The new Chiks kits have arrived - and they look fabulous! (Early reports also indicate they are very comfortable to ride in, too!).
We will be distributing kits tomorrow (Thursday) at Greenlife from 7-8PM following our weekly road ride (the ride will be just 1 hour tomorrow from 6-7 pm).
If you did not order a kit but want one, please come to the distribution tomorrow. You can also email us to let us know what size you want. We will sell out of additional inventory fast, so it's first come, first serve on the extras!
We also have kiddie jerseys available now too in children's sizes 1, 2 and 3. Again, it's first come, first serve, so let us know if you'd like to reserve one for a mini-Chik near you!
See you tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
CHIKS RULE CAT 4 PODIUM AT OAK RIDGE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS!
Ashley Nichols, Kristi Hawken, Stephanie Rynas and Megan Whitley lined up at the Tennessee State Championships in Oak Ridge this past weekend for Team Krystal Chiks first official road race appearance. To put the icing on the cake, Krystal Chik Stephanie Rynas took 2nd and Chiks teammate Megan Whitley took 3rd, respectively, in the Women's Cat 4 State Championship road race.
l-r Kristi Hawken, Meghan Whitley, Stephanie Rynas, Ashley Nichols
In Ashley's words:
Wow ,what a day!! Saturday morning, Kristi, Stephanie, Meghan and I lined up with the Pro/1/2/3/4 women's field at the Oak Ridge Road Race. After waiting a good 40 minutes for the officials to start us, we were off. It was a 2 loop course, totaling 48 miles. We (excluding Steph) may not know much about racing, but we did have a plan (thanks to coach/husband Nichols) about what we were going to do at the finish. But, before we could get to the finish, we had a lot of miles to cover. The pack broke up shortly after the first real hills and eventually about 8 of the Cat 4s decided to do a rotating pace line to try to catch the pack ahead of us which consisted of the more elite racers and one other Cat 4. Well, that was going splendidly until we took a wrong turn and ended up adding about 4 miles total to our first loop. We got back on track and continued the rotations all the way until the last 1k. At this point, our plan kicked in. We knew we had a slight uphill finish and that Meghan and Stephanie were the best bets for killing it up the hill in the final sprint. So as planned, I led off the sprint at 1k with Meghan on my wheel. Once I couldn't go any harder any longer, Meghan zipped around me and she and Steph fought the pack to the finish taking 1st and 2nd place in the sprint- 2 and 3 overall!!! It was a great day for the Chiks. Kristi, Meghan and Stephanie- ya'll are awesome, thanks for a great experience. CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEKEND AT RIVER GORGE!!
From Kristi:
Congrats to Stephanie Rynas taking second overall in the state championship road race-- to Meghan W for being in a close 3rd and to Ashley N for pulling them into a good position and taking 6th!! I am so proud that the chiks represented Chattanooga by doing so well. Coach Nick Nichols was a fantastic help with tactics and tips (and water bottles as we were waiting for 40+ min for the race to start).
My grand plans of holding onto the Cat 1-3 women up a climb ended with my legs essentially exploding. I wasn't able to recover quickly enough to catch onto the back of the pack as they overtook me and unfortunately I rode a 35+mi time trial for the rest of the race. For me, it was a great workout and good lesson in what not to do as a new road racer. Coach Nichols didn't really tell me what to do to protect my ego in the case that I got dropped early on...haha. Looking forward to next weekend and to next season with the team.
Megan's report:
Saturday was my first experience with road racing, and I have to say I LOVED IT!! I can't wait until next weekend. Congrats to Ashley, Stephanie and Kristi. We had a great plan going in (thanks to Nick's excellent coaching) and we were able to execute it perfectly. I love the team aspect of road racing... something you just don't get in triathlon. Saturday was a great team effort with awesome results. Great start for the CHIKS!!
