[6 days to go]

I am looking forward to spending countless hours on my California beaches with my friends and family….

Pictured below is Laguna and Santa Monica.

I will always remember when I went to Nashville, Indiana for fall break with my half-sister that lives out here in Indiana. We moseyed around downtown Nashville and went zip-lining in Brown County. Indiana may not have beaches, but it can be fun.

Pictured is downtown Nashville and yours truly when I got stuck on one of the longer zip-lines we did.

Alarm is set for 3:30 AM so that us Marian kids can get loaded onto the bus, then off to the airport, then wheels off at 6:55 and next thing we know we will be in Ogden, Utah for Collegiate Road Nationals. #collnats #RoadtoOgden @USACcollegiate @MarianCycling

Until [5 days to go]….

-Coryn

[7 days to go]

Rainbow Sandals. Homemade from San Clemente, CA. I own quite a few pairs and have owned at least a pair ever since elementary school. They are a staple Californian item. I can’t wait to wear them to the beach in California.

Won’t forget when Marian won yet another Collegiate National Championship. Although it was my 40th title, it really felt like my 1st. It was an amazing feeling. A true performance of team work. It wasn’t me who won. It was Marian and every effort counted towards our National Champion jerseys.

(Pictured is Jackie Kurth, yours truly, Allie Dragoo, and Kaitie Antonneau warming up, errr fist-pumping, before our winning team pursuit ride)

In these last few days of my freshman college year at Marian University in Indiana I have been looking back at all the good and bad times I’ve had here. But all in all I am thankful for every opportunity and threat that has come my way during my first year here. Thank you Marian and Indianapolis. I am looking forward to next year….

I was excited to get the year started with the team. We had a good amount of new faces and I was excited to get to know my new teammates. Especially being 2012, an Olympic year, I knew that our team would get stacked with extremely strong olympic hopefuls. We are in fact team TWENTY12, we’re all about the Olympics, that is the golden pinnacle of women’s cycling.

It is going to be really difficult to blog about the entire week at camp so I’ll do my best to summarize the most entertaining parts about camp.

To start things off here is our 2012 roster:
Kristin Armstrong
Pascale Schnider
Lauren Tamayo
Tayler Wiles
Alison Tetrick
Theresa Cliff-Ryan
Andrea Dvorak
Kristin McGrath
Rhae Shaw
Jackie Crowell
Cari Higgins
Greta Niemanas
Coryn Rivera
Kaitlin Antonneau
Jessica Van Garderen
Heather Logan Sprenger

Juniors:
Jennifer Valente
Tara McCormick
Kayla Sterling
Sarah Huang
Maddy Tuggle
Veronica Church

To start things off, those of us who flew in from Qatar, lost our bikes along the way. Luckily we were getting new training bikes at camp, so we werent too worried. We arrived at the house we were staying in for the week at midnight. We dropped our stuff, showered, and passed out in our respective rooms.

I have trained in Palm Springs before so I know the roads pretty well. After getting our bikes dialed we had a quick meeting before the ride. When Kristin Armstrong says “We’re just going to do a nice scenic ride today.” I raised my hand to ask a question, “What is your definition of a ‘nice scenic ride’???” I know Armstrong well enough that when she says something like that it is probably best to not take her word for it. She replied to me, “Ohh, just like a 3-4hr ride and we’ll go up a nice scenic road.” I knew exactly where she was taking us for our first ride as a team. “You are taking us Tram Way aren’t you?” I said. BINGO! I was right! For me, Tram Way(for those of you who don’t know, it’s a 4mi climb avg around 7-8%) was not what I wanted to do after Tour of Qatar and 28hrs of traveling.

So that’s one of the stories from camp that I’ll fill you in on. Then rest I’ll leave to you to hear down the grapevine…

Meanwhile I’ll leave you with some short and sweet bullet points about the happenings during camp. There is no way I can blog about the entire camp without having to type for the next 4hrs…not trying to make this a 6pg essay!!!

- new Felt road bikes
- new Pearl Izumi kits
- Steve Blick from Oakley rode with us
- riding through Joshua Tree Park
- sponsor day
- lead out practice
- race scenario simulations
- team photoshoot
- chillin by the pool after every ride with Coryn and the blondes
- fridge full of food
- cooking team dinner with Ali
- beds every where
- 5 people using 1 bathroom = 2 rolls of TP/day
- practicing bottles from the car
- practicing wheel changes
-etc……

All in all, camp was super fun. And definitely looking forward to having an amazing year with these girls. Let’s get it!

The 2011 version of Qatar definitely left its mark on me. I suffered a pretty serious concussion that knocked me out and I didn’t remember anything until about 4 hour after the crash. Since then the concussion I suffered has greatly impacted everything that I have had to deal with. From reading to short-term memory to literally leaving it’s mark on me with a scar under my right eye and another above my top lip to occasional headaches.

But out with the old and in with the new. I had to start my 2012 road campaign on a good note. And besides the fact that I didn’t have results on paper, I think the 2012 Qatar trip was a success in the fact that I had finished all 3 stages without crashes. Of course crashing is part of the sport and I could easily crash at any time and still get a concussion. But there was something on my shoulder about Qatar and I knew that surviving this race would be a great weight lifted off my shoulders.

The race in general wasn’t too hot for me. I was racing with the USA National Team and our leader was Shelley Olds, the main plan for all 3 stages was to make sure Shelley made the splits and set her up for the sprints if possible. The first stage started with a tail wind and being on a compact crank I didn’t have too much fun. The next stage was similar, I was able to rev my little legs up in the tailwind for as long as I could until I was on the rivet and I couldn’t hold the pace with my compact crank. The 3rd stage was much better as I was able to stay with the group and help lead Shelley out in the finish.

Other than the racing, the travel was still as endless as I remembered it last year and staying at the Ritz-Carlton was as luxurious as I remembered it.

Shout out to teammates Shelley Olds, Tayler Wiles, Jacky Crowell, Sam Schnider, Kendall Ryan. It was such a great time racing with these gals.

And super special thanks to USAC staff Jackson Stewart, mechanic TJ Grove, and swanee Ronnie Lenzi!!! Thank you for all of your hard work making sure bikes are in top shape and rubs that made my legs feel brand spankin new!

Thanks for reading!

Next Destination: ExergyTWENTY12 Team Camp – PALM SPRINGS, CA

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