two wheel love

Weekend Update

2010-04-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend @ Mission Trails, riding with Tim & Sarah from AZ

What an interesting weekend....kicked Friday off with the disheartening news that our good friend Justin had a pretty bad road bike accident. He survived, though with some broken bits, and will be back on the bike after he heals. San Diego sends its love, J!

Dan & Justin, the Mann

Also headed up to Rehab United in Carmel Valley to meet some new folks and hear about Team EXCEL. Awesome to finally meet Beth, catch up with James, hear Lesley Paterson give a few words (my new Xterra inspiration) and meet some other awesome folks.

Saturday, Dan and I thought it wise to practice transitions since we hadn't done them, well, ever. Spent the afternoon down at Glorietta Bay with our mountain bikes, timing and video-taping and self-evaluating. It's somewhat easy to remember the first two or three things you want to do but beyond that...got a little fuzzy. I know it'll come in time. We had a nice swim out to the buoy and back (3x) and got to watch Catherine, Victor, Lulu, and Marilee from the Pulse crew hit the one mile swim.

Gear, gear, and more gear

Sunday we had planned on a Tour de Noble with Darryl and some of the STR crew. Since it was Easter, we knew the trail would be fairly empty and the ride group small. We started off with a 30 min trail run (which was great except today I can feel the 15 min rocky descent).

Dan & Darryl descend Extra Credit

It was quite cold at the start but warmed up nicely. Met the ride crew back at the car and got geared up for a long day in the saddle. Liz, Jeneine, Kay, Greg and Scott all came out to sample SD's finest. I will say...Noble kicked my ass today. Every climb felt awkward and the descents were, well...okay. I survived Barney Rubble on the Era and actually had not too many dabs (other than my normal tough spots)...oh, except my walk down Stairway to Hell. Another day...

On regen this week...hope to rest up and recharge.

On the new-product front...scored some half-price Zoot compression socks from Pulse's sale bin :) I've worn them a few times, and I have no complaints so far. We'll see long term what happens. Also, changed over my laces to Yankz...LOVE them!!

Key for easy in/out in transitions. Finally, we picked up Zoot race belts @ REI today....just in time to come home and get our USAT licenses in the mail. Only a few more days until Renegade!

Banana-Coconut Pancakes (Paleo Eats)

2010-04-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

Allison shared a Paleo banana pancake recipe with me a few months back, and it's become a staple in our weekly breakfasts (especially on the morning of a big ride). It's super healthy and easy to make. I promise you won't miss the flour. I modified* it a bit from Allison's and added unsweetened coconut to change things up a bit. If you HATE coconut, just omit and double the amount of ground flaxseed.

(*I really don't measure when I'm cooking these, so I'll give you rough equivalents. Honestly, I usually toss in ingredients based on experience and adjust if the batter looks too runny or too thick.)

Ingredients:

4 large ripe bananas

2 eggs + 1 egg white

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

2-3 tbsp ground flaxseed

2-3 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl...

1. Peel the bananas and break into large chunks. Mash banana into a pulp. I use my hands...you can use a masher if you like.

2. Add eggs, protein powder, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly.

3. Add in flax and coconut. Usually, I'll start with less and add more if the batter is still too runny. You want a fairly thick batter but not so much that it won't spread on the pan (just like regular pancakes).

4. Meanwhile, heat skillet on medium heat. When warm enough, grease with cooking spray, butter, coconut oil, etc (your choice).

6. I use a 1/4 c. measuring cup to portion out the batter. Cook for a few minutes on one side until you see bubbles forming. Flip and cook a few minutes more.

7. Top with your favorite goodies (we like cashew butter and pumpkin butter). Nom nom nom.

Yields ~20 pancakes.

New Hammer Product Flavor Fails...

2010-03-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have been using Hammer Nutrition products now for a couple of years with very good success and predictable results. My body tolerates the product quite well, and there are a wide variety of flavors to be had...something for everyone's taste. (disclaimer: the rest of this blog entry has to do with my personal preference and opinion...I suggest you taste the new product for yourself before making a determination...but maybe don't throw down the coinage for the biggest bottle before you try it).

I was beyond excited when Hammer announced it would be releasing a new flavor of Recoverite...chocolate! I could practically hear the angels trumpeting from above. We'd been rocking the Subtle Strawberry flavor for quite a long time (great when mixed with OJ), so I was eager for a change. How would my old faithful Strawberry stack up to the new sexy Chocolate?

What commenced is probably the biggest new product let-down I've experienced in a long time. Sorry Hammer...your Chocolate Recoverite tastes pretty terrible.

Here are some completely scientific ratings (pffft): (scale of 1-5 best)

Flavor: 1

Color: 1

Smell: 1

Dissolvability: 3

Overall drinkability: 2

I noticed that the Chocolate powder smelled weird...not bad or spoiled...just weird. Almost a fruity overtone or something that I can't put my finger on. I mixed the Recoverite as called for on the package...2 scoops in 8-12 oz of water. Usually, if at home, I'll doctor up my Strawberry Recoverite with OJ...but in order to be fair, I went for the straight water approach. (I don't think Strawberry tastes friggin' fantastic either when mixed with water, but it's not bad).

