For those of you who don’t know what ended up happening to me there, I crashed in the last stage was knocked unconcious for about a minute and I lost all of my memories for the next 4 hours…so I suffered a pretty solid concussion. I woke up in the hospital wondering what the hell happened. The doctors had me spend an extra 2 days in Qatar so that I could recover from the trauma before jumping on a 20hour flight home. All I did was sleep in my extra 2 days in Qatar. Then I got home and slept some more. I pretty much shut my blinds and locked myself up in my room for the next two weeks and did some extreme recovery. It was a rough way to start the year and as I recovered and attempted to bounce back from my concussion I hit a few speed bumps along the way…which ultimately set me back even more.

But eventually I overcame the obstacles in front of me and the highlights of my 2011 season included a U23 US Criterium National Championship and a stage win and U23 GC at Le Tour du Limousin in France.

I feel that my explanation for the lack of video blogs is that I was focusing the time that I had on my hands to recover from my incident and get myself back in the game. I think that excuse is excusable to you. Hopefully I can be forgiven

I plan to get everything back on track this year! I already kicked off the year with solid results at US Cyclocross National Championships with a 2nd in the Collegiate Women’s race and a (self-surprising) 5th in the Elite Women’s race!!!

Next up is Ladies Tour of Qatar – Round 2. I’m going to give Qatar another chance, I know that is where I injured myself last year, but I am not afraid of the race because of that. Qatar is a good race for me and I am better prepared this time around. Funny how ironic it is that my last video blog was from Qatar. I am excited to go back and I am ready to kill some bitches.

Along with that I have gotten a jump-start with my video blogs! I have just completed my first video blog on what my family and I did on New Year’s Eve. Check it out below:

I plan to get a video blog out ATLEAST once every month, so if you have any suggestions or anything you would like to see or know, leave a comment and I’ll get right to it! It can seriously be anything….on the bike, off the bike, music, movies, favorites, least favorites, fun facts, recipes, family, friends, school, tours, behind the scenes, etc…. So please! do not hesitate to leave a comment!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon! More exciting news to come!
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On Saturday was the collegiate women’s race. Kaitie Antonneau, Jackie Kurth, Allie Dragoo, Lisha Herold, and myself lined up on the start line to represent Marian University. I got the #1 call up since I won regionals, so I picked a good fresh spot on the clear first row. Then I had a teammate on every row back. When the official blew the whistle I jumped and got the holeshot. As I got off the pavement and onto the grass Kaitie was on my wheel and we instantly had a 10m gap. I led 3/4 of the first lap until I slipped in a really slick section and Kaitie took the lead. From the on I had to settle in and ride at my own pace. I also had to keep in mind that I had the elite race the next day. It also worked as a chance to really learn the course before the elite race. I settled into a rhythm and finished 23sec behind Kaitie. Jackie finished in 7th, Allie in 11th, and Lisha in 12th which put us in first place for the overall collegiate team omnium!!! It was up the the Marian boys to race well to keep us in the lead!

Marian University Women's Cyclocross Team

Coryn Rivera and Kaitie Antonneau going up the run-up.

On Sunday morning was the collegiate men’s race and my elite women’s race. Collectively the Marian boys got 3rd, which tied us with Fort-Lewis College. Because of Kaitie’s win on Saturday Marian University was declared D1 team collegiate omnium National Champions! This was the first time ever that Marian won a cyclocross National Title, I was very proud and honored to be a part of the team.

