Disbelief

I rode outside yesterday. I still can't believe it. Here it is, late November and although the mercury is barely hitting 40 degrees, there's no ice/snow/sand on the roads and it's still a pleasure to be outside.

Amazing.

I think it just makes up for the fact that it snowed up until June 15th this past spring. Mother nature always has a funny way of working herself out.

Rather than jinx it, I'm headed outside for another ride today. Looks like the traditional Turkey Day backcountry ski tour will be a bike ride instead. I think that's a good thing.

Utah State Champs

This Saturday, Bergy, Byers and I suffered through the 5:30am wakeup call and headed down to Odgen, UT for the Utah state cyclocross championships. Even though we aren't Utah residents, we still wanted to make the effort and toss some Victor-Cross passion into their state championship races. States races are usually well-attended, so the added competition certainly motivated us to get there, regardless of the long drive. The 8-hour total drive time gave us plenty of time to chat about top-five albums of all time, hard-tail vs. full suspension bikes for racing and to rationalize why we think we deserve iPhones. Bergy and Byers are great, highly-entertaining company, so I'll usually take any excuse to hang out with them, racing or no racing.

Bergy, putting the hurt on the Utah boys.

The course was fun, but certainly favored roadie-types. There was no climbing, nothing too technical and the headwinds and course features made it all about power, power, power. The race was held at a fairgounds, so parts of the course actually had us jumping over cross-county horse jumps. Good stuff.


The race went well for me, especially considering that I was still fighting the remnants of a chest cold. Thankfully, I felt good enough to ride well. I didn't cough up any sections of lung and came way with the win. I rode with a gal for the first lap and a half, but quickly rode off the front and stayed there the entire race. Besides a front flat in my warm-up, a flat on my cool down and a loss of 25psi in my rear tire during the race, all went well. (I'm not a Utah resident, so the state championship does not apply to me.)

Sadly, this was my last cross race of the season. I am certifiably addicted to cross, but know that I need to cut the racing off, get some rest, catch up on some grad schoolwork and rest up for the upcoming mountain biking season. Heck, March (and my first mountain bike race) will be here before I know it.

Ski Porn

Although I'm racing 'cross tomorrow at the Utah State Championships, I can't help but admit that I am salivating over the upcoming ski season. It's just around the corner.

Tonight, we're headed out to the Spud Drive-In (yes, we still have drive-ins in Idaho) to watch Teton Gravity Research's new ski porn flick "Under the Influence" (click here for the teaser). A zero degree sleeping bag, a PBR and a koozie will be mandatory viewing equipment. Although I will never, EVER come close to skiing what the TGR athletes ski, there are enough shots of Jackson Hole hip-deep powder in TGR's flicks to get even the most conservative "advanced-intermediate" telemark skier (me) psyched for the ski season.

Tomorrow is going to be my last race of this season. Since Iceman, both my fitness and motivation have been waning and it's good timing. I've been fighting a nasty cold for over a week and though cross racing has been a total blast, I'm ready to mount up my new skis (Black Diamond Joules) and trade long rides for long days in the backcountry. Although we've had nada for snow so far, I'm just dreaming of the first thigh-deep day, filled with faceshots, good friends and giggles.

The Week in Photos

Here's a photo summary of the last week..or two.

The Kenda team went to the Dexter Middle School after Iceman and spent the day with the kids, teaching them about bike safety, muscle function and what it's like to be a pro. This is me, having the kids drop raw eggs onto the floor, then into a box filled with foam packing peanuts, showing them how helmets will save their egg yolks (brains).

Andy hooked the kids up to his e-stim machine and make their muscles twitch. They loved it. They especially loved him. Andy signed lots of his trading cards after class. Mostly for the girls.

If Andy ever quits mountain biking, he
could probably get a job coaching basketball.

After a week in Colorado Springs, we went to Boulder to visit Tim and Chellie. We ate great Italian food at a trendy Boulder joint and I was reminded that if I ever move to Boulder, I will have to work on my wardrobe and my Boulderificness. This is TK killing it at Boulder Cross #4. I did not kill it. In fact, I think I just sent the head cold I had straight into my chest. This race sent me deep into the pain cave. I'm glad I raced, but after a week of base miles, traveling and being sick, it wasn't by greatest performance of the year....moving on.

