this chick crushed me at Whiteface. of the 325 riders she had the 7th best time.



http://uscyclingreport.com/content/i...4075&Itemid=38


2008 article- If Marblehead’s Marti Shea reaches her ultimate goal of competing in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials for cycling, it will be somewhat of a break from the last Olympic Trial.
Nearly 25 years.
In 1988, the fresh-out-of Boston University All-American cross-country runner competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 10K. Today, at 47, she no longer runs, but is a Category 2 amateur cyclist with several impressive wins.
“I really want to go to the national time trials,” said Shea, owner of Select Fitness on Tioga Way, her own personal-training business that she’s run in Marblehead for more than 20 years.
Just this year, she’s gone pretty far. In fact, U.S. Cycling allowed her to climb from a Category 4 to a Category 2 as an amateur. The more wins, the better. She’s close to a Category 1 — AAA of cycling.
This year has been a banner year for Shea, who has won the Crank the Kanc (Time Trial, May); Killington Stage Race (May); Hill Climb in Europe going up the Giau and Falzserago (July); Newton’s Revenge (July, course record); Mt. Ascutney (July); Mt. Equinox (August, course record); and various other time local time trials in the metropolitan Boston area.
She was third in the Bumps Series 2009, a series in which participants compete up to nine hill climbs, among both men and women.
Shea also placed second in both Whiteface and Mt. Washington, getting beat by the same woman, Sue Schattler of Canada.
Shea has been a competitive cyclist the last three years, when a bad knee essentially ended her running career. She credits orthopedic surgeon Dr. Anthony Schepsis for making it possible to continue being a competitive athlete over the past six years.
“He bought me time with a knee that really had no business doing anything with any type of intensity, especially something like competitive hill climbing,” Shea said. “He has already performed one huge medical miracle for me, and I am hoping that by the time my knee is ready to undergo surgery again he will be able to come up with another. But if not, I will always be thankful for what has been given to me.”
With the gift of health, Shea didn’t sit around. In fact, she and her husband of three years, Joe Tonon, have gone around the world competing in cycling events. Tonon’s business, Destination Cycling, makes that possible.
The trips to Europe, the best cycling continent in the world, have made her better.
“It’s really opened my eyes to what you can do with training,” Shea said. “Joe has made sure that I understand the intricate parts of the sport.”
Shea’s athletic past helped mold her into the cyclist she is today. She played just about every sport growing up in Manchester, N.H., and then began to focus on track & field and cross-country at Manchester Memorial High School.
She was the state, New England and national champion in the two-mile in high school, and earned a full scholarship to Boston University to also run track & field and cross-country. She had her best year as a junior, where she was an All-American in cross-country.
Marblehead came into her life soon after she earned her Masters. She thought the town was beautiful, great for running and perfect to open her personal fitness business.
She continued to compete in road races around the world, and even thought about the 1992 Olympic Trials until injuries slowed down her dreams.
Eventually, the bum knee led her off her feet, and onto a bike.
“I started biking when I couldn’t run anymore,” Shea said. “Cycling was the outlet that I wanted to have. I wanted something invigorating and a cardiovascular challenge.”
Mostly, she’s competed in hill-climb races but wants to branch out more into time trial races and stage races.
“This year, I’m doing a real mix of races to show people that I’m not just a hill-climber, but an all-around cyclist,” Shea said.
The people are the U.S. Cycling officials, who determine which cyclists advance to higher amateur categories.
Meanwhile, Shea just keeps on winning.
At Newton’s Revenge on the Mt. Washington Auto Road July 11, Shea won in a time of 1:09.36, the fourth straight year that she’s won the title.
Besides the goal of the 2012 Olympics, Shea wants to compete in Europe in the women’s Tour de France and the Women’s Giro D’Italia in 2011. She also plans to participate in American races such as the Sea Otter Classic in California, Tour of the Gila in New Mexico and Cascade Cycling Classic in Oregon.
She has also been passionate about preaching safety among cyclists and drivers, who share the same roads.
“Every day, we hear of cycling accidents, and most of us have had loved ones or know of folks, who have had encounters or accidents with vehicles,” Shea said. “As I race across the country, my husband and I plan on hosting clinics at each destination to make both riders and drivers more tolerant and understanding of each other, so that our roads become a safer place for all. We will also target the schools in each area as we realize that the youth of today are the drivers of tomorrow.”
In a cycling career with major aspirations, Shea has always been optimistic about tomorrow, no matter if one major venture comes nearly 25 years after the last.
“Here, I am a quarter-century later trying to qualify for the Olympics again,” Shea said. “I have the same attitude now as I did 25 years ago. I want to race clean, and want to see what I can do on my own, and how far I can go with it.”


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