Next up was the elite women’s race. Cyclocross isn’t entirely a main focus for me. It is something for me to do over the winter and it is extremely fun whether you do good or bad. The cyclocross atmosphere is more enjoyable than any other cycling environment. Therefore, my goal in the elite race was to (1)get a good clean start, (2)settle in, (3)pick off riders in front of me, and (4)ultimately grab as much money as I can on the run-up. Simple enough right? I started in the 3rd row thanks to the points I got from Cincy CX3, Louisville USGP, Jingle Cross, and Bend USGP. When the whistle blew and we got on the grass I was in about 9th place and I cleared through all the first corner crashes and mishaps. Goal #1, check! From then on I did my best to stay in control of my race and stay smooth throughout the course since it was slick in certain sections. When we hit the first climb I settled into my own pace and started to pick riders off, next thing I knew I was in 7th place. Goal #2 and #3, check check! First time up the run-up I saw a dollar bill. I grabbed it, people screamed and hollared, I laughed then smiled, and stashed my cash down my skinsuit. I loved it. Goal #4, check! I fulfilled all my goals within 1/2 a lap, but I didn’t stop there. For the next 4 1/2 laps I raced at my own pace, I continued to pick people off and grabbed money every time over the run-up. Eventually I got myself into a podium spot, 5th place. I couldn’t believe it. Here I am having so much fun, picking up money along the way, and still making a podium spot! I believe that’s a win-win-win situation! I did take a nice fall infront of the pits and dropped to 6th, but I composed myself and got back into 5th within 1/2 a lap. From then on my main focuses were: stay smooth and dont crash, and pick up as much money as I can on the run-up. I did both. I finished in a remarkable(for me atleast) 5th place and was $11 richer than when I started the race.

Grabbin my cash monayyy!

Having fun!!!

Wil Matthews

At the podium ceremony, I was able to put on my 41st National Championship jersey as a team. I myself didn’t win anything, the entire team won, Marian University won. It had a special meaning unlike any of my other jerseys and there isn’t anything else that could replace it. Then I stood in 5th place on the elite women’s podium, who woulda thunk it??? A cool note about the elite women’s podium, we each got our own lil goodies of Wisconsin. We got brats, cheese curds, 3 year old cheddar, bag of popcorn, and these caramel and chocolate covered peanuts. Bus ride snacks!

Lyne Lamoureaux

This entire trip wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Dean Peterson and David Williams. They did everything from logistics to mechanics. They were also in the pits for me and might I add they did a fabulous job, no problems what so ever. Big thanks to our bus driver, Gary, who transported us to and from the race course and also drove us 6hrs back to campus right after the podium ceremony to make it for the start of the semester the next day at 10am. And of course, special thanks to my Marian teammates. All weekend we were there for eachother and if anyone ever needed anything, someone would be right there. And because of our teamwork we were able to win Marian’s 1st cyclocross title and Marian’s 17th National Title. That’s Kaitie Antonneau, Jackie Kurth, Allie Dragoo, Lisha Herold, Josh Johnson, Weston Luzadder, Alder Martz, Danny Gerow, David Yohe, Neal Forbes, and Will Meger. Round of applause please!!!

Huge thanks to Felt Bicycles, Zipp, Sram, Oakley, and Pearl Izumi for their support throughout my cyclocross season! Everything worked impecably and I couldn’t have asked for a better set-up! Special thanks to Exergy for their support of the TWENTY12 team and the USGP and National Championship races that I took part in. Extremely honored to be a part of the Exergy family.

Last but not least, extra special shout out to the folks on the run-up section of the course that handed me up cash monaayyyyyyy! You all made the race SO awesome and fun! I loved it! Be back next year alright?!! And shout out to my brosephs Dave Towle, Brad Sohner, Richard Fries, Jose Alcala, Steve Johnson, and Sean Petty! Always great to see you all!

-first time ever to lead a UCI cx race
-mud does not love me (or vice versa), day 2…13th
-mud becomes my acquaintance, but we’re not quite friends yet, day 3…7th

-Mt. Krumpit is definitely not easy…to go up OR down

Awesome photos thanks to Lyne Lamoureaux from www.podiuminsight.com…if you haven’t before, check her website out!

Special thanks go out to Jose from Sram and my Marian teammate Weston for helping me out all weekend! Next weekend there is a local race at Major Taylor Velodrome again! Hoping its cold and raining so I can get more experience in shitty weather! But first time to buckle down and study for an english project that is due and prepare for a big business presentation!!!