We went to Kremmling for the weekend to visit my my sister, Alyson, hubby Dave and new baby Asher. Alyson and I took advantage of the nice weather and baby-care combination, left the baby with the boys for the afternoon and hit the trails

We pedaled out to the top of the Kremmling mesa above her house. We both had the brilliant idea to call Nate and Dave so they could look out the window and wave to us, but we both left our cell phones at home. We are so alike.

Alyson was psyched. She let me ride her steel Surly 1x1 and she got to ride my Racer-X all day. It was my first single speed experience and I loved it. As an ex-pro downhiller, she could school me on a tricycle on the downhills, so putting her on my Racer-X left me in chase mode all day. She claimed my bike was the nicest bicycle she had ever ridden and immediately started angling to have me give it to her for Christmas.

On Monday, I went out for my favorite road ride in Colorado, from Kremmling out to Toponas via Gore Pass. I think I saw a total of 10 cars in 50 miles.

A perfect 5-7% climbing grade with incredible views.

Yes, I made it to the top. Twice.

The highlight of the trip was meeting my nephew, Asher, for the first time. He's 3 months old and is one of the happiest babies I have ever met. It must be the parents.

Dave set up Asher's baby jumper and put him in it for the first
time while we were there. He went nuts in it for about 15 min.

Then, the excitement got to him and he fell asleep.
It was the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

Iceman Report

Jim Wannamaker from Kenda with my IceQueen trophy.
I, and many others, got to sip from it all night long.

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who has sent to me their encouragement, congratulations and hurrahs. Iceman has certainly been the highlight of my short racing career and it's been heart-warming to know that so many of you care and are cheering for me. Thank you!

I'd also like to thank everyone who lamented the male-dominated coverage of the race by Velonews. Whatareyougonnado? Sadly, as a female racer, I can't say that I was surprised. I guess I'm just used to it. Although it's not right, well....all I can say is welcome to our world of unequal payouts ;) Major props to Iceman, though- they gave equal payouts. Thanks, guys!

Back to the race: the forecast for the Iceman was for cold temperatures and a snow/rain mix, but the weather totally cooperated. I ended up doing my warmup on the road in almost every article of clothing I brought to Michigan, but was able to shed layers down to just a long sleeve and leg warmers for the start. Oh man, the start was slow. Frustratingly slow. Although there was a mad dash for the hole shot, after we all piled into the doubletrack the pace was way mellow.

However, the key piece of advice I got about Iceman was to ride it like a road race. Anyone who knew me during my first and only season of cat. 4 road racing would cringe right now, knowing that my old habit was to get on the front immediately, drive the pace way too hard and end up doing all of the work for the entire race, only to loose every sprint I ever contended. Patience was never my strong suit.

So, I promised myself that I would not do that at Iceman. I was practically chewing the side of cheek for the first half of the race, sitting in patiently, holding 3rd and 4th wheel. Every time I was tempted to attack I had that little voice in my head saying "no, no, no, no you don't need to go yet." Eventually, some small punchy hills separated the front of the pack and it was down to 4 of us about mid-way through the race. I decided to finally get out front and drive the pace starting at about mile 9. After a really, really long pull that selected us down to three, I turned back and asked Susan and Heather if anyone wanted to work so we could increase our gap. No one said a word. So I started to pull a little harder, knowing that the road crossing at mile 16 was coming up and that was the place I wanted to make a move. I figured if no one had the legs to come around me now while I was feeling good, I should try to increase the pace before I attacked.

I figured my best shot at winning the race was to attack then because the last 9-or-so miles of the course had a bunch of short, but significant, climbs. Getting a gap early meant I had some room to fall back a bit on the climbs if I started to fade.

As I saw the crowds starting to line the racecourse, I knew I was nearing the Williamsburg road crossing. There were hundred of cheering people, ringing cowbells and going crazy. I down-shifted and hammered as hard as I could the entire way up the climb, grabbed a sip from a waterbottle and drilled it as hard as I could. 1 min later I was totally alone and rode alone for the rest of the race.

The remaining 40-or so minutes were a total blur. The riding was stupid-fast, really fun and unlike any terrain I have ever ridden. Leaves? Sand? No rocks? What? It wasn't at all technical, which meant I could just open it up and hammer most of the time. Every time my mind started to wander towards the inevitable "what ifs" I re-focused and tried to ride a little harder. I was scared the entire way of what was going on behind me, knowing that Heather and Susan were perfectly capable of organizing, working together and catching me.

But, in the end, I finished 1st, exactly two minutes ahead. It was a great feeling to finish on top of the podium with my title sponsor, team manager, his family and my teammates there to greet me. I won a great payout, a tasty bottle of Michigan champagne (which took me, I swear, hours, to open on the podium because my hands were so cold) and a 40-something pound trophy made of ice.

