Team Bacchetta
Team Bacchetta Member Bio - Sara Kay Carrell
Name: Sara Kay Carrell
Sex: Female (but make body sounds better than most males!)
Age: 29 and only getting faster!
Location: Hays, Kansas
e-mail: skcarrell@scatcat.fhsu.edu
Phone number: 785-650-1620
Riding Background:
I have always ridden a little bit of every kind of bike: mountain bike, road bike, cyclocross and recumbent. Mountain bike racing has been my forte for the last few years. As time moves on and the doctors visits for treating the ever so dreaded poison ivy rashes increase, I have more and more of a shift to staying out of the bushes and getting on the recumbent.
When I moved to Hays in 1997, I started riding with “the guys”. It took quite a bit of persuading from my advisor at the college, but I finally decided to go for it. I just couldn’t imagine that “the guys” wanted a girl that only knew how to putt along at 14 mph or to have never been in a paceline, to ride with them! With lots of SK styled determination and encouragement from the guys, I was pulled around mile after mile until I was turned into a better, faster rider that now fully appreciates the dynamics of group riding.
How did you get into Recumbents?
Because of the influence of John Schlitter being part of the group, a few of the guys already rode recumbents. Soon, the idea was floating in my head that I needed one too! In 1999, John hooked me up with my first ‘bent, one of the original V-Rex Classic 24’s. After several weeks of John’s encouraging pushes from the back of my seat on the hills of Western Kansas, I was back up to speed with the group.
How did you get asked to be a TEAM BACCHETTA team mate?
As time went on, I landed myself back in Hays as the manger and mechanic of John’s bicycle shop, The Hub. Somewhere in the mix, John picked up on my desire to be a role model for other women cyclists, recumbents or uprights alike. I am always looking at doing rides as motivation and inspiration for the women cycling community. Plus, I had to beat John at a few sprints to rightly earn the jersey (I did win, right, JS?!)
I just have to say that I am fully honored to be the first Lady Killer B for Team Bacchetta! I do not have nearly the race resume as the other Killer B guys, but it will be growing fast!
What Bacchetta do you ride?
Aero for long rides and racing
Corsa with Power Tap for training
Giro 26 for country road cruising and pulling around my 90 lb yellow Labrador!
Race results:
HPV: 2005 Wasco Wild West 2nd place Women’s (I’ll beat her next year!)
Mountain Bike:
2005 Heartland Mountain Bike Championship Series, Overall Female Champion
2003: 12 Hours of Madness Mtb 2nd place, qualifying for Elite race level at 24 Hours of Madness Solo World Championships
2004 and 2005 Cruise the Blues 6 Hour Mountain Bike Race Female Solo Champion
And many, many more mtb races won wearing the Killer B Blue!!
Ultra Racing:
Crew member/mechanic for RAAM 2005, 2006, RAO 2006
Personal Best Rides:
July 4th 2006: 154 miles in 8 hours, on the ‘bent
Events planned to attend for the rest of 2006:
Hotter N Hell 100: August 26
Hawkeye Downs Speedway HPV races: Sept 16-17
Texas Time Trials UMCA 12HR Championship (tentative) October 21
UMCA Cross State record establishment for Women’s North to South (or South to North or both ways!): Fall 2006
Future Goals and Races:
Spring 2007: UMCA Cross State Record establishment for Women’s East to West (or West to East or both ways!)
World Speed Records (????)
RAO Team 2007, 2 or 4 person (then I’ll debate solo!)
RAAM 2008 or 2009. Team, anybody??
Wasco Wild West 2007
To have a race resume and power output as impressive as Larry Graham’s! (Well, okay, all of the Killer B guys!)