Gila
The last time I raced Gila was 2 years ago. And I’m sure I vowed that I would never come back. But there I was on the start line for Mogollon Road Race. I was there to be the best teammate I could possibly be. And I was also there since I didn’t go to the spring Europe trip, so I was low on race days. Mogollon (pronounced: mo-gey-on) Road Race was not the best day for us. Kristin Armstrong had the stomach flu and could barely pedal her bike. I helped rotate in the front with the girls to control an early break and we brought it back by the base of the climb. Once we started climbing I was already back in the groupetto, but I could see Armstrong slowly drifting back towards me. Once I caught her I pushed and encouraged her all the way to the top. But that’s all I could have done as she was feeling like total shit. She ended up having some sort of food poisoning so she had to abandon the race. Basically just tried to survive the rest of the race.

Pittsburgh Twilight
-WIN!
-perfect leadout from Olivia Dillon
-i love Project Sport races <3

Tour of Chongming/UCI World Cup China
-no traffic regulation what so ever
-life flashing before me during training rides

Snake Alley/Memorial Day Weekend
-flew out after HS graduation to my biffle’s(Kaitie) house
-hung out
-went camping
-Snake Alley; just about the coolest road ever
-2nd, 4th, 2nd
-most aggressive rider t-shirt winner

Nature Valley Grand Prix
-still one of the hardest US stage races I’ve ever done
-super domestique

Road Nationals
-U23 CRIT NATIONAL CHAMP
-Georgia is the hottest and most humid place on earth
-humidity is gross
-racing from one air conditioned place to another

San Rafael Twilight
-WIN!
-teammates Alison Starnes, Tayler Wiles, Olivia Dillon
-i love Project Sport races <3
-“all I do is win win win no matter what”
-champagne poppin’

Tour de Bretagne
-first time flying to CDG by myself; confusing airport thus far
-first time taking TGV train by myself; confusing, but I love the public transportation
-super teammate for Jackie Crowell, she ended up 4th GC
-turning on the TV and simply watching the tour on local TV
-IMMENSE amounts of bread

Tour de Limousin
-WIN! Stage 1
-got into 4 leaders jersey; stage winner(red jersey), points leader(blue jersey) U23 GC(white jersey), and overall GC(pink jersey).
-first elite european stage win
-absolute most incredible feeling ever

Watsonville Strawberry Criterium
-WIN!
-racing with teammates Alison Starnes, Olivia Dillon, Tayler Wiles
-all day breakaway with Pascale and Jazzy
-sprint finish out of break of 3

Brentwood Grand Prix
-WIN!
-racing with teammate Kristin McGrath
-race put on by Velo Club LaGrange, a local team that supported me as a junior

Holland Ladies Tour
-yelling
-caravan
-dijks(spelling?)
-wind
-crosswinds
-rain
-chickens
-cow poop
-round abouts
-plateaus
-cobbles
-tumble
-survived my 2nd Holland Ladies Tour in a row; THANKFUL!

collegiate track nationals
-WIN! indiv pursuit
-2nd place in 500m TT
-WIN! team pursuit
-WIN! sprints
-WIN! points race
-WIN! co-ed team sprint
-WIN! indiv overall omnium
-WIN! team overall omnium
-the most cohesive and fun type of team cycling ever
-if I could, I would just race collegiate for the rest of my life
-FUN!
-camaraderie
-home track racing

TD Bank Mayor’s Cup
-3rd
-racing with teammate Lauren Tamayo
-haven’t been riding for 1 week because i had already started my off-season
-post-race: mexican restaurant by the water with menu on ipads, horrible waitress, mediocre food
-extra cash monayyy

Off-Season
-analyzing 2011 road season: after major setbacks(concussion, flu) just wanted 2011 to be over to start 2012 fresh
-fun
-Fun
-FUN
-why didn’t anyone tell me about college sooner?