The color was a weak, watery brown. I really had to struggle to smell anything resembling chocolate. And the taste was pretty underwhelming. That same fruity overtone again! But overall, calling this product "Chocolate" flavor was being a tad on the generous side. Did I expect the flavor density of a dark chocolate bar or even chocolate milk? No, I'm realistic enough to know that this is energy food after all. But with Hammer, who puts out some great flavors such as Caffe Latte Perpetuem, it was a let-down. I know the company tends to flavor some of its products on the more "subtle" side of the spectrum (thank goodness), but I think they got this one wrong.

There is one silver lining in all of this: when mixed with Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, it was more tolerable due to a less watery consistency and appearance.

The other highly-anticipated new product flavor was Montana Huckleberry Hammer Gel. The small and unassuming yet flavor-packed huckleberry has been a favorite of ours while dining on huckleberry pancakes at the Lochsa Lodge on the annual rafting trip. And they turned that goodness into a gel flavor? Yeah!!

Well, sort of "yeah!"...Dan brought home a gel packet from REI a couple weeks back. I couldn't wait to taste the Huckleberry flavor. With flavor-dense options such as Tropical, Raspberry, and Apple, I expected big things. Again, though, it was a let-down. The flavor was pretty weak (which I guess is good if you like subtly-flavored gel), and the only thing I kept picturing was jellybeans. Jellybeans?!

I'm not a gel-user and stick to HEED for shorter events, but I've been known to take a gel here and there. I don't think that Huckleberry will be my go-to flavor.

All in all, I am still a Hammer girl...for me, the most important factor is product performance. However, if it doesn't taste good, I'm not going to be spurred to drink all my recovery drink or keep up my nutrition during a race. While I think Hammer has some amazing flavors of products in their line already, I'm of the opinion that they could have done better with these two new offerings.

If you are curious, just try the single-servings before you go all-in and get the monster 80 0z Recoverite bottle or the 16-serve bottle of Hammer Gel :)

Recently...

2010-03-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

2010 is all about trying something new...triathlon (or Xterra, to be more specific). Everything has been a learning experience so far...so much to take in!

New bike...2009 Specialized S-works Era: full suspension XC race bike...light, light, light! 22 lbs of carbon goodness...this bike is tricked out. Thanks to The Path in Tustin for hooking a girl up! Words can't even truly explain how much of a difference this bike has made for me!! I went from a 30 lb all-mountain beast to a full-carbon dream bike that climbs like crazy and descends everything I need it to. Amazing bike.

New run gear....Pulse Endurance Sports tri top (our local shop), Zoot shorts (honestly, not a very flattering fit on me), new Brooks Cascadia trail runners (these buggers have grip!).

Ah, the wetsuit. Up until all this tri business, the last time I swam in ernest was probably two decades ago. Yup...it's been tough, but I love it! We've put in 3 open water (Glorietta Bay at Coronado...yes ocean) swims so far. The first was good, second was terrible, and last night was great. My Xterra Vortex3 wetsuit is amazing...warm and flexible in the water. Best part was that when I needed to switch to a smaller size, I just drove up to Mira Mesa and exchanged it. Love it when companies are local!

Tonya's 12-Hour of SoCal Adventure: And an interview with the Solo Series Winner | News | mountain bike, mtb, mountain bike racing, freeride, Downhill MTB, bike tests, MBA, Mountain Bike Action, Ask RC, XC mountain bike, trek, specialized, giant bikes, mantis, ellsworth, foes, pump tracks,

2009-12-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

Tonya's 12-Hour of SoCal Adventure: And an interview with the Solo Series Winner | News | mountain bike, mtb, mountain bike racing, freeride, Downhill MTB, bike tests, MBA, Mountain Bike Action, Ask RC, XC mountain bike, trek, specialized, giant bikes, mantis, ellsworth, foes, pump tracks,

Enduro Accomplished

2009-10-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Two weeks back, Allison sent an email that said something like, "There's this ride in Idyllwild on the 24th...do you want to do it?" Apparently, we all shocked her by saying yes. And so, riding the San Jacinto Enduro became a quick addition to the calendar. The official stats from the non-management proved intimidating enough that a weekend warrior would not even think about it. I'll admit, it left me (experienced in painful multi-hour events) thinking about how smart I was.

My last really long ride was back in early August when we did our century. After that, I stopped being in training mode, riding and running as I felt necessary, which ended up being quite a bit. Would I be able to finish the ride...touted as 70+ miles and 11,000' of ascent? Only time and my legs would tell.

We met up with Allison and Justin the night before, in a routine that has become familiar and comforting all at the same time: we drive up on Friday night, make final preps while the guys tinker in the garage, then debate what time to wake up and finally lay our heads down. A & J have been there on most of the hardest rides I have ever done, and I have come to think of them as our enduro partners in crime.

Alarm went off at 4 am on Saturday for breakfast, packing the truck, and the drive up from Murrieta to Hurkey Creek. It was warm until we descended from Mountain Center into Hurkey...a chilly 37 degrees. WTF weather.com?? You suck! It called for low of 45!