l-r Kristi Hawken, Meghan Whitley, Stephanie Rynas, Ashley Nichols
Wow ,what a day!! Saturday morning, Kristi, Stephanie, Meghan and I lined up with the Pro/1/2/3/4 women's field at the Oak Ridge Road Race. After waiting a good 40 minutes for the officials to start us, we were off. It was a 2 loop course, totaling 48 miles. We (excluding Steph) may not know much about racing, but we did have a plan (thanks to coach/husband Nichols) about what we were going to do at the finish. But, before we could get to the finish, we had a lot of miles to cover. The pack broke up shortly after the first real hills and eventually about 8 of the Cat 4s decided to do a rotating pace line to try to catch the pack ahead of us which consisted of the more elite racers and one other Cat 4. Well, that was going splendidly until we took a wrong turn and ended up adding about 4 miles total to our first loop. We got back on track and continued the rotations all the way until the last 1k. At this point, our plan kicked in. We knew we had a slight uphill finish and that Meghan and Stephanie were the best bets for killing it up the hill in the final sprint. So as planned, I led off the sprint at 1k with Meghan on my wheel. Once I couldn't go any harder any longer, Meghan zipped around me and she and Steph fought the pack to the finish taking 1st and 2nd place in the sprint- 2 and 3 overall!!! It was a great day for the Chiks. Kristi, Meghan and Stephanie- ya'll are awesome, thanks for a great experience. CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEKEND AT RIVER GORGE!!
From Kristi:
Congrats to Stephanie Rynas taking second overall in the state championship road race-- to Meghan W for being in a close 3rd and to Ashley N for pulling them into a good position and taking 6th!! I am so proud that the chiks represented Chattanooga by doing so well. Coach Nick Nichols was a fantastic help with tactics and tips (and water bottles as we were waiting for 40+ min for the race to start).
My grand plans of holding onto the Cat 1-3 women up a climb ended with my legs essentially exploding. I wasn't able to recover quickly enough to catch onto the back of the pack as they overtook me and unfortunately I rode a 35+mi time trial for the rest of the race. For me, it was a great workout and good lesson in what not to do as a new road racer. Coach Nichols didn't really tell me what to do to protect my ego in the case that I got dropped early on...haha. Looking forward to next weekend and to next season with the team.
Megan's report:
Saturday was my first experience with road racing, and I have to say I LOVED IT!! I can't wait until next weekend. Congrats to Ashley, Stephanie and Kristi. We had a great plan going in (thanks to Nick's excellent coaching) and we were able to execute it perfectly. I love the team aspect of road racing... something you just don't get in triathlon. Saturday was a great team effort with awesome results. Great start for the CHIKS!!
One Chik's Take on Her First Triathlon!
August 22nd, 2009 -- Great job Jaclyn Rider on her first-ever triathlon, the Booker T. Off-Road Triathlon hosted by Scenic City Multisport. Here's Jaclyn's first-hand report:
This was my first triathlon experience, and my first Chiks race so I was definitely a rookie. There were only 30-40 people registered, so the event was very small, but very well organized. The weather was PERFECT, and the water was WARM. I could not have asked for better racing conditions.
The swim: the water was so murky, I couldn't even see 6 inches in front of my face! I had been worried about seeing giant man-eating catfish or snakes, but thankfully the water was way too cloudy! I felt like I wasn't moving forward at all, so I finally did the backstroke the whole way. I felt great, but missed a buoy then tried to backtrack but the volunteers laughingly said, "keep going" then got really far off-course around the second buoy (b/c I couldn't see where I was going...since I was on my back. Anyway, I made it to the shore 3rd from last place (but not dead last, and not dead either) so I consider that to be successful. Thankfully someone had kindly but a towel over the hornet's nest so I wasn't stung during transition.
The bike: the mtn bike trail is FUN. I had a minor incident w/ my chain (it got wedged in between my derailleur and frame somehow) and I have a really nice scrape on my leg that I don't remember doing but I made good time, beating my personal record and passing several guys.
Both of my transitions were very smooth, but I forgot to take off my helmet when I started my run so I maintained my entertaining performance for the volunteers and my family.
The run: I began by walking the steps and eating protein bites which were FABULOUS. I finally broke into a run and was able to maintain a run/walk pace w/ only two people passing me. Hydration was not a problem, and the course was well marked w/ 3 water stations along the way. All in all I beat my goal time by 7+ minutes, stayed on the bike, didn't drown and ran across the finish line.