Dempsey Challenge
-inspiring
-motivating
-incredible cancer surviving stories
-yep, I cried
-Patrick Dempsey is REAL
-chilling with Bernhard Eisel, Levi Leipheimer, Odessa Gunn, Tom Danielson, Fast Freddie, The Phinney Family, and more!
-great way to start riding again after offseason

Marian CX #1
-welcome back to CX racing!
-the new Felt F1X is AMAZING!
-SRAM Black Red is bad ass BOSS looking

Cincy3 CX
-game time!
-road trip with @westonluzadder
-9th, 7th, 9th
-day 1, crit warm-up(no warm-up) doesn’t work with cx racing
-day 2, i love grass crits
-day 3, i tried to be nice but mud is not my friend

Louisville USGP
-i love grass crits
-16th, 11th
-my best USGP results
-I don’t do jumps

Collegiate CX Regionals
-2nd to bff Kaitie
-MTV CX courses are getting fun!

Marian CX #2
-WIN!
-overnight rain
-muddy and slick
-getting cold

Thanksgiving
-super thankful to have family in Indiana!
-tweeted: “Thankful for all of YOU! And anyone, anywhere, and anything that has made a impact in my life! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! #muchlove”

Thanks for checking out my blog! (this time you actually had a reason to check it!) I will do my best to get blog posts out more often(heckle me if you want more blog posts). Next blog post is from Jingle CX. And I promise it will be posted because I’m already working on it!!!

Much love,

Coryn

PS check out my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CorynRiveraRacing

http://editor.des07.com/vo/?FileID=f5e0fe7c-d8ff-4918-ab76-b7a02b6c6a58&m=cbaaae6a00095d49a5eaf600d90d4506&MailID=21127300

@Todd_K
@CorynTheG how many hours a week do you usually training during the cycling season.

Depending on what time of year it is, between 10-20 hours.

@s2_art
@CorynTheG most embarrassing moment on a bike in a race (and in training)

I think the most embarrassing moment during training was during a road training ride during the 2010 Jr Track Worlds in Montichiari, Italy. There was a slight mishap in the tunnel we were riding in and long story short, my shorts were all cut up and my butt was pretty much hanging out. I had to hold the remaining bib pieces together for the next hour. And we rode by the russian national team and my butt was, yes, pretty much still hanging out.

I can’t think of an embarrassing moment during a bike race, but I do have a really good one on the way to a bike race. I was flying to the Netherlands for the Holland Ladies Tour and my dad just dropped me off at LAX and took off. I went to the kiosk to check-in and for some reason the machine said I couldn’t check in. I was getting nervous after I attempted to check-in again, so I looked for help. The Delta person helped me out and attempted to check me in again. At that moment, he found out that my flight actually leaves…..TOMORROW. I felt like the stupidest person on the planet. Then I thought about how I was going to get home, so I frantically tried to call my dad, but of course, his phone was on silent. I had to wait till he got home so I could get a hold of him. My poor dad had to drive all the way back to LAX to pick me up, then he had to do it again the next day on my REAL departure date…

@TRB_
@CorynTheG ok, two softball qstions for ya… What were the coldest and hottest races of 2010? And how many layers for each?

I would have to say the coldest race of 2010 would have to be Nationals in Bend, Oregon. I’m from southern California when the weather is always 70degrees, so anything colder than that is cold for me . And the hottest race in 2010 would have to be  2010 Jr Road World Championships in Offida, Italy. It was in the middle of August and super hot and humid. I’m not the biggest fan of humidity, so the weather was uncomfortable.

@Geslien
@CorynTheG when did you fall in love with cycling? What was your inspiration?

I think I fell in love with cycling when I raced Nature Valley in 2008 with Kristin Armstrong and Emma Rickards. I remember racing Cannon Falls road race and it was windy. I was spinning like crazy trying to stick on the wheel in front of me in the tail and cross wind sections. Then all of a sudden I was called back to the car to get bottles for Kristin and Emma. I fought my way back to the front with fresh bottles for the girls and then what happened? They didn’t want the bottles! I didn’t know what to do! So I dumped the bottles and continued to fight to stay on the wheel in front of me. It doesn’t sound very glamorous, but after that moment I realized that cycling is what I wanted to do. The fact that you can be a helping hand to your teammates or your teammates can help you. And the coolest part of the whole weekend was that Kristin ended up winning overall. I felt proud and honored to be a small part of that.

Minh Nguyen – What’s your favorite local training ride?

My favorite local training ride is either riding along PCH on a hot day or a solid day through Santiago Canyon.

