The event benefits Ghisallo and the East Austin Studio Tour. For a discount, use the code ACT15.

Schedule:
11 a.m. - start from Big Medium’s East Side Venue
2 p.m. - live music with Dreamboat
3:30 p.m. - prizes awarded for best costume and most pimped-out ride
4 p.m. - free after party at Handle Bar with food, drinks, and live music

Halloween Events

By Kat Hunter

Living in Austin, the options for Halloween are endless. Now that our son is two years old and understands enough about what October 31 entails that he’s been talking about it since October 1, I feel a bit of pressure to take advantage of all the events going on around town.

Theo loves being outside. His round belly belies his affinity for running down trails and riding his balance bike at top speed; he’s a ball of motion that prefers to stay in motion until it is at last, sometimes forcefully, placed under the covers by his two exhausted parents. Well, for the week of Halloween 2015 he’s going to have so much activity he’ll be ready for lights out, because Mommy has carefully curated a long list of energy-burning events for all three of us.

Oct 27, Dirt Derby 
Expect the usual Tuesday night Dirt Derby fun, but with costumes! Decorate yourself and your bike.
Dirt Derby’s Halloween Event Facebook page

Schedule:
6:15 Kid's Race
6:30 Beginner CX and MTB
7:00 Intermediate MTB
7:30 Tom Mahnke Realtor Intermediate CX
8:00 Austin Tri Cyclist Open Race


Oct 28, ATC Wednesday run + costume contest 

Last year’s costumed ATC run hosted such celebrities as Aqua Man, Cruella Devil, Snow White, and a Wizard-of-Oz triumvirate of scarecrow, Dorothy, and tornado. Expect to complete your choice of one of the usual Wednesday routes around Town Lake (roughly 2, 4, or 7 miles) at a more relaxed pace than usual, since there are capes, fins, hats, and such to contend with. The winner of the costume contest gets a free pair of On running shoes. The little ones will have their own short run and costume contest in Butler Park to kick things off, along with other active games, prizes, and treats. (Meet at the shop at 5:30 p.m. to be ready for the kids’ event.) The group leaves ATC at 6 p.m. and reconnects after the run at the shop for local beers and snacks.
ATC’s 2nd Annual Costume Contest and Fun Run Facebook page


Austin BikeFest, Oct 31
UPDATE: Event cancelled for bad weather, as of 10/29.

Photo by WOOM bikes

Last year’s Austin BikeFest was the first, highlighting the completion of the 7.3-mile Southern Walnut Creek Trail with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. This year’s event remains on the route at the trail’s southernmost access point, Govalle Park, and features a host of bike-themed activities and exhibitions for all ages. Free and open to the public, BikeFest will be held from noon to 4 p.m.

Anna Kong, development director of BikeTexas, says the turnout is expected to be around 1,000 people this Halloween. She points out that there’s a little something for everyone: craft beers (Independence Brewing Co., Uncle Billy’s, Austin Eastciders), food (Wahoo’s, Cold Ones Pop), a bicycle fashion show by Ilonka Designs, demonstrations of bike polo (ATX Bike Polo Social Club, noon-2 p.m.) and unicycle football (Unicycle Football League from San Marcos, 2-4 p.m.), bike games like “slow race” and “foot down”, a costume contest, vendor tents, unicycle lessons provided by the Austin Unicycle School, and more.    

Among the highlights: The KidsKup obstacle course, which is designed for children on balance bikes. A number of balance bikes will be available for children to try out on the course. (Never heard of a bike without pedals, or an 18-month-old cyclist? Here’s a review of WOOM bikes on TexasBikeRacing.com.) An obstacle course geared more for older children and adults will include bike-thru haunted houses—but don’t worry, nothing will jump out at you and make you fall off your bike—and a bike bridge, bike teeter totter, and ramp made for novice cyclists.