This was my first triathlon experience, and my first Chiks race so I was definitely a rookie. There were only 30-40 people registered, so the event was very small, but very well organized. The weather was PERFECT, and the water was WARM. I could not have asked for better racing conditions.
The swim: the water was so murky, I couldn't even see 6 inches in front of my face! I had been worried about seeing giant man-eating catfish or snakes, but thankfully the water was way too cloudy! I felt like I wasn't moving forward at all, so I finally did the backstroke the whole way. I felt great, but missed a buoy then tried to backtrack but the volunteers laughingly said, "keep going" then got really far off-course around the second buoy (b/c I couldn't see where I was going...since I was on my back. Anyway, I made it to the shore 3rd from last place (but not dead last, and not dead either) so I consider that to be successful. Thankfully someone had kindly but a towel over the hornet's nest so I wasn't stung during transition.
The bike: the mtn bike trail is FUN. I had a minor incident w/ my chain (it got wedged in between my derailleur and frame somehow) and I have a really nice scrape on my leg that I don't remember doing but I made good time, beating my personal record and passing several guys.
Both of my transitions were very smooth, but I forgot to take off my helmet when I started my run so I maintained my entertaining performance for the volunteers and my family.
The run: I began by walking the steps and eating protein bites which were FABULOUS. I finally broke into a run and was able to maintain a run/walk pace w/ only two people passing me. Hydration was not a problem, and the course was well marked w/ 3 water stations along the way. All in all I beat my goal time by 7+ minutes, stayed on the bike, didn't drown and ran across the finish line.
Our Newest Krystal Chik & Triathlete Heather Sweet Takes on Mountain Bike Racing at Booker T!
I moved to Chatta-vegas from IL 6 months ago. I just joined the Chiks Friday and did my first mountain bike race (ever) and as a Krystal Chik on Sunday. I am so excited to be part of the Krystal Chiks team! I was on a tri team back in IL that I really enjoyed racing and training with them.
Sunday was a very new experience for me. I have done 2 Ironman triathlons (Wisconsin and Florida) and a bunch of half Ironman and shorter distance triathlons, but I have never raced a mountain bike. My husband gave me a Kona Bear for an engagement present 2.5 years ago and Saturday was the first day it was in "ready to roll" condition. I think I can count on 1 hand how many times I have rode a mountain bike.
I got to the race venue at about 10:30 and signed up for the beginner women's race. Hung out for a bit and found my friends Justin, Amy, and Brad. Kym and Mark were racing so it was nice to cheer them on while trying to soothe my nerves. When 1:08 finally came around, I soon realized the field was rather small (only 3 of us). We lined up and discovered we were only going to do 1 lap. I was kinda disappointed, being my first race, I wanted to "get my money's worth" I guess. Oh well, we were off. I knew I had no business pushing the start, but my race head got the better of me. Once we were in the woods, I realized I shouldn't go as fast as I wanted to because I do not have the bike skills to counter minor bobbles. Silly me, I kept pushing and kept crashing. I only crashed hard two times. Got some minor bruises on my legs and a whopper of a strawberry on my hip. Came in 3rd (out of 3 women ;-)). I had a blast. I also discovered I need to ride a mountain bike A LOT more before I race again. I think I will stick to the road and cross season for a while!
Thanks for letting me be a part of the team,
Heather Sweet
Sunday was a very new experience for me. I have done 2 Ironman triathlons (Wisconsin and Florida) and a bunch of half Ironman and shorter distance triathlons, but I have never raced a mountain bike. My husband gave me a Kona Bear for an engagement present 2.5 years ago and Saturday was the first day it was in "ready to roll" condition. I think I can count on 1 hand how many times I have rode a mountain bike.