Ashley Jensen – What is your training schedule like

My training schedules ranges between 10-20 hours a week.

Ashley Jensen – What are your strengths and weaknesses as a cyclist? How do you handle the pressures of winning?

I’d say my strengths as a cyclist are sprinting and instincts. I’ve grown up always having a good sprint and I have improved throughout the years. And I also usually have really good instincts during races. And I would have to say my weakness is climbing. I am small and still young and developing and it’s hard for me to have sustained power sometimes.

The way I handle pressures of winning is that I put the most pressure on myself. Anyone can tell me I HAVE to win this and that, etc. But the decision ultimately comes down to me. So if I want to win a race I will put the most amount of pressure on myself and the other amounts of pressure from other things can’t add up to the amount of pressure I put upon myself.

Hope you all enjoyed that!

Stay tuned for more blogs!

I’m sitting on a plane en route to China with all the windows closed and the lights off and just about everyone around me are sleeping. It’s currently 4:50pm from where I left in SFO, but it’s only 8:50am the next day in China. So I am trying to stay awake to get used to the time difference. So I figure typing up a catch-up blog will keep me awake, along with watching True Grit. So here we go, let’s get back up to speed…

TEAM CAMP
Last year we didn’t have a team camp, so it was really exciting to finally have the entire team together all in one place for longer than one day! Our camp was a week long and we stayed at a beautiful Larkspur Hotel in Mill Valley. We had some really good riding and a lot of really good times. Thanks to Zipp, Sram, and Felt for their wonderful presentations. I learned a lot about our team equipment and I think it is safe to say that we are on the best equipment possible. We have a great group of girls on the team and we bond really well. I am stoked to see how the rest of the season will go. Also, thanks to Mike Iavarone for being our masseur for the week!

MERCO
From team camp, about 9 of us went straight to Merco. This year is the first year that Merco is a stage race. It was a pretty cool race. It started with a road race on Thursday, then a time trial on Friday, then a criterium on Saturday, and a road race on Sunday. Merco is usually just a Saturday/Sunday race of the criterium and road race. So it was pretty fun that Merco got a stage race together. I started to get sick at the end of camp and I was hoping I would get better, but I don’t think I did because I got dropped like I was hot when we hit the first climb on the first day!!! The first day I ended up in the groupetto. During the TT I just went tempo to save the legs for the criterium the next day and since I was not in contention for the GC. But Ali rode a phenomenal TT and took the yellow jersey!!! During the criterium, I somehow got a miracle and finished 2nd behind Ina Yoko-Teutenberg, all while defending Ali’s yellow jersey! I think the miracle is actually my teammates. They believed in me and I made sure to followed through. Lauren, Owoww, Ali, Kmac, Tayler, Alisha, Cari, and Kaitie all helped towards my 2nd place behind one of the best sprinters in the world and defending Ali’s yellow jersey. The last road race was pouring rain and after two laps of barely trying to keep up sick, I had to pull out. I was feeling horrible and I’m sure if I tried to finish the last lap I would have definitely gotten really really sick. The team successfully defended the yellow jersey and Lauren ended up 3rd on the last stage as well. It was great to see that our first race as a team was successful!

SAN DIMAS + REDLANDS
San Dimas and Redlands was pretty much a shit show for me. I was just over getting sick from camp and Merco and I had a pretty solid week of training the week before. San Dimas Stage Race was Kristin Armstrong’s first race back from retirement. And of course, it starts with an uphill time trial. She raced well and got 3rd in the TT. I cracked in the RR and did my best to help Kristin in the crit. At Redlands, I started off racing the prologue tempo to save my legs for the rest of the week. Little did I know, my legs were are jumbled up. I could barely get over the climbs in the Beaumont Road Race and I was supposed to go for the sprints. For both sprints I made sure I made contact with the front group right before the sprint, then winged it. I think I got 3rd in the first sprint, then puked in the second sprint. Yes, that’s right…I said puked. Not only was it a huge effort for me to come from off the back to going for the sprints, it was Africa hot that day. And on top of that I had a mechanical the lap before the 2nd sprint. After the second sprint, I puked, then tried to hang on for dear life, then I had yet another mechanical and kind of hurt myself along the way and by that point, I called it quits. I went through wayyyyy too much that day and I just couldn’t handle it anymore. For the next two stages of Redlands, I helped out with the team and fed them bottles in the feed zone on Sunset. Kristin ended up in 5th GC.