If you don’t arrive by the Southern Walnut Creek trail, do check it out. The wide and very popular multi-use trail, designed for cyclists and pedestrians, winds through fields and trees and makes for a very pleasant family outing. (trail map)

Kona 2015

By Kat Hunter

Every time I watch an Ironman, it blows my mind. The athletes are amazing, of course, but what shocks me each and every year I see Kona is the sheer span of time they’re on the course. While the live broadcast is on, you can watch it in passing as you go about the business of your own day—you can go on a long ride or run, get some errands done, take a nap, wash the car, eat three square meals, watch a couple of full-length  movies…but don’t worry, they’re still out there, the poor souls. You haven’t come anywhere close to missing the finish.

Austin had lots of quality representation in 2015: ATC was watching for updates from age groupers Mike Minardi, Jack Cartwright, and Toni Ferreira da Silva Neto. Kona tends to be extra windy and extra hot, so PRs for the distance are rare; not everyone’s race went as planned or hoped. The experience of qualifying for and attending this prestigious competition, however, is an accomplishment in itself. As an added bonus for Minardi and his fans back home, his photogenic good looks got him on IRONMAN’s highlight reel and Triathlete.com’s favorite finisher photos.

My husband and I were also following Jeff Symonds, a Canadian pro we’d hosted a few times for the Longhorn 70.3; he was racing his first Kona and looking good, but had a mechanical on the bike course. He still managed to finish the run in about 2 hours and 50 minutes (third fastest run time this year), so despite bad luck the first time around, he could be one of the favorites going into next year. There was a surprise in the women’s race that caught our attention, as well: Mirinda Carfrae dropped out midway through the bike; she’d had a crash on a training ride leading up to the race and was injured. You usually expect Carfrae, an incredibly talented runner, to give the strong cyclists a run for their money (literally) in the final miles. She’s the current course record holder for the women, with a time of 8 hours 52 minutes and 14 seconds.

In the end, the leaderboard was still very interesting, full of the latest and greatest names in triathlon. In the women’s race, Swiss pro Daniela Ryf, who also holds the 2015 70.3 championship title (and is often compared to Chrissie Wellington in her abilities and the decisiveness of her victories), took the win with an impressive bike split; Rachel Joyce (Great Britain) and Liz Blatchford (Australia) were second and third. Former ITU athlete Jan Frodeno (Germany) and Andreas Raelert (Germany) took first and second overall for the men, with Americans Timothy O’Donnell (Mirinda Carfrae’s husband) and Andy Potts (for his highest Kona finish yet, though he’s often first out of the water) finishing third and fourth. Early on, the men seemed to be on pace to beat the bike course record, but nobody did, and Normann Stadler, who still holds the bike course record from 2006 on a not-very-aero Kuota bike, tweeted this:

Updated with info from the 2015 race, Jack Mott’s Kona Bike Stats post on the ATC blog delves into bike tech and bike course records from the ’90s to the present day. Check it out here.

The NBC coverage will air November 14, so you’ll still have a chance to view the 2015 Kona highlights if you missed the live feed. The action and drama will be condensed to 1.5 hours, though, so there’s no way you’ll get a true perspective of just….how….long…an Ironman can be.

ATC's Next Generation

ATC is proud to introduce Harrison West, first child of shop manager Kaleb West and his wife, Megan. We checked in on the West household and the other youngsters of the ATC family to see how things were going. Here's what they said!

Harrison West, 4 weeks old 

Let's hear the stats...
"When Harrison was born (2:15 p.m. on Sept. 11), he was 7 pounds, 13.4 oz, and 21.5 inches long. He's up to about 9 pounds already!"

What are Harrison's favorite things? 
"Harrison currently enjoys relaxing in his baby swing, getting snuggles from mom and dad, and above all else, pooping."

Who do you think Harrison looks like? 
"We've heard that people think he looks like Megan and Megan's dad. He also has Kaleb's toes, but we aren't sure he looks like either of us yet."