I got to the race venue at about 10:30 and signed up for the beginner women's race. Hung out for a bit and found my friends Justin, Amy, and Brad. Kym and Mark were racing so it was nice to cheer them on while trying to soothe my nerves. When 1:08 finally came around, I soon realized the field was rather small (only 3 of us). We lined up and discovered we were only going to do 1 lap. I was kinda disappointed, being my first race, I wanted to "get my money's worth" I guess. Oh well, we were off. I knew I had no business pushing the start, but my race head got the better of me. Once we were in the woods, I realized I shouldn't go as fast as I wanted to because I do not have the bike skills to counter minor bobbles. Silly me, I kept pushing and kept crashing. I only crashed hard two times. Got some minor bruises on my legs and a whopper of a strawberry on my hip. Came in 3rd (out of 3 women ;-)). I had a blast. I also discovered I need to ride a mountain bike A LOT more before I race again. I think I will stick to the road and cross season for a while!
Thanks for letting me be a part of the team,
Heather Sweet
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Krystal Chiks Road Racing Clinic - RESCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, MAY 25TH
We have rescheduled based on the weather forecast for rain and thunderstorms this afternoon.
The Chiks Road Racing Clinic scheduled for today (Sunday, May 24) will now be TOMORROW Monday, May 25th from 10:00 a.m. - noon.
The location has not changed - it will still be at the old BiLo parking lot on Dayton Boulevard.
The Chiks Road Racing Clinic scheduled for today (Sunday, May 24) will now be TOMORROW Monday, May 25th from 10:00 a.m. - noon.
The location has not changed - it will still be at the old BiLo parking lot on Dayton Boulevard.
Greenway Challenge Adventure Race Report - by Celeste Sneed
Dale and I ended up the first team of women across the finish line at the Greenway Challenge. I think we were like the fifth team overall, and we ranked third in single sex teams. Seems like a convoluted sort of ranking, doesn't it? I confess I had little idea of what to expect so it fits from my point of view.
It was tres soggy out there. Cloudy, not hot, and I don't think we got rained on until the very last part of the race. Dale's back was just covered in mud at the end of the bike portion. There was a lot of riding through soggy fields, quite a bit of pretty deep standing water, and the uphill singletrack that's really hiking trail which was mostly too steep and muddy for us to ride. No real slippage problems until we hit some smooth sidewalk after a gravel road. She and I both nearly lost control but managed to keep the rubber beneath us.
Getting in the water to paddle cleaned us off somewhat. Paddling was hard for me as I didn't figure out until about half a mile from the end that you're supposed to use your obliques, not your arms (thanks for the tip Dale!) but we made pretty good time anyway. We were in a two person kayak. There was a three person team behind us in a canoe that was gaining for a while but they never passed us on the water.
The hardest part for me, by far, was getting over the wall. Was it 10 or 12 feet? Very tall, with slippery muddy shoes and hands. Dale managed to haul me up eventually though I had to jump to reach her forearms. I got one forearm over the wall and couldn't pull myself up so she snagged the leg of my shorts and tugged me. Good times!
There was a muddy section of bushwhacking in the run. We could see where people in front of us had been sliding. We didn't really have any mishaps there. I think we gained a lot of time on the team behind us in that section. Adventure racing clearly uses a lot of different skill sets. I kind of like the mountain goat thing.
The rest of the run was lots of up and down in woods, over logs, and along some roads. We kept a pace where we could talk a little if we felt like it. I mostly stared at her calves going uphill wondering when it was gonna end!
My least favorite portion of the whole race was the second ride and tie. Dale was running and I was riding, and we'd bungied her to the bike. I was really afraid I was gonna drag her on the downhills, but she didn't complain so I guess it went OK. We did well in the mystery events, I think. Dale doesn't sit around talking about things forever (we saw teams that did) so we got through them pretty fast.
I think I really like Adventure Races, though it's difficult for me not really knowing what to expect. I couldn't of had a better partner, though. Dale is very strong, focused, and determined. I had a GREAT time! Barbie and Jennifer were out there racing with some random guy (!) and we had a lot of fun trying to convince him that if he's gonna race he needs to shave off all his body hair. If Jennifer hadn't been laughing so hard he probably would have believed us. But I'll let them tell their own stories.
It was tres soggy out there. Cloudy, not hot, and I don't think we got rained on until the very last part of the race. Dale's back was just covered in mud at the end of the bike portion. There was a lot of riding through soggy fields, quite a bit of pretty deep standing water, and the uphill singletrack that's really hiking trail which was mostly too steep and muddy for us to ride. No real slippage problems until we hit some smooth sidewalk after a gravel road. She and I both nearly lost control but managed to keep the rubber beneath us.