SEA OTTER
I was supposed to go to Europe but after my performances from San Dimas and Redlands I realized I wasn’t quite ready yet. Having my concussion and getting sick really set me back so I decided not to go to Europe and spend more time training and getting back on track and finished it off with Sea Otter. I first spent a couple weeks in Norcal training and trying to get my ducks in a row. Then I raced Sea Otter…it is also a ‘new’ stage race for the season. It is usually individual races, but this year they added a time trial and made it an omnium stage race. Sea Otter wasn’t a team race on the calendar but Olivia, Alisha, Armstrong, and myself raced it. It was good to be racing like myself again. I got 3rd in the criterium, back of the pack in the road race, 10th in the time trial, and crashed out of the break in the circuit race. And Armstrong won the overall. Alisha got 4th in the road race. And Olivia is the ultimate teammate. Besides crashing, I had a really good race and starting to feel like I’m back on track. And I’d like to think I had a pretty good time trial for a sprinter as well. The crash was unfortunate because Armstrong was getting ready to lead me out and I got pinched in the 2nd to last corner. But it is what it is. Crashing is part of the sport. I am just glad I didn’t hit my head again. It wasn’t a bad crash, I just had some road rash. Special thanks to Felt for supporting us at the race and using their booth as our team headquarters for the week!

Thats all for now! Thanks for reading! Up next to report is Sram Tour of the Gila, Pittsburg Twilight Criterium, and my trip to China.

**Sorry again for lacking on the blogs. I have been busy lately getting a bunch of college stuff together! You know, all that real life stuff!

On another note, today is Valentine’s day. And I want to publicly announce that I am in love with food . Food is what gives me energy to do what I need to do. Food keeps me alive. Food is necessary in my life! I don’t want to sound fat, but it’s true! …and you know it’s true too! And while you’re in love with food, make it GOOD food! Don’t fall in love with some junky McDonalds greasy crap.

….enjoy!

crepe with egg and turkey bacon

sushi in Lucca

Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter & Co. on a Speculoos cookie

VooDoo Donut, Bacon Maple...this may be a once in a lifetime kind of thing...

Baklava from The Bakery in Bend, OR ++signed cards from my fav crossers TJ and KT

Spanish Omelette wiiiith ketchup!

multigrain saghetti and bolognese

Yogurtland - red velvet and new york cheesecake with mochi, brownie, choc chips

Nutella crepe with mint choco chip ice cream

the beginning of my crepe cake...melting chocolate, warming up the Peanut Butter & Co. and making a TON of crepes

My crepe cake is layers of Crunch Time Peanut Butter & Co. and chocolate.

first slice of my crepe cake!

I like my chocolate like my coffe, the dark and richer, the better!

2 eggs with ketchup and grits with honey and blueberries

grits with honey, scrambled eggs with ketchup, grilled tomato, 2 strips of bacon

my all-time favorite drink at Starbucks. but the best part of this picture is that they FINALLY spelled my name right!!!

yummy brie on a cracker...

brown rice mixed with The Heat Is On Peanut Butter & Co.

brownie, but only the EDGE!

Kean Coffee's cinnamon twist and italian cappuccino

Yogurtland - small bits of red velvet, new york cheesecake, kona coffe, peanut butter with granola, kit kat, and chocolate covered sunflower seeds

pancakes with honey drizzled and choco chips, scrambled eggs with banana ketchup, and turkey sausage

Veggie Grill...cajun burger with sweetpotato fries!

egg over easy with banana ketchup, grits with turkey sausage, and a good cup of Peets joe

baked salmon with capers, grilled asparagus, brown rice

In-N-Out with my nephew Nick

Now don’t tell me that all those pictures made you hungry