A lone red blinky light helped us find the campsite where a couple dozen people were milling around and signing in, making final preps for the ride. At one point, Allison or Justin said, "Seems like every time we start a ride in the dark, you guys are here." Haha!

I had a pretty heavy pack (18-20 lb, I'd guess) and some warm gear on (including arm/leg warmers and a vest), but right as we did our neutral roll-out my fingers were numbing up. My booze cruise light also died before we hit pavement. Drat! Once we hit Hwy. 74, they were downright painful. Luckily that faded once we were 2 minutes up the climb. A & J quickly pulled away while Dan and I were about 10 people from the back. Dan soon stopped to fix his squeaky brake, and I continued on convinced he'd catch me pretty quickly. The ascent up Little Thomas was nothing of note and pretty soon I was at Rouse Ridge, where A & J were waiting up. We debated hanging around for Dan but took off after a min or two.

Rouse had a few climbs but was mostly descending to Cranston Ranger Station, and before I knew it, 22 miles had passed. We refilled bottles, stripped off our extra clothes and snacked at the bottom. Sure enough, Dan rolled in not 5 min later, chasing after us like hell but never fully catching up.

The most daunting, in my opinion, part of the ride was right in front of us: a nearly 4000' ascent from Hemet to Idyllwild via fireroad with a nearly 10% average grade. We took off on the 74 and made our turn onto the dirt. A & J were gone in about 30 seconds, leaving Dan & I slowly plodding our way along. Right away, I knew I let my nutrition get away from me...stomach was cramping and I was feeling hungry all at the same time. Tried to keep the cranks going and going but I had to stop a couple times to rest. Reality is that I just am not a climber, especially on my 30 lb bike. I try and have gotten better but still struggle.

Dan, about to drop Ramona Trail with view toward Hurkey Creek

We finally made it to the asphalt in Idyllwild...a magical sight...and met up with two guys (one in an Adams Ave jersey and one on a SS). We navigated through Idy and up toward Astrocamp, then back onto dirt to the top of May Valley...even stopped to refuel and have a brownie...best brownie EVER!

We navigated down toward Log Pile and then finally Coffee Pot...at the end, Dan took a wrong turn because the rest of us had hauled ass to try to follow Donna. Needless to say, I figured it out and went back up from the creek to Coffee Pot to wait for him. 20-25 min later, another rider approached, and I inquired about Dan. At this point, I was thinking that if we really got separated, we'd have a hard time finishing in the daylight. Luckily he had seen Dan, and I about faced out to May Valley Road. I debated...go up, go down or wait? I figured up was the best choice and no later than 30 seconds later, he came riding down the hill.

Back on route, we picked up another rider who was having trouble with the directions and hit up Missing Link, Rage, Tunnel of Love, and back into camp.

We rolled in at 1:05, my failure to wait for Dan having cost us 30 min of race time. I was determined to soldier on...but admit it was tough for two reasons: lots of people did the first loop only and were kicked back, enjoying beers and relaxing AND two guys FINISHED the entire race as we were going out on lap 2. I figured it would take us ~4 hours which would put us arriving back at sunset.

Dan, poor guy, really was not keen on continuing but did not want me going out alone, so he sucked it up and went along. Not too many husbands would do that for their wives...I know I am beyond lucky.

Loop 2 was billed as harder, mile for mile, than Loop 1, even though it was nearly twice as short. We got onto Powerline, crossed the road, and did a ~7 mile loop out there, then continued south toward Thomas Mt. Road.

Me, about to descend Ramona Trail. Anatomy of this endurance rider: really heavy bike (check), light system in case we don't make it by sunset (check), super heavy pack (check), cue sheet tucked in shorts (check)...

At Pyramid Peak Rd. we sat down in front of some mailboxes to have a snack and plan the rest of the mileage. It was a relief when, as we ascended Thomas Mt., the road was not as steep as our climb out of Cranston. I was worn out but knew that we didn't have much longer to go. Pedal. Pedal. Pedal.

For some reason, I had the cattleguard at mile 16.4 as my goal...make it there and we're practically home free. That side of TM had some quick descents as well as lower % grades, so it felt like we were moving pretty fast. On the other hand, I never realized how slow 0.1 of a mile could go by. Ugh.

Finally, we reached the top and Ramona Trail was our handsome reward. Man, that trail is so fun. I wasn't going super fast but was flowing it pretty well. A few of the switchbacks gave me a hard time, but I was, for the only time all day, not thinking about the ride and just having fun.

We tried to haul ass as much as possible back to camp, knowing that we never caught the rider in front of us and also knowing with some certainty that we were the last riders on course. If not for getting separated on Loop 1, we'd have finished 2nd or 3rd to last. Honestly, I was surprised how few people went for the full ride...the tire tracks diminished to a handful as we kept going.

Official Garmin stats: 79.3 miles, 10,802' of ascent.

As we rode up the dirt path to camp, you could tell everyone was like, "Is that them?!" Justin sprang up and made a finish line in the dirt for us, and we got a hearty round of applause. There was even pizza and brownies left! Yes, we were DFL, but we rode hard and above all, didn't give up.

