Break a Nail: Punk Rock Cycling

Tue May 27 2008
Posted May 27, 2008
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by brianne sanchez juice staff writer Experienced female cyclists make racing look like a breeze If you wear "road rash" like a scabby badge of honor, you might be a Punk Rock Cyclist. This is a different kind of riding than tooling around the cul-de-sac, and it attracts a different kind of rider. The PRC team members are addicted to competitive cycling, each logging up to a dozen hours a week on their bikes and racing 10 months out of the year. The endorphins, camaraderie and drive to win are a few of the elements that keep these athletes in the saddle. That, and margarita-flavored energy chews. Races are either tight in-city criteriums or spread-out 40- and 70-mile road races. There's rarely a big purse: Jane Riessen won a chocolate cake and a pack of beer at one race. Others pay out up to $400. There are easier ways to make money. Watching the team zip past on a lonely stretch of road, their feet clamped to pedals and torsos leaning forward, helmets toward handlebars, the sport looks like a breeze. It's not. The wind is pushing against their sides as the riders try to stay in a pack, letting teammates draft behind to conserve energy - a strategy that allows the drafter to whip forward and take the lead. Each PRC team member was handpicked by Donny Quixote, who works at Rasmussen Bike Shop and had a vision of creating a local women's team to champion the sport. He coaches, secures sponsorship, promotes the team - even plays the role of nurse when one wipes out and needs medical attention. (Kelli Mente crashed during a late April group ride and was taken by ambulance to treat a nasty road rash on her face, swelling that shut and blackened her left eye, a knocked-out tooth, and sprained fingers on her left hand.) But this team isn't about any one person. It's about pushing boundaries, defying stereotypes, exhaustion - hell, even gravity. Check out Photos of all 6 Punk Rock Chicks, what their day job is, how long they have been racing and why they love to ride here