What's being a new parent like? 
"Equal parts Terrifying and Magical." - Megan

"It's very surreal. It's also easy to get worked up and nervous about things, but the reality so far is pretty simple - He needs to eat, poop, and sleep. Which we feel we can handle, sometimes."  - Kaleb

What's the funniest thing that's happened since Harrison arrived?
"It's hard to get away from potty humor here... Probably the funniest thing that's happened so far was a few days ago, during a routine diaper change, Harrison started peeing. Then, while peeing into his own ear, he pooped on Mom."


Taylor & Emily Ruthven 
parents Missy and Don Ruthven (ATC owners) 

Taylor, 18, is a freshman at St. Edwards University (studying theater). Emily, 14, is a freshman at Westlake High School. Emily is also involved in theater and will be running track in the spring. She likes sprints, not distance.

Addie & Jack Stroobandt
parents Adam (shop manager) and Rita Stroobandt 

Addie is 3.5 and Jack is 1.5. Both are card-carrying Thinkery members and you can find them hanging out there weekly. Addie enjoys trying to outrun mom and dad and is getting pretty quick. Jack is determined to keep up also and is looking forward to being big enough to take his sister's Woom bike out for a spin. Raiding the nutrition isle at ATC is also a fun game they like to play. They dream of one day opening a bike shop and will probably name it after themselves.




Theo Mott
parents Kat Hunter (ATC blogger) and Jack Mott (frequent contributor)

Theo is now a little over two years old and is very large for his age. If he's not destined for a future in endurance sport, he could make one heck of a linebacker. He loves being outside, finding spiders and bugs, building with Legos, and riding his bike. Anytime he heads down the street in a car, real or pretend, he's "going to the bike shop."

Time for New Shoes?

By Kat Hunter

I bought a new pair of shoes at ATC yesterday, Altra Provision 2’s. I’ve never been a good reviewer of bike frames—they feel good or they don’t, and I can’t really tell you why. With running shoes, my opinion is similarly cut and dry. What I observed with the Altras: They felt very different, which happened to be exactly what I was looking for.

Now that the bike racing season is over and I’m trying to run, I’ve been battling what’s probably a manifestation of my same old hip/lower back issue, this time in my left foot. I’d gotten to the point where I knew I had to do something or give up running altogether. I weighed my options, which ranged from seeing a doctor to changing my equipment. Since “equipment” in running means shoes, that was an easy enough place to start. But which kind?

ATC carries HOKA, ON, Altra, Saucony, Newton, and Zoot brands, all with different selling points and fits. Employee Kimble West guided me through the options when I told him my suspicion, which was that my left foot was turning inward. The Altra Provision 2 is a zero-drop shoe with a good deal of cushioning and a wide toe box. In the past I’ve worn more of a “traditional” run shoe, never something so flat or wide.

I’m almost hesitant to say it worked because I feel I might jinx myself. But it seemed to. On my first two short runs (both on Day 1…I may have gotten a little carried away), I felt pain, but it was different, not the sucking-air-through-my-teeth sharp stab and then limping home, but something mild and manageable, something that didn’t feel like I was tearing or breaking anything permanently. My foot seemed to have more stability.

It could be the placebo effect. It could be just a good day. It could be that many different kinds of shoes would improve things, giving my ankle and foot a different way to move. Or it could be that the Altra was the one shoe, Cinderalla-style, that could change my runs for the better, and it happened to be waiting for me on the shelves of my favorite bike shop.

I guess my point with this long-winded story is that you never know until you try, so you should try. And if the quick fix works, why not take it?


Safety net
All the brands ATC sells allow a 30-day comfort guarantee, meaning you can get store credit for shoes that don’t work out.

Run shoe closeouts & new models
This is good timing to get a deal on older shoes with ATC’s run shoe closeouts, or to try on new arrivals like the Altra Superior or HOKA Clifton 2.  