I saw the sunrise and the sunset on that ride and got to share the experience with some of my best friends. And yes, I'm ready for the 12 Hrs of Temecula now...THAT I do know :)

On the horizon

2009-10-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ugh, so busy from work. We just had a 2 week mid-semester break. Visited family for a week, worked for a week. Not too bad of a gig, I guess.

In any case, updating my ride/race schedule:

Oct 17/18 SoCal High School League girls' camp...I'll be helping out along with Tonya Bray and Pua Sawicki. It'll be nice to get up to Warner Springs for the weekend and chill.

Oct 24...San Jacinto Endurance Ride. Oh boy. 70 miles, 11,000' of ascent. Should be a fun day. :/

Nov 14...12 Hours of SoCal @ Vail Lake, my second solo race.

After several weeks of not training and sticking to a looser plan which also involved running (and I'll say it, I got fast-er), this little burst has found me feeling good at some times, fumbling at others.

All I know is that if I could go out for a mid-morning ride everyday, that would be completely ideal...it's when I feel my best.

So, signing off for now so I can get some much needed shut-eye. Goal is to hit the hay by 10 pm each night.

Till next time...

Ciento, εκατό, cento, hundert

2009-08-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hope you know your world languages...

100.

One hundred as in my first century. Indeed, after 5 years on a bike, I finally did a century ride. (This post is a couple weeks late, however).

The story is quite simple. For quite some time, riding a century has been a goal of mine. Just this June, I rode 80 miles on my mountain bike. I'm in the best shape ever. My rocketship of a bike is so comfortable. All the cards were in place. (dun, dun, dun...foreshadowing)

Not quite even a week after returning from Downieville, Allison threw out the idea of doing a century, with Justin mapping out the route. I assumed a two-peat of the Cool and Easy 50, their signature, relatively flat coastal jaunt. Well, you know what happens when you assume ;) Justin forwarded the route to us.

It didn't take me long to figure out that it was going to take us inland. On a very hot day. Over lots of hills. Gulp.

You see, I gulped because the crew that I'd be riding with was stacked: Justin & Allison...king & queen of training/racing; Luke...getting ready for an Ironman; Jeff...he uses those 8 foot long legs to his advantage, and Dan...the training sandbagger. That left me feeling like, uh, the Robo-Anchor.

As it turns out, Century Fail #1 was soon upon us. We met up at the end of the San Luis Rey bike path early on Saturday morning and quickly discovered that Dan (borrowing my old road bike) never even thought to check the pedals. After calling several area shops, he & Jefe jumped in the car and raced over (literally) to Performance, the only shop open within miles at 9 am on a Saturday. New pair of Crank Bros. pedals in hand, they were back quick as lightning.

All was finally moving along until: Century Fail #2. The allen key needed to remove the old SPD's was a size that NOBODY had a wrench for. Fantastic.

Dan, however, showed just how tough he is...he rode almost 50 miles NOT CLIPPED IN. To those who don't know cycling, this doesn't sound awful until you consider this: his CB cleats were precariously perched on top of the Shimano pedals (which are like greased lightning). Any pressure applied the wrong way or surprise bump would be enough for one's feet to go slip-sliding violently off. Nevertheless, he did not complain. Not even once. The plan was to find a shop in Esco where he could borrow an allen key and switch the pedals.

I digress.

We finally got rolling, and it was already hot. The pace was already solid. We basically rode in a huge figure 8 from Oceanside inland toward Valley Center, then back out to the coast, down to Leucadia, back inland to Rancho Bernardo, back out to the coast at Carlsbad and then back to Oceanside.

True to form, Justin picked a route with lots of hills. My Garmin put the ascent at nearly 7000' on the day. Not bad for 110 miles, but still no Cool & Easy 50.

Almost immediately, I couldn't hang on the climbs and was off the back.

My legs were so heavy and wouldn't open up. I kept plugging away, but it was hard to look down and see nary 20 miles gone by, sweating through my jersey, the sun leathering my arms and neck.

Once we hit Valley Center, we passed through a construction zone that had been so nicely paved ahead of our arrival. The fumes were noxious and nauseating. Zipping down that hill was worth it, though. We turned south and down the I-15 frontage road. Allison flatted, and the group sought shade under a stand of trees. Looking up the road, I had a good view of what awaited. A couple miles of uphill, no shade. Knowing that I would be mentally beaten down if I waited for the train to leave and dropped off the back, I forsook my shade/rest and kept on going. I think I was going 12-13 miles per hour. It felt like eternity to get up that hill. Each minute, especially as I neared the top, I kept expecting the group to catch up. Just as I crested the top, I noticed that my front end was behaving oddly. A flat. Damn!

The group caught up right about then, and Justin kindly helped me change my tire. It had to be nearly 100 degrees out there, and everyone else rolled through to hit up the AM/PM on the other side of the freeway. I have to admit, Gatorade and M&Ms never tasted so good!

