Litka out to further show she's the wheel deal
You can learn a lot about pro cyclist Kerry Litka by checking out her website.
At kerrylitka.com, you'll find a countdown (days, hours, minutes, seconds) to the start of her Fitchburg Longsjo Classic blog; witty previous blog entries; and her bio, which reveals she likes Indian food, hybrid cars, and coffee, dislikes pasta, NASCAR, and
"The website is a very good reflection of me," said Litka, who was updating the page Monday afternoon just before doing a telephone interview from her home in New Hampton, N.H. "I love racing and I think it's tons of fun, but I don't take myself that seriously. I take [racing] seriously and I train hard and I race hard, but in the end, it's about having fun."
The enthusiastic, energetic, entertaining, and engaging Litka, all 4 feet 11 inches and 93 pounds of her, and seven of her Terry Precision teammates will be in Fitchburg today for the start of the 48th Fitchburg Longsjo Classic. The 6.55-mile time trial kicks off the four-stage race.
"We can't wait," Litka said. "We raced together on Saturday [in Rochester, N.Y.] and we're all fired up. Everyone loves this race, and we really want to focus on it."
The 30-year-old Litka, who'll be racing in her ninth Longsjo, finished 10th overall last year, her first as a professional. In 2003, Litka finished first in the women's category 3 race of the Longsjo.
"I was very happy [about last year's performance]," Litka said. "It was one of the better races in my career. I've come to the Longsjo every year since I've raced. The atmosphere is really good. The people in the community all come out and support it, and the organizers treat everyone like professionals. When I went my first year, I learned so much about racing."
Litka especially loves the crowd on Pearl Street, cheering riders on as they make their way up the hill during the circuit race, which is tomorrow.
Litka, who was born in Salem, was not into sports as a kid. "I wasn't very good at sports," she said. "I had no natural ability." Reliving her early sports involvement on her website, Litka wrote that her mother signed her up for candlepin bowling, "but I could not properly palm the ball, so I had to do the between-the-legs method."
She tried field hockey in high school, "but wasn't very good." She eventually took up running, and that's when she discovered her inner athlete. She had a successful career at Keene State College.
"I enjoyed it and I made some breakthroughs," Litka said. "I realized I did have some abilities."
An injury led her to try cycling, and in 1999, she started racing.
"I didn't know what to expect," she said. "I figured I'd try it and see how it goes. It's been a long, gradual progression. I didn't have instant success, but I really enjoyed it, so I stuck with it."
Litka tuned up for the Longsjo by competing in a criterium in Exeter, N.H., Tuesday night. The race was the first in the Seacoast Race Series, which Litka won last year.
Litka is an earth science teacher at Winnisquam Regional High School in Tilton, N.H.
"Most women [cyclists] have another career because there's not much money in the sport for women," Litka said. "The real top men can make a salary, but for women, it's really rare. Most women either work part time or have a job like mine that's flexible, with the summers off."
Litka launched her website in January 2005 to answer e-mails inquiring about buying bikes for small women. When she started racing, there were probably only two manufacturers, she said, that made bikes to fit her.
"I'd answer their questions and give them tips," Litka said, "so I decided to start a website as a resource for petite women having a hard time finding bikes to fit them. Then it kind of morphed into the blog. I started that for fun, and it became the more popular part of the site."
Litka still gets e-mail asking for advice, and on the site, there is a guide to finding the right bike. People from around the world read the site.
"That motivates me to keep it updated," she said.
