Fun-tana

The Fontana City National is always a fun way to start the year. It's the first opportunity to reconnect with my racing pals and with sponsors, to see what's new in the industry and of course to see who is going fast. As my plan for the weekend was "you have no plan" I was pleased with my results: 11th in both the XC and the short track and 5th in the Super D. The only downer was the lack of pro women. Only 22 of us in the XC! Where IS everyone?? It seems our field is getting smaller but stronger. A mixed blessing really, but a topic for another day.

The XC course was great. Very hard but a blast to rip around on. The 30mph sustained winds and gusts to 50 made it even more interesting. Spectators were sporting goggles to keep the dust out of their eyes and I am still flushing dirt out of my sinuses with my netti pot 3 days later. I had a good day and felt surprisingly spry considering my recent training focus and load. The Nine 29er wooed me even further as I think I gained a ton of free speed on the flats and had the braking bumps smoothed out for me nicely.

The short track was...well...short and even more painful than the XC as the 88 deg. heat and dust made it feel like I was breathing in glass shards. This year, Tom S. decided that short track should be even shorter to make it more exciting. 15min plus one lap. Yikes. Seeing as the XC distance feels like a short track for me, it was even more painful than usual. I had to get off my bike on the 3rd steep corner as a gal in front of me came off her bike and that meant adios to the chase group. I kept up the good fight, battled with a few gals on the last few laps and felt like I got in a good interval.

I went straight from the short track to the kids race. I LOVE the kids races. These little buggers are so stoked to be out there strutting their stuff and they really hammer with gumption. No matter how they do they get a medal. After nearly an hour of baking in the sun and picking kids up out of the sand I went of to preride the super D course. We always have to do something ridiculous to start super Ds. This time was actually pretty tame: run to your bike with one hand on the ground to start and get on and go. Except my legs did not get up and they did not want to go. It was really a lot to ask of them especially because I was a total bonehead and didn't eat anything or drink enough between my short track and the Super D start. I actually got to the first climb in 2nd but then got passed by almost everyone immediately...I caught back on to 4th pretty quickly on the downhill but then the gal in front of me dropped her chain in a dip, leaving me in my big chain ring at the bottom of a climb. Oops. I had to get off and push and by the time I was back on the race was gone. No worries-sometimes racing well means having good legs and good luck. Clearly, I had neither.

Then it was a late night of washing bikes, doing laundry and attending a fun team dinner. We kept the fun alive with a 5:30am wake up call Monday morning for our team photo shoot. Nice weather, awesome teammates and a photographer who has scouted the area and knows what he wanted made it a smooth and enjoyable experience. I think the highlight of my weekend was once again realizing that there is nothing I'd rather be doing than racing my bike. No matter the distance or the course I am just psyched to be out there going hard enough to bleed out my eyeballs. I hadn't felt that since my last cross race in December. I missed it!

Test Riding

It really was love at first pedal stroke. I hope I never turn into one of those overly enthusiastic 29er advocates, screaming at people from my 29" soap box telling them to sell everything 26" they own. But, I must admit the temptation is certainly there. It really is that nice of a ride.

I decided to escape the cold weather in Victor and head down to Southern Utah on Friday to get to know my Nine. I figured it was a good idea to get some real trail time in before lining up for the first Pro XCT this coming weekend in Fontana. Plus, after officially passing Inferential Statistics as of Friday at 5 pm I thought I deserved an extra special road-trip treat. 2 days, 90 miles of trail and nearly 10 hrs of saddle time have me giddy about the upcoming race season on big wheels.

You've probably heard it all before: 29ers steamroll over rocks, cruise on the flats and corner like rally cars. True, true and true. Big wheels changed my tire preference, too. I have been a religious Karma user for years and never really fancied the Small Block 8. I am now loving the Small Block on the big wheels, even in the loose technical stuff. Go figure.

Climb up to Kolb Reservoir

Yesterday, I pieced together a dirt-pavement-dirt ride to get some miles in. Left from Hurricane, rode the Hurricane Rim Trail over to Virgin and hopped on the pavement climb up to Kolb Reservoir. Beautiful, steep and gave me a good 1.5 hours of steady climbing. I had to turn around when it just got way too cold with all the snow on the ground at around 7,000 feet.


Today we're off for a few nights of camping out at Gooseberry with some more long rides on tap all week. I'm at the end of a huge block of training for my first 100-miler of the season, the Cohutta 100 and although I'm getting a little tired, new bikes have a strange way of keeping me motivated.

The Nine

Nate put this together yesterday:


Maiden voyage is today! Of course that means a spin on the local paved roads in the snowstorm that is brewing outside. I can't WAIT to see how the big wheels roll around St. George and Hurricane this weekend. I have some long, epic rides planned all next week leading up to Fontana, so I am really going to get to know her well. Yes, my bike (although currently unnamed) is a she.

A very special thanks to Fitzgerald's Bicycles in Jackson for helping me get her going so quickly. If you'd like to get your hands on one of these for your own riding pleasure they can get you set up with one in a jiffy. If you're ever hanging out in Jackson Hole, be sure to stop in to see them. Besides the fact that it is one of the best shops in the valley and that you can roll straight from the shop to the Snow King trails, it is directly next to the Snake River Brewery. Yup, you can park at the shop and not have to move your car to get a uber-tasty post-ride beer...or three.