Back out to the coast...almost. Century Fail #3 was upon us. After navigating through Esco, we found a Sports Chalet to attempt removal of Dan's SPDs in favor of the CB he was carrying in his pocket. After much confusion on the employee's part and what seemed like forever, they got it done. We all, I think, felt like the century was not going to happen. It felt late, and we weren't even halfway done.

Before I knew it, though, we were back at the coast.
The group was pushing a good pace. We passed the state beaches and were on our way to Pannikin when an idiot in an SUV decided that he was going to be a jackass. Seriously people, you are waiting for a parking spot, not $1 million. In any case, Dan & I literally bailed off the road (into sand, thank god) as this jerk took out his frustration on us. Seriously, though I love the coast, I can't stand the bike-ignorant people who drive there.

Pannikin soothed my nerves, though.

The muffin and iced coffee that I ate literally saved my ride.

We all quickly debated going back to the car or heading out for the rest of the century. After all these fails, could we overcome? Justin was like, "I'm going. Whoever wants to can follow me." I thank him for that!

I came alive in the second 50 miles. Finally, as we turned back east in Leucadia, I was feeling strong. We rode out through the north side of RSF and up Del Dios Highway.

We stopped at a CVS to fuel up again. The group was quiet and looking kind of beat down.

I loved the next part of the ride through Harmony Grove.

Huge oak trees, shade, a downhill-ish grade. It was fun and fast. Unfortunately, all things that go down must eventually go back up in the world of bikes. All I can say is that the hill up to San Elijo sucks hugely. I was feeling strong, but it was never-ending.

On our way back to Carlsbad, my motor kicked in. I was rockin' and rollin'. Who knew it would take me 80 miles to warm up?!?

I rode with Jefe some...he was back on the long ride after taking major time off for his knee to heal up. Props to him for sticking it out. Once we crested the hill, and I saw the Carlsbad power plant, I knew we were home free. We stopped at a 7-Eleven for more water. Jefe and I got slurpees...coke slurpees. Normally, I would avoid this at all costs...HFCS is evil. But, after 90 miles in the saddle, it tasted like no other.

As we crusied back up through Oceanside, I hit 100 miles. We all let out a "woo" and everybody congratulated me (being the only one who was a century virgin when we started). The San Luis Rey bike path went by in a flash, and we were done. :)

110 miles. Nearly 7000' of ascent. About 7 hours of ride time. Not too shabby indeed.

Since we had so many ride fails, Luke, Allison and Justin had to jet. Jefe was going home to celebrate with a brew. Food was about the only thought on my mind! Olive Garden was the solution to my hunger problem, so we loaded up on salad, breadsticks and pasta.

I can now cross century off my to-do list. But what new goal will take its place? We'll have to see about that one :)

New Look, New Stuff

2009-08-02T17:08:00.001-07:00

So many things to talk about, so little time....

Back at school (work)...year #9. Wow! Time does fly.

Kind of in a mini off-season from training. Not liking it in some ways, liking it in others.

Been working on the house. Again. Front & side yards are done. Backyard had huge overhaul. Not done yet.

Trying to find out why there is a mini-moat in our backyard. Grrr...

Broke out with some weird eczema/dermatitis. Itchy, painful blistery bumps on my hands. Steroid shot, now a homeopathic treatment seems to be knocking it down.

Got our proofs back from the wedding and engagement photo shoots...more to post up soon.

Right now I'm super into all this granola stuff (for lack of a better term)...trying to minimize our impact on the planet.

Got to go for a ride...look for some more updates soon :)

"I don't think I can hang on anymore!"

2009-07-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

That was my thought as I tried to navigate down Third Divide during the XC race. But not to get too far ahead of myself...

Day 0, The Great Trek Northward

A few months back, Allison, Justin, Dan & I were sitting around after some ride (I honestly can't remember which one) when the idea of Downieville came up. A & J were already signed up to race the All-Mountain event (XC and DH). I listened attentively since D'ville is a destination I've been wanting to hit since I moved to the west coast. Never have I heard anybody say anything bad about it!

And then, the Manns mentioned they were bringing a huge RV and there would be room for us if we were interested. Really?! Awesome of them to offer! So, we took them up on it, originally planning to ride the trails and have fun, which morphed into us signing up for XC.

Dan helps get the bikes ready to go

Dan-o and I drove up to the Mann's house on Monday night, arriving just after dinner time. We helped get the RV packed up. A 38' RV with Jeep and 4 bikes on the back = looooooong! Navigating through LA was okay since it was past rush hour...up the Grapevine. By 11, we decided to spend the night at an RV/truck stop.

How do we get there?

La-la at night

The morning saw another several long hours on the road, mostly with Justin at the helm of the boat. Kudos to him for doing 95% of the driving! A stop in Auburn saw us top off with food/supplies (and a huge gas FAIL), and then it was on to the twisty roads of route 49, past Nevada City and Grass Valley. There isn't much out in that part of the Tahoe National Forest. Really.

Somewhere on the Grapevine

Oak and grasses gave way to pines and cedars. The Yuba River came into frequent view. Finally, it felt like we were escaping from SoCal! On through Downieville and to our final destination of Sierra City to the RV camp.