Weekly run events at ATC
The Hills and Ales run is a new weekly event at ATC (Monday, 6 p.m.), and this week Altra demos will be available for a test run. The group completes a looped hill repeat course in the Bouldin neighborhood, so you can do as much or as little as you’d like and choose your own speed. Afterward everyone meets back at the shop for beers, and this week there will be giveaways, including shoes and (for the first 20 people to arrive for the run) a free Newton Running pint glass. Check out the regular Wednesday night fun run on the Town Lake trail as well, also starting at 6 p.m.

John Trowbridge & Two Decades in Triathlon

by Kat Hunter

John Trowbridge—or “JT,” as most call him—makes me feel nostalgic for an Austin I never knew. When he started competing in triathlons in the early nineties, Austin’s population was roughly half its current size, you could bike on quiet roads that are now busy freeways, and there was essentially one core training group of triathletes. Among the endurance set, JT says he knew everyone, and everyone knew him.

When JT left Austin to work out of state in 1998, Austin was already growing by leaps and bounds. He discovered even more change when he moved back in 2005. The tri scene had exploded along with the population, with a variety of different, smaller training groups and new faces. Two familiar individuals, however, were now the owners of Austin Tri-Cyclist.

“I knew Donny and Missy before they were Donny and Missy,” JT told me, by way of explaining how long he’d been associated with ATC.  He was a participant in the University of Texas study in which the Ruthvens first met. (Missy was a nurse helping to conduct the study on increased blood volume in trained athletes, and Don and JT were among her subjects.) Early on, JT says, the shop was a kind of second home.

I start to do the math—if JT’s first triathlon was in 1993 or 1994 and he’s still competing in 2015, that’s 22 years of racing. Doesn’t he get tired of it, I ask? Has he ever taken an extended break?

JT laughs. He and his wife, Kay, have two girls (twins) about to turn 18 next month, and a son, now 16. Training was very limited for a while, JT says, and he fit in what he could. He reverted to time-efficient, just-stay-in-shape workouts when his kids were young. He never gave it up entirely, however.

“I’m a bit of a hyperactive person,” he says. “When I exercise, I enjoy the endorphins. I enjoy the sensation.” He says he finds he’s more focused when he exercises and sleeps and eats better.

This I understand: for a certain type of person, physical activity is a necessity; without it, we’re packing a picnic lunch for the looney bin. But as a mother and an athlete, I’m always interested in how other parents make it work. How does one strike a balance between the self-interested, absentee workout junky and the obsessively doting, 30-lbs.-overweight couch potato? JT’s philosophy on family life runs between the lines of our whole conversation, something that stands out to me but that JT clearly takes for granted: the kids come first.

Though his kids are older and he’s on the cusp of being an empty nester, JT still limits his workouts to an hour or less, and does most of his training on weekdays. JT works for Austin Energy as an engineer, in an office located about 50 feet from ATC. Commuting by bike from work to home, he rides 26 miles round trip rain or shine (with the exception of lightning) nearly every day of the year. This, he admits, is 99 percent of his saddle time. He bikes to work, runs at lunch, and swims in the mornings. His daughter Kaitlyn wanted to become a soccer referee, so he got his certification as well and for the past five years has been refereeing club soccer games at three Austin-area facilities.

Because his training time is short, JT keeps his races short: typically sprint- or Olympic-distance tris. That’s also simply what he prefers. “I like the speed,” he says. “I like the intensity.” He often signs up for the open/elite wave; after racing for so many years, he says he has no problem entering a wave in which he has no chance of going home with “hardware.”

At his first race, the New Braunfels Tri, JT was one of the first out of the water. He’d been a swimmer growing up in California and had long been a runner for fun; biking was new. On the bike he was drifting back like a rocket. Not knowing any better, he pulled in behind another competitor, and a race moto drove by. He remembers the official looking at him very suspiciously. JT didn’t know that you weren’t allowed to draft.

“I got penalized in my first triathlon,” he says, “and I went from being like top three out of the water to middle of the pack, or middle of the back of the pack.”

