Indoor Fun

It's been another spectacular week of weather in the Tetons.

Okay, seriously, it's been a rough week here in Victor. I have managed to get in a few quality training rides but not without a little added weather-induced suffering. I went over to Jackson for Tuesday Night Worlds last week and as always, enjoyed the humbling experience of trying to maintain pace with the "A" group of men. On Wednesday I actually rode real dirt trails around Cache Creek in Jackson, was stuck on the trainer again Thursday, braved 3 miserable outdoor hours of 44 deg. and raining on Friday, learned my lesson and kept it inside on Saturday when it was 42 and raining. Again.

I did get a new toy this week that has kept me entertained. First, a wicked huge thank you to Dustin and Steve at Hammer Nutrition for hooking me up with a new Globus Premium Sport Estim unit. Wow, what a cool toy.

The Globus is Hammer's new estim unit (replaced the Compex) and it's been on my wish list for quite some time. I have been getting regular estim at the chiropractor lately for a lingering back issue and love the feeling and the effects of a well-placed electrode pad. I have just been sticking to the "Active Recovery" and "Massage" programs. If I must be stuck inside watching it rain and snow I may as well be actively recovering while I sit and stew on the couch. In fact, my calf muscles are actively recovering as I type.

The other new toy I got is this sweet new hydration unit, the Veleau. The guys at Veleau sent me this prototype this week and I took it out for its maiden voyage yesterday. My Felt Nine only has one bottle cage so I am constantly faced with the issue of where/how to carry enough water, especially in my ultra distance events.

I usually opt for carrying a bottle in my jersey pocket which isn't very ideal. But, I'll take anything over carrying a camelbak/hydrapak or anything on my back or shoulders for that matter. For me, hydration packs get in the way of cooling on hot days, they always smack me in the back of the head on steep downhills, my hair gets caught in them, I can't stand the dangling straps on my legs, and blah blah blah. So this nifty little contraption solves a huge problem for me in ultra-distance events, especially ones that I do self supported.

I actually contacted the company this winter asking for one after Sue Butler was using one at the Intermontane Challenge and flying in and out of aid stations ahead of me. Now I can just pull in, open up the mouth, dump water in with a gallon jug (which you can always find at neutral support stations) with it still attached to the bike and be on my way. The model I have holds just about 40 oz. There's also plenty of room for my CO2, tube, levers and a multitool in the gear pocket. I took it on some serious terrain yesterday and it didn't budge. (For the locals, that meant 2 trips up and down Ferrin's and for my ultimate test, sending the staircase on Hagen behind the saddle as usual with no issues of it getting in the way.) Didn't even have to break my aero position to drink either.

Next up: the Mohican 100 on Saturday. I am soooo excited that I can hardly sit still...but, at the moment I actually have to sit still because my Globus is rockin' my tired legs out. Anyway, it's the first time in a few years that I will be missing the good time of the Teva Games, but hey, the Mohican has 500 people signed up and promises a great post-party, too. Most importantly, I can tell that I am now officially more stoked on doing 100s over XC. How can I tell? Let's just say I think about going to Teva and think...well, nothing. I think about Mohican and I get butterflies just thinking about riding my bike for 8 hours in totally new territory. Wish me luck!