Just follow the signs

Yuba River

After setting up the site, we hopped in the Jeep for a quick spin up the bottom of the XC course. My legs were like lead, and I couldn't catch my breath up the fire road...We turned around after 1.5-2 miles and jaunted out to the Sierra Buttes overlook to catch sunset.

The Buttes

Day 1, XC Recon

After a somewhat restful night, we awoke to bright skies and nice temps. Dan & I trekked down the short path from the RV to the Yuba River...turns out there was an awesome swimming hole right there. After getting a relaxed start, we suited up and drove up to Packer Saddle for our first taste of really good D'ville trails.

Camp M-M had some serious computer action going on

From the saddle, we dropped almost 2 miles down the fireroad (this would be the top of the monster 8 mile climb on the XC course). Hmmm...not too bad. (Of course, we missed the middle section which was steepest). From here we hit Pauley Creek...technical and fast. Third Divide was next...probably my favorite trail...you can hit it so fast, and there are some really fun corners and a couple tech sections to keep you honest. The course finishes on First Divide (my least favorite trail). It's flat-ish/rolling...at the end of all the descending, it made for a tough end to the ride.

This view never gets old...the Sierra Buttes

The Training Sandbagger

Mossy trunks

Allison gets some right before Baby Heads

Getting some traction and love from the Captains

Headed back to town

My machine

Adam Craig was kind enough to take a photo with us...very nice, down-to-earth guy

Once back to town, we checked out Yuba, ate lunch, and purchased some souveniers (t-shirts, mug). A & J were so awesome...they treated Dan & I to a shuttle ride back up to Packer Saddle as our wedding gift. Thanks so much! Dinner was awesome chicken, corn, salad and beer. Swimming in the Yuba was so cold but so awesome!

The swimming hole at our campground

Day 2, Shuttles

So, A & J wanted to hit the downhill course on Thursday and make sure they had some sections of Butcher dialed. The morning was again warm and sunny as we drove up to the saddle. Once we dropped them off, Dan & I high-tailed it back to town to pick them up. They were lightning-fast and we only had a couple minutes to hang out before they rolled in. We did check out the free wi-fi at the Carriage House :)

Allison rolls into town

Poaching the wi-fi

Dan roams around town

Then, we drove back up to Packer so that Dan & I could go on a ride. We hit up Sunset to Big Boulder to Second Divide. BB was rad...the trail was so fun and scenic. As far as Second Divide...techy challenges and climbs, exposure, steep descents...fun for sure, but not my fave. I think I dubbed it "SART and Noble have an illegitimate child".

Blue, blue sky

Top of Big Boulder

View from the top of Big Boulder
Dan descends Big Boulder

Dan on First Divide

It was another great day!

Day 3, Rest

After a couple days of hard rides, we knew Friday would be a rest day. We registered in town, worked on bikes and tried to relax as much as possible. Even did a short spin up the road. The stories going around indicated to get to the line early in the morning to get a good spot, since there were only 3 waves of riders going off.

Yes, this is the amount of clothes 4 mt bikers wear in 3 days

Checking up on email, Le Tour and everything else

Race swag

I was pretty concerned about my race...hadn't felt strong all week, mediocre sleep, and coming off lots of steady state riding (i.e. 12 hour race pace) didn't seem to bode well for a massive XC effort. To top it all off, it was my first expert race, and I knew the field would be solid. I tried to get in a good frame of mind, but I was pretty tense going into Saturday.

Gotta shout out for the maple-soy cedar plank grilled salmon!

Day 4, XC!

I'll try to sum this up: hardest race I've ever done. Refer to the title of this blog post. The climb was massive. I hung on but barely. Watched a lot of women pass me. Mentally low. Legs were solid and heavy. Once descending, it was a brake-a-thon...too many riders who refused to yield to someone clearly faster. By Third Divide, my arm pump was so bad I thought my hands would slip off the grips. First Divide was painful. In the end, I missed my goal time by 3 minutes. 3:03. Now I have a new axe to grind.

All things considered, I finished exactly mid-pack: 8th out of 16. This included the all-mountain racers. Got the wrong message about podiums (originally they separated XC and AM results, which put me in 5th. By the time we got back, they changed their minds and combined them, so no podium for me...plus they only went 4 deep...WTH?)

Expert women's XC results

Dan once again cemented his Training Sandbagger status...6th out of 103 men in his Sport age group. Amazing!! Justin did pretty well despite cramping pretty badly, and Allison was 6th in pro...stellar!

Vendor area

Definitely earned this one

Mtb legend Thomas Frischnickt scoping out the Pixie-Cross practice

Getting up close with the Sh*tbike
If every hot summer ride could end with a dip in the Yuba, I'd be in heaven!

Hitched a ride on the shuttle back to Sierra City, shower, back to D'ville. Figured out the whole awards shenanigans, drank beer, hung out. Not bad :)

Day 5, Spectatin'

Thunder and lightning! Sufferin' succotash! It was storming out in the early morning hours. Rain cooled things down considerably before the DH. Got A & J up to Packer with plenty of time to warm up (unfortunately the wind kept things cool). Dan & I spectated and took pictures, cheered and heckled. It felt good!