Getting in the water to paddle cleaned us off somewhat. Paddling was hard for me as I didn't figure out until about half a mile from the end that you're supposed to use your obliques, not your arms (thanks for the tip Dale!) but we made pretty good time anyway. We were in a two person kayak. There was a three person team behind us in a canoe that was gaining for a while but they never passed us on the water.
The hardest part for me, by far, was getting over the wall. Was it 10 or 12 feet? Very tall, with slippery muddy shoes and hands. Dale managed to haul me up eventually though I had to jump to reach her forearms. I got one forearm over the wall and couldn't pull myself up so she snagged the leg of my shorts and tugged me. Good times!
There was a muddy section of bushwhacking in the run. We could see where people in front of us had been sliding. We didn't really have any mishaps there. I think we gained a lot of time on the team behind us in that section. Adventure racing clearly uses a lot of different skill sets. I kind of like the mountain goat thing.
The rest of the run was lots of up and down in woods, over logs, and along some roads. We kept a pace where we could talk a little if we felt like it. I mostly stared at her calves going uphill wondering when it was gonna end!My least favorite portion of the whole race was the second ride and tie. Dale was running and I was riding, and we'd bungied her to the bike. I was really afraid I was gonna drag her on the downhills, but she didn't complain so I guess it went OK. We did well in the mystery events, I think. Dale doesn't sit around talking about things forever (we saw teams that did) so we got through them pretty fast.
I think I really like Adventure Races, though it's difficult for me not really knowing what to expect. I couldn't of had a better partner, though. Dale is very strong, focused, and determined. I had a GREAT time! Barbie and Jennifer were out there racing with some random guy (!) and we had a lot of fun trying to convince him that if he's gonna race he needs to shave off all his body hair. If Jennifer hadn't been laughing so hard he probably would have believed us. But I'll let them tell their own stories.
Highland Rim Road Race Report - Kristi Hawken
Although I am inexperienced in the road world, I had a great time and ended up 11th/13 racers. The 2 other road races I did were in 2003, so the learning curve is steep. (Carol, I figured out that it was the Goose Gap RR in 2003 that I did.) The road course was a 55 mile loop and it rained a ton, so drafting was a wet mess. It was 15 miles to the base of a 3 mile climb, then a bunch of really long, but generally shallow rollers on a windy ridge for the next 40. The whole cat 1-4 pack was together at the base of the climb. One girl fell right at the base and the helper instinct in me made me stop and see if she was AOK and hand her a piece of her broken bike before chasing the group-- looking back, had I had a posse of people relying on me, I wouldn't have stopped.
Anyways, I was able to catch back up to one of the Velo Vixens, Crystal Galloway, and eventually we both caught another VV, Jenny, and the 3 of us worked together for a bit. Ultimately, we ended up being a group of 5, with Crystal pushing the pace the most. Crystal and I briefly pulled away from our group on the 2 mi descent toward the finish, but no real gains on the group were made as 2 of the 3 caught up once it was flat. I was going to try to lead Crystal out to the finish but my legs were toast by the time we got within sight of the line and she and the other 2 dropped me in the last 200yds.
The road racing world of tactics on the go is so different from mtn bike racing, but I had a blast. I am so impressed with those racers for doing the RR, resting a few hours, doing a TT and then waking up for the crit the next AM.
Anyways, I was able to catch back up to one of the Velo Vixens, Crystal Galloway, and eventually we both caught another VV, Jenny, and the 3 of us worked together for a bit. Ultimately, we ended up being a group of 5, with Crystal pushing the pace the most. Crystal and I briefly pulled away from our group on the 2 mi descent toward the finish, but no real gains on the group were made as 2 of the 3 caught up once it was flat. I was going to try to lead Crystal out to the finish but my legs were toast by the time we got within sight of the line and she and the other 2 dropped me in the last 200yds.
The road racing world of tactics on the go is so different from mtn bike racing, but I had a blast. I am so impressed with those racers for doing the RR, resting a few hours, doing a TT and then waking up for the crit the next AM.
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