Since that somewhat inauspicious start, he’s won or podiumed at many races and was on the cover of Runner Triathlete News in 1997. One goal JT set for himself recently was winning a race overall post 50th birthday—he accomplished that in July at the Tri for Old Glory Olympic-distance race in San Marcos. Adding a touch of modesty, he says a win really just depends on who shows up at an event in a given year, and you never know who that’s going to be. 
   
When his kids leave home, JT wants to focus more on training and see what he can do at the Olympic-distance national championships in his age group (currently 50-54). He says he’s often asked whether he’ll set his sights on something longer, maybe a half Ironman or Ironman, but his answer is always no. “I did my last marathon in 2006, and I really prefer to get up in the morning and be functional as opposed to just beating yourself into the ground like that,” he says.

Maybe only other athletes will understand what two decades of elite-level competition in a sport means, and maybe only the parents among them will appreciate the difficulty of balancing race fitness with family and a full-time job. I don’t think JT does it for the applause, though. During my interview with him, he refers to triathlon as a “bug” and a compulsion and an obsession, but again, between the lines, I can read the truth: it’s love, in all its complexity and its equal measures of pain and joy.

ATC Racing 2015 Highlights

As winter approaches, we’re looking back at a fantastic season for ATC Racing. Shop athletes have represented the ever-speedy dillo in duathlons, triathlons, criteriums, time trials, road races, and even the Tour de France (erm, on the route, at least!).

A few races remain on the calendar—including the skills-based and age-based State Championship Road Races on September 26 and 27—and the dillo doesn’t hibernate, so expect to see more ATC action this fall and winter.

Team Marsh
If you haven’t been following Amy Marsh’s battle with cancer, catch up with the variously heart-wrenching, thoughtful, and brutally honest posts from Brandon Marsh on the Team Marsh blog. Professional triathletes and longtime friends of ATC, the Marshes have accomplished the biggest “result” of any ATCer this year by far: Amy came home this month.

ATC Junior

Junior rider Estefy Gonzales, part of ATC Racing’s new initiative to promote junior women’s racing, is a 15-year-old student at Cedar Park High School. This is her first year of racing for the team, and she’s had great results, including a second-place finish at Bike the Bricks in the W4 race, second-place junior 15-18 at the age-based state crit championships, and fourth out of the 25 cat 4 women racing Houston Grand.

CX Nationals, January 
Spotted on a Portlander, a T-shirt sold post-CX Nats that said: “Even disappointment is bigger in Texas.” Indeed. Austin’s attempt to host the event was a disaster, but we’ll still list out the ATC highlight reel: mechanic and pro cyclist Tristan Uhl (787 Racing) raced the single-speed and elite men’s races, taking fourth in the singlespeed race. Mechanic Chris Warren competed in the 10-29 non-championship race, and Sammi Runnels (Team Super Awesome for CX, racing for ATC on the road) competed in the stacked women’s elite field. Read Sammi’s race report here.

Race Around Austin, January
The ATC Racing women’s team started the road season off by putting on The Race Around Austin, a fun, gran-fondo-style event in which five-person teams competed to reach three “secret” (until race morning, that is) checkpoints for a grand total of 90ish miles. Marla Briley said all hands were on deck to make sure the event ran smoothly: Christie Tracy was the spreadsheet guru (providing live calculations on who had checked in where, and also the final rankings) as well as sponsor organizer, Allison Atkinson was in charge of marketing and PR, Missy Ruthven provided day-of event coordinating, Mina Pizzini took care of timing, and Sammi Runnels, Katie Kantzes, and Anne Flanagan were tireless worker bees, taking their places in the field to provide racers with nutrition and snap photos. Marla was the “Little Engine That Could “ in getting the idea off the ground (all in one month!), from becoming a race director on TXBRA to setting the event up and ordering finishers’ mugs, organizing rest stops, and cooking jambalaya for the finishers. As with bike racing, in which each team member offers a special skill (whether it’s sprinting or climbing or time trialing), the ATC women used teamwork to make RAA happen.

