Jul102015July 10, 2015December 9, 20152Commentsby Katie Schofield

Half way in MERICA

Posted in Words by Katie, Words by Katie_parent
Hey there!
Six weeks already in America; the halfway mark! Which makes me feel this is a great opportunity to keep you in the loop with how things have been going here.
We arrived at the end of May to settle into our ‘homes’ at the Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. A great set up of apartment/dorm style living: 4 to an apartment with individual bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a shared kitchen and dining area. It is a quiet town which is around a 20km bike ride to the velodrome, in Trexlertown. Majority of the other international riders have been staying here too.
My room at the University

My room at the University

The purpose of this trip was to gain racing experience as well as collect the vital qualification points. We raced for four weekends in a row, either 1- or 2-day events, with training during the week. The racing was tough, challenging, and of course enjoyable. Each week I was feeling more comfortable on the bike and willing to make moves and attacks. And on the flip side, I made did make mistakes whether it be due to loss of concentration, not thinking/over thinking, and/or self doubt. However, we are human and we learn by what we can do well as what we can improve.
Brief run down of my results so far:
5th June: US Sprint Grand Prix – 7th Match Sprint
12th June: US Fastest Man on Wheels – 8th Keirin
19-20th June: UCI Festival of Speed – 12th Match Sprint; missed making semi-finals in Keirin (a disappointing weekend to be fair)
26th June: Keirin Cup – 6th Keirin
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Me far left, finish of 5-8th Match Sprint at US Sprint Grand Prix. Photo credit: Erika Fulk

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I even raced in some endurance races with World Champ points race medalist Kim Geist. Photo credit: Erika Fulk

In my downtime I have managed to spend a day checking out the annual local Folk Festival, two days in New York, and on two separate occasions a day in Philadelphia. It has been great to be able to get out of Kutztown and experience a bit more of the States, even if it is just a quick visit!
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‘LOVE’ Philly!

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I came across a lively parade in Philly in response to the US legalizing same-sex marriage

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Rocky Steps

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Kutztown Folk Festival

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NYC from the Empire State Building

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Had to! Staten Island with the Goddess herself

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Arrgh! Huge dinosaur at the American National History Museum

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Spine tingling experience at Ground Zero

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Seeing an original by Claude Monet at the Metropolitan Art Museum. Breathtaking!

Our team also had a BBQ get together to celebrate Independence Day (4th July), along with the much needed fireworks!
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Team getting set up for the festive feed

 

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The norm on Independence Day. MERICA!

We are back into a solid training block with weekly racing on the road and on the track. I completed my only second ever 90km ride yesterday! Say whhaaat? It will be a great month of hard work and pushing the limits, in which I can wait to see the benefits come our final bout of racing in August before heading back to NZ.

 

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Post derby race – 20km left to get home

Drop me a line if you want to know more 🙂
Bye for now,
Kt x