Cloudy & chilly to start the day

Fantastic view

Justin's DH run

Allison on her way to a 57 min run

Adam Craig (1st in XC and DH, new course records)

The Sh*tbike in action!

Dain's DH run

Back down to town to get the Mann show. Allison finished 6th in the DH and overall...Justin went 11th/12th. Very proud of them for all their hard work!

On the way back to the RV, Justin suggested that Dan-o and I ride the DH course for fun. I'll admit, I was reluctant. I dunno why. But, I finally agreed and after a quick change we were back in the Jeep. Butcher was freaking crazy...we sessioned the Waterfall. After a few times not able to clip in, I did the hard line cleanly (though it wan't very smooth...but when am I ever?). We cruised and then picked up the pace a bit, getting to town in under 1:10 ride time. If I do this again, I have to hit the 1:00 flat or less mark.

Sunny skies in the afternoon

Dan on Sunrise

Third Divide after the rock "wall"

We scored some free beer since the New Belgium folks were packing up and waited for our chariot. Dinner, beer, tequila shots and shenanigans rounded out the night as we all celebrated solid performances and no injuries on course.

This is what 3 days at D'ville will do to your bike

Monday saw us driving home (13.5 hours for us), leaving the Mann show behind. It was a truly great week, and I wouldn't have traded anything! Thanks guys, sincerely.

D-d-d-d-downieville!

2009-07-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

Gotta sit down and take the time to come up with a blog post worthy of this trip, but for now, here's a little teaser:

We did it!!

2009-07-14T21:42:00.001-07:00

On July 3, 2009, Dan & I got married at a beautiful (but tiny...just us and our witnesses) ceremony at Windansea Beach in La Jolla. We wrote our own vows, and I started mine off with Namaste: "I honor the place in you where the entire Universe resides. I honor the place in you of love and light, of truth and peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us."

We followed up the ceremony with a scrumptous dinner at Piatti in La Jolla Shores, a luxurious stay at the Hotel Parisi, and a post-wedding day of walking around LJ, lunch at George's rooftop, and fireworks with the McBride clan. Perfect weather, perfect weekend. We were lucky enough to have our friend Joe do some video of the ceremony and the wonderful Melanie from Mr. and Mrs. Goodnickels to photograph our sorry mugs.

We met over 4 years ago at the Nova NORBA National in Phoenix, AZ through our mutual friend Kim. We just hit it off right away and the rest is history. Love and bikes...what more can a girl ask for?

I'll be posting more photos later, but here are a few to start you off...

Leaving Hotel Parisi for the beach

Poetry in motion...Dan reads his vows

Awww...

Grab Bag

2009-06-30T22:16:00.001-07:00

Put your hand in, stir the contents around, and pull one out...

Kind of a random mix this past week.

Palomar Double last Saturday with Allison, Justin, Luke & Dan. Felt like a$$, but did okay considering I was a week out of the 12 hr. Nice 55 miler from home to Coronado and back on Sunday with Dan & Darryl. Legs felt less lead-like...sweet. I left my camera at home both days. Imagine.

Week 3 of summer vacation but I worked the first two weeks (CyberBridge training), so this is the first real week of vacation. I am B-O-R-E-D. Funny how I wish and wish and wish for vacation and then...got to learn to relax a bit.

Been working on the courtyard a bit...pulling out the old plants, amending the soil, re-planting with drought-tolerants: aloe, aeonium, kangaroo paw, etc.

Courtyard bed before

and After...

Found a black widow yesterday...she's a juvenile who hasn't lost her stripes yet. Cool (ok, but a little icky). FWIW, ground cover sucks when you have to pull it up.

Downieville depart in one week...I am beyond stoked for many reasons...first road trip in a while, camping with our awesome friends, epic trails, racing...!!

Road ride today and tomorrow and then...getting ready for the big day!

Stay tuned.........

Soul-o: 12 Hrs of Rim Nordic

2009-06-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

It's funny...I'm usually a verbose person, not one to be short on words, and the experience of solo 12 hour racing has left me able to explain it only by rambling. Maybe things are still processing, percolating...

So, in that spirit, this blog post is going to be long on words (and long on pictures).

Every year for the past few, Dan & I have picked an athletic event to challenge ourselves...1/2 marathon, marathon, Vision Quest. What would '09 hold? The answer eluded me until last November. I bid on a silent auction item at a benefit for the SoCal League: solo entry + perks to all 3 races of the SoCal 12 Hr Race Series, put on by Jason Ranoa. I put the races on the calendar and started training, logging base miles on the trainer over the winter. January showed up and, lo and behold, the 12 Hrs at Vail was the same day of our home inspection. I didn't race and was kind of bummed.

Training resumed in ernest by March and the 12 Hrs at Rim Nordic started to loom, though not ominously. I'd ridden 9 consecutive hours before, so what's 3 more (sarcasm)?