For more on RAA2015, Read Allison Atkinson’s pre-event interview or Jack Cartwright’s race report. Start collecting your teammates for January 2016!

Blue Norther Duathlon, February
At the 25th annual rendition of this little multisport classic in Seguin, Jason Lewiss and Missy Ruthven were the overall male and female winners, with Marla Briley taking second overall for the women and the fastest female bike split. Usually the Blue Norther earns its name with bitterly cold or wet conditions, but this year the weather played nice. Missy was a big fan of the post-race eats: homemade baked potatoes and cookies!    

Lago Vista Day 2, March
This much-loved bike race, in its 24th year, is known for being hit or miss on the weather. In 2015, Saturday’s race was sunny, and Sunday’s was miserably rainy and cold. On Sunday, Katie Kantzes and Allison Atkinson took hard-woman points as well as second and third in the Women’s Open race, aided by teammates Chelsea Smith, Christie Tracey, and Missy Ruthven.

Hammerfest Stage Race, March 
Though a long way from Austin, this Fort Davis event is one of the most scenic and worthwhile races in Texas. The women’s ATC Racing team had stellar results: Saturday’s hill climb – Sammi Runnels 1st, Allison Atkinson 2nd, Christie Tracy 4th, Chelsea Smith 5th; Saturday’s road race – Allison 1st, Chelsea 2nd, Sammi 3rd, Christie 5th; Sunday’s road race – Sammi 1st, Allison 2nd, Christie 3rd, Chelsea 5th; GC – Sammi 1st, Allison 2nd, Chelsea 4th, Christie 5th.

Fayetteville Stage Race, April

For most ATCers, this two-day stage race is a favorite on the road calendar. Missy Ruthven tends to have bad luck: in 2013, forgetting helmet and shoes and starting the second stage in clown-sized shoes borrowed from Kat Hunter (5'10" to Missy’s 5'2''), and in 2015, realizing right before the TT that her Di2 battery was dead and thus racing it on a “singlespeed.”

This year the women’s 123 field was very small, perhaps because the weather was rainy or because the race had been moved from its typical early-season spot on the road calendar to a later date that conflicted with other events. The ATC team of seven made up more than half the Open women’s field. ATCers took the top three podium spots in GC, with great results across the board in each stage and a good team effort by all. Read Marla’s W123 race report and the W40+ report from Colavita rider Pam Downs.

Burnet Tri, April
This year the Burnet Tri at Inks Lake State Park, a sprint tri traditionally held in the winter, took place in the spring and added an Olympic-distance option. Missy Ruthven competed in the Olympic-distance race, which included a tough trail run, and went home with the overall female win.

Texas State Sprint Tri, April
Rounding out a string of victories for ATC owner Missy Ruthven, this San Marcos race was another example of everything “falling into place,” which Missy admits doesn’t happen often! Missy again took the overall female win, with ATCer Liz Shelton placing second with her usual smoking-fast run split.

CapTex Tri, May
The swim was cancelled for poor weather, so this popular Austin event was actually a duathlon. Missy Ruthven’s group was fortunate to have the only no-rain window on Memorial Day weekend, and she placed third in the elite division (Olympic distance) with what she termed a “solid” bike and a “suffering” run.

Castroville TT, May
On the third of the Castroville TT series (May 10), Mina Pizzini finished the 40K TT in 2nd with a time of 1:01:09, and Christie Tracey took third.

Mina Pizzini in the P12 State Crit. Photo by Kato Bentley.

Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic, May
In its fourth year, the Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic offers three days of crit racing. Christie Tracy finished second on day 2 in the women’s W3/4 race.

State Criterium Championships, May
In the skills-based P12 State Crit Championship in Greenville, Mina placed fourth , and Christy Tracy was second in the 35-39 age-based crit championship.