A special thanks to David and his wife Nic and the kids for putting up with and feeding a house full of smelly-racers all weekend long. Special props to my new teammate Colin Cares for spending a weekend with us and still deciding that he wants to race for Kenda next year (even though we made him sleep on the floor) and to my current teammate Andy Schultz, who let his little brother Sam haze him relentlessly in the party bus. Of course, the biggest thanks goes to Jim Wannamaker and Kenda for all of their support and for making one darn fast tire!

I am already excited for the 2009 season in which I'll be racing for Kenda once again. We have a great team with super chemistry and a fantastic mechanic (thanks for everything, Ted) to boot!

My teammate Danielle (she who only rides 24-hours at a time)
killed it anyway and came in 9th overall.

Iceman Doneth

I'm happy to report that I won the Iceman Challenge yesterday! Results are posted on the website.

I'm a bit short on time and even shorter on photos, so I'll have to do a more intriguing write up later. I had a great day on the bike, the course was really, really fast and the after party rocked. The entire Kenda team had a great day. Andy Schultz was 5th, Danielle Musto was 9th and David Meyers just barely squeezed by Jim's Wannamaker's time.

We celebrated with my Iceman trophy in the party bus until all hours. My real race report will not include details about the party bus. What happens in the party bus stays in the party bus.

Tomorrow, were are heading into the local schools to teach a bunch of 5th and 6th graders about healthy lifestyles and what it's like to be a pro athlete. Then, it's a late-night flight to meet up with Nate in Colorado Springs so he can attend Sram Technical University. Somewhere along the line I will post a real report, so stay tuned!

Iceman, Here I Cometh

This Saturday, I'll be racing at the Iceman Cometh, a 27-mile point-to-point mountain bike race in northern Michigan. Something like 3,000 mountain bikers line up for this race and I've been guaranteed a great after party. The atmosphere is carnival-like and all I need to do is survive the weather (which is rain and a high of 42-sounds like a cross race!) My wonderful, wonderful title sponsor, Kenda, will be there and my teammates Andy Schultz and Danielle Musto will also be racing.

But today, I'm faced with finishing three graduate papers and packing my bags and bike. Sometimes I really wish I didn't live in the middle of nowhere, sending me off to the airport at 5 am, but then again, when I'm skiing thigh-deep powder this winter, I bet I won't mind so much :)

Okay the important stuff: OBAMA takes it!!! And, here in Teton County, ID Kathy Rinaldi and Bob Benedict defeated the old republican guard, giving me great hope for our little valley, where development has been completely out of control over the past decade. So the theme of today, for me, is hope. Hope that things can, and will change, for the better, that we can start healing the USA's reputation around the world, and hope that I will survive my 2nd mountain bike ride in a month and a half on Saturday.

There were fireworks and gunshots going off in my neighborhood for most of last night. So, I put the books down for a few moments to watch Obama's acceptance speech. If ONLY I could have been in Chicago....anyway, by the end I was a bucket of tears. Like I said before, I am a political junkie, but I have never cried over politics out of joy (yes, I did cry when bush was elected). I was doing okay until I saw the cameras pan over Jesse Jackson in tears. That's when I lost it-but I'm okay with that.

Due to the overload of homework, I'm taking the laptop with me on my travels this weekend, so I hope to post an update while I'm out there.

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

Today's the day. You. Yes, I'm talking to you.

Being a Political Science major, (i.e. major dork), I have been obsessively following this election. If Jackson Holers can get out and vote in weather like this, so can you!

Teton Pass, this morning

If you live in Teton County, ID I am making a special appeal to you to cast your ballot. Our race for Commissioner is crucial to our valley's future. Though I have my personal preference (VOTE KATHY AND BOB!!!) you have to at least vote for someone to have the right to complain about/celebrate the results. Same goes for the presidential election and all the other elections. You can't couch surf and then whine about the outcome later.

Full disclosure: I am a democrat...In 2004, I actually attended a "funeral" party after the election to mourn the continued loss of our personal freedoms, continuation of an illegal war, in other words the re-election of Bush. Although I live in a republican stronghold state, I am still going to party like it's 1999 if Obama wins.

So call your friends, family, neighbors and get them out to the polls. Offer them a ride or a cookie if they vote. In Idaho (and a handful of others) you can register on election day-it's not too late to act!