Can you say "World Champion"?

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The most coveted award in cycling: The Rainbow Jersey

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Martha Iverson, Ph.D (Physics)

World Champion Road Cyclist

Belgium Sept 9-11, 2011

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Durango's Martha Iverson won her second World Championship at the UCI World Cycling Tour in Stavelot, Belgium, September 9-11.  Her first World Championship came in 2006 in  St. Johann Austria.

The courses were challenging with climbing and steep technical downhills, and short sections of cobbles on the flats in each race. Both courses where on the Liege Bastone Liege spring classic race route. And the rain during the races resulted in many crashes, but not Martha.

The Time Trial in Belgium: "In Bend, OR, at the USAC Masters National Championships the week before, there were some short hills but nothing like the Time Trial course in Belgium where there were a couple of 1-2 mile long climbs."

The Road Race in Belgium: "The course had everything you can imagine - wet roads, long steep climbs, steep twisty descents with off-camber turns, and even some cobbles. They had to delay the start of the women's race because they ran out of ambulances."

Martha's prep began with building her bikes. The TT bike was a light and stiff carbon road frame setup with a 54/39 crankset and an 11/29 cassette. Her road bike again was a light carbon road frame but much more forgiving. The crankset was a compact 50/34 with a rear mountain bike derailleur and an 11/32 cassette.

The road training consisted of many 3 to 4 hour rides, half the miles on gravel roads. The core of her time trial training were valley intervals and hard rides from Durango to Lemon Reservoir and back.

Scribes Note:  The Rainbow Jersey is recognized around the World for winning the Pro or Masters World Championship.  Yep, only one person in each fiercely competitive age group gets the Jersey for a year.  It is considered by many to be the ultimate in coveted awards for cycling.

When you see Dr. Iverson, ask her about the Space-Time Continuum, and how it may be altered as a subject approaches the speed of light.  Oh, also congratulate her on her bike thing.

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