Chelsea snagged the win in the 30-34 age-based crit championship. In the last lap she got stuck behind a crash, but she put in a hard effort to get back to the pack. She says she decided to take a risk and start her sprint early, which paid off in the end with a win. Chelsea, who’s new to the team this year, says the best highlights of the season are really off the race course. “It’s been wonderful to get to know each of my teammates,” she says. “ATC girls are a group of amazing women who give their all to everything they do, not just bike racing. I’ve enjoyed road trip jam sessions, naming llamas and cows on our training rides, countless dinners, and more frozen yogurt than I should have eaten. I’m looking forward to a great 2016!”

Pflugerville Tri, June
Meet Q—Mina Pizzini’s Quintana Roo TT bike—on his first road to multisport victory, the Plugerville Tri. Read Q’s story, as told by his owner:

It has been almost four years since my last triathlon due to a nagging hamstring injury, three job changes, three moves, and a divorce. Sometimes life gets in the way of racing. It was Q's  first tri! He was very excited, having only raced a couple of TTs in his short life.

I had to start with my age group (45-49) vs. the open wave in order qualify for Olympic Distance Nationals. There were at least 50 in my AG. Quite a turnout for this popular little sprint tri. I went out fast and quickly found some feet to follow, but the owner of those feet wasn't going to give me a free ride. Rather than lose time over who would draft whom, I went to the front and navigated my way through the prior wave and the long grass growing up from the bottom of the lake. I was first out of the water in my wave and happy to see my trusty steed, Q, waiting in the transition rack. 

Out of transition, I did a clumsy cyclocross mount and spent the next two miles trying to get my feet into my shoes. Once firmly strapped in, I got down in the bars and set off for real under threatening skies. Q was wondering why all these people with aero bike weren't actually down in their aero bars?  No matter, we slipped by them. Halfway through the bike leg, the skies opened in a serious downpour. Q wanted to keep pushing, but I eased him back. Better safe than sorry. Rounding the last corner we saw a rider on the ground. He had t-boned a car looking for a parking spot. 

Back in transition, I racked Q and set out on the run. I knew this would be the tough part; I'd been slacking on my running the last couple of months to focus on riding. I figured I could gut my way through a 3-mile run. My goal was to break 20 minutes, and I was on pace at mile 2 and decided to pick it up a bit. Then my calf tightened and shut it down to 8-minute miles.  I came in off the run at just over 20 minutes. I was 5th woman overall and won the masters division.

State TT Championships, June
In two sweltering days of fun, ATCers posted good individual and team results at the State TT Championships. In the ITT, Mina took first in the masters category, and Allison Atkinson took second in cat 1/2. Christie Tracy was fourth in cat 3. In the TTT, the team of Allison, Christie, Katie Kantzes, and Kat Hunter (guest riding) were first in the TTT. Read Kat’s report here.

Duathlon Nationals, June
ATCer William Jabour competed in Duathlon Nationals in St. Paul in June, claiming his spot for Worlds in Aviles, Spain, in 2016. His race report for the ATC blog tells the whole story.



Charter Reserve Stage Race, July
At the Charter Reserve Road Race in Tyler, Christie Tracy took the win with help from teammates Allison Atkinson and Katie Kantzes.

Redhook crits, summer
Sammi Runnels, who races for ATC on the road, competed in the Redhook fixie crits in Brooklyn, Milan, and Barcelona. Read her race report on Milan here.

Driveway Series, March-October
The ongoing Pure Austin Driveway Series is a playground for team tactics for the women of ATC Racing, who are weekly devotees. Check out Christie Tracy’s personal season recap and the 2015 results. In the “Summer Solstice” miniseries, Marla Briley was third in the WOpen and Mina Pizzini was second in the W123 (combined with masters field). In the “Dog Days of Summer” miniseries, Christie Tracy and Allison Atkinson were first and second in the WOpen, and Sammi Runnels was third in the W123. In the “It’s Still Hot Out” miniseries, which concluded Sept. 17, Mina won the WOpen; racing the combined field of women and masters men, she has finished 4th and 6th overall the past two weeks. Mina is now riding a new 2015 Cervelo S5.