Beauty-filled

I'm extremely grateful that training in the cold means I get to ride in one of the most beautiful places in the whole wide world. A trip out to Kelly always reminds me why I moved to Jackson Hole 10 years ago to ski for "just one season."

Hangin' Loose

Seeing as this is the current state of my 2010 gear, I couldn't really make the trip to Bonelli for this weekend's Triple Crown. I can't make it to the other 2 Triple Crowns anyway and Bonelli was supposed to be for training only, so no biggie. Andy and Colin are flying the Kenda/Felt flag for us this weekend in So. Cal. Good luck fellas-go fast.

Now I have more time at home and additional time to wrap up finals week before racing begins. The weather here has been fan-flippin'-tastic as far as March weather in the Tetons goes, so I've been able to get some great training in. I even pulled off a 4-hr ride on Wednesday when the high was 19 deg. with a wind chill of "oh my lord my face is going to fall off." I mostly wanted to prove to myself that Tucson did NOT make me soft! Mission accomplished. I did not cry.

Hopefully in just a few short days this pile will magically transform into one rockin' hot race bike. I can then pass in my final project, ditch the laptop and books and celebrate Spring Break 2010!

Spring Training

Training in March means being ready for anything the weather throws at you. You just have to wake up with the attitude of "I'll do whatever is going to be the most fun according to what is or is not falling from the sky". Be flexible, realize the world won't end if it is snowing/sleeting/raining, get over it, choose your layers wisely and get outside. This has been working well for 5 days now...ask me how this approach is going in a few weeks ;)

Friday morning Maddy and I had Teton Canyon all to ourselves. Hard to believe because it was the best skating I have done all year.

I got almost 9 hrs of riding in this weekend...outside. Saturday's conditions allowed for long ride on the mountain bike on the road. Yesterday, I got to ride my road bike with skinny tires on completely dry roads all the way to Teton, ID without loosing any fingers or toes. Great timing because it started dumping snow one hour after I finished. This morning....well, there's snow on the roads again. No need to suffer on wheels when there's perfect, deserted skate track across the street.

Being home is great. Idaho is one of the nicest places to ride a bike, plus we don't have to stop at stop signs. I lost count of how many people waved, beeped politely or gave me the thumbs up this weekend. Around here, people pull over for you when you get a flat just to make sure you're okay. The UPS, Fedex and Postal drivers always recognize me. Pickup truck drivers wave at me before I wave at them.

In family related news...I always knew my sister was nuts. She was a pro downhiller for some time after all. However, I now know she (and her husband) are certifiably crazy as they now have a 19 month old and a newborn at the same time....okay, okay, I kid them, really ;) Roan was born last week and is a gorgeous little gal. I can't wait to go visit.

It's March Already?

Catalina State Park

All good things must end, I know. But my month in Tucson was hard to let go of, especially because I came home yesterday to - big surprise - lots of snow on the ground. But, I'm grateful for the good block of training in mostly great weather, the opportunity to get to know my awesome teammates a lot better and to train without many distractions. I am a huge fan of Tucson. HUGE fan. But, I am also a huge fan of home, especially when the welcoming committee consists of a dog that runs circles around the perimeter of the house for the first 10 min. after my arrival and a husband that cooks me wonderfully delicious dinners after 2, 10 hr days of driving.

There's really not very much to report from my training adventure. Unless you want to hear about lots of long, sunny rides, evenings spent pouring over Inferential Statistics homework and trips to Trader Joe's. I have 3 weeks left of class and think I may just have to throw a party in my own honor once it is done...that is, if I pass.

My schedule remains a question mark in terms of where/when I am going to race first. Still working on the details, but I am stoked on a number of new races I am doing this year. I am planning on at least 2 of the NUE series races, the Cohutta 100 and the one I am most excited for, the Mohican 100. I have heard that course is a hoot. I'm also psyched to try my hand at my first lapped endurance race, Dirt, Sweat and Gears. So yup, lots of racing in areas of the country I have never been. And obviously, a much more ultra endurance-oriented schedule.

The thing is, after last year's Leadville 100 and especially after the Park City Point to Point I had a realization: I LOVE this stuff. Why the heck am I not doing more of it??? Heck, 5 hours into a race is when the fun is just getting started for me. I love long rides. I love the added psychological challenge of ultra endurance racing. I love the grassroots feel of these events. Give me the choice between a 2 hr ride and a 10 hour ride, I'll always take the 10. So with Kenda's encouragement and support, I am re-focusing on ultra-endurance events for 2010. You'll still see me at a lot of XC events for the training, but my A priorities will all be long stuff. I'm giddy just thinking about it.

The new gear has been rolling in and one of my favorite goodies have been these new Pearl Izumi Octane SL shoes. Wicked light, comfortably stiff and super snazzy looking too. I even got new socks to match 'em.

For now it's going to be a mix of the usual Idaho ongoings-some trainer riding, outside when mother nature will allow and unpacking....to repack.