We started riding a lot more, training during the week, and resuming our outings with the Manns. Their advice, support, and cameraderie have been invaluable. I put in the hours and the miles and would have to trust that my training would get me through. We even rode the course 3 weekends prior. On the last of 3 laps, I almost cracked. I knew this was going to be hard.

The course: 8.6 miles of singletrack/doubletrack. Some really insane steep parts (over 20% grade...though not long, they sucked). Over 1250' of gain per lap. Fun, super fast descending (my inner downhiller was rejoicing)! Oh, and the venue stages at ~6600' and tops out over 7200'. Gulp.

Since day 1 of this venture, Dan was determined to be the best pit manager EVER! His loyalty, support, and selflessness are a testament to his character. He would be helping me, all day, and doing what needed to be done to get me out and back on each lap with success. From filling bottles to fixing my bike, to wiping down my legs and giving me hugs, he was on it!

So...fast forward to June 19 (T minus 1 day)...

We arrived on Friday, mid-day, after spending a stress-free morning finalizing our packing and going to the store for ice, etc. The drive up the hill was busy with motorhomes/Jeeps. Turns out Snow Valley was hosting an off-road Jeep festival.

Lots o' Jeeps

The venue was relatively quiet, but there were some pits already set up. Traci, Maddie, and some of the STR crew were around. We found Jason in no time and got our VIP pit spot. Great location! We also got a great campsite on the Rim Nordic side (instead of having to tent it in the parking lot) and VIP (=close) parking. In no time, we unloaded our gear and met up with Jordan and Chris. We all decided to share a pit space (since we had no easy-up or table), and while cozy, it was fine.

Dan figuring out his domain

Not long after, we set up camp, and I went out on an easy 2 mile spin. Returned to make dinner (organic mac n' cheese with grilled chicken) on our kick-ass new camp stove!

Dan liking the new camp stove
Looks sketchy but so tasty

We listened to live music with Weyland and Doris and just chilled for the rest of the night.

Off to bed by 9! Dan brought earplugs and gave me the better of the two sleeping pads. I slept great! (and smooshed him against the side of the tent...oops). Woke up by 6 to make oatmeal and yerba mate...yum! Racers were already arriving and the whole place started to bustle. Jason said there were well over 450 individual racers signed up...100+ of those were soloists.

Solo pit row

Jordan & I strategizing

Jordan and Chris rolled in after spending the night not camping :) Met up with Heidi V. (love that girl!). We all started to get ready. I made bottles and finalized my nutrition plan with Dan. Last minute adjustments to the bike, and before we knew it, the rider's meeting was taking place. Jason emphasized the basics...safety and courtesy while informing us of the charities and special sponsors.

Dan's reminder sheet

The spread

Michael's anti-cramping elixir

With about 20 min. left I got into my riding clothes...it was already warming up, so no arm warmers or base layer. I saw Shalyn, local endurance pro, walking by and knew my chance to win was gone. I'll admit, I was a little bummed, but at the same time, my mantra was "8". My goal was to do 8 laps. Not only that, but I put myself in the expert class, which for the women, is combined with pro. So, I really tried to keep the focus on me, not anybody else.

The ridiculously-fast and ever-sweet Heidi waiting for her turn

Here is Mario tagging off to Heidi

Jason teamed up with Shoebacca to have these awesome seat tags made for the solo riders. Awesome because people could: #1 Give you encouragement, and #2 Not give you a bunch of crap for going really slow. The guys/girls on relays generally go all out! The (mortal) solos are in the plod away mode.

Awesome seat tags
Still smiling...oh wait, we haven't started yet

We lined up for the parade laps, and I put myself about 4-5 rows back. Not wanting to get stuck behind too many riders once we hit singletrack but not wanting to slow down anybody faster was my rationale.

The start line
And, we're off!

It worked out well...the group thinned out a little on the parade, and then we were off! I could feel my heart rate already climbing too quickly...it was 175+ in no time. By the time we hit the first bridge, there was already a traffic jam! (Sorry, but I have to say it...lots of not-technically proficient riders out there...if you can't ride it, step aside).

In any case...first mile went by fast! Fun descent back to the hairpin turn. Shalyn was already by me, so I watched her disappear! She is super strong and a gracious competitor. Pushed hard on the climb...some of those pitches would just not relent. Steep, loose, some with rocks...one after another after another. Couldn't catch a break. I was already getting close to granny gear.

Not many riders went by as another rider and I pulled a gap on those behind us. I knew the pace was high (sub-1 hr not counting the parade lap), and that I couldn't sustain for the day, but I didn't want to get mired in the group behind.

After what seemed like forever of climbing, we reached the top fireroad...relief! This was my designated take-a-swig-from-the-bottle spot. The road did climb but much less steeply (only up to ~8% and 5% or less in most spots). Some riders passed. Hit the rollers, and then before I knew it, the switchback descents. They were already a mess...loose and rutted. Seriously, though...just brake before the switchback and coast through...not that hard to figure out.

Anyway, got hung up there, too and waited it out. The descent was incredibly fun/fast. At times I was going 24+ mph on the singletrack. Suh-weet!

Then, the worst part...another 300+ feet of climbing (and mini-descent) back to the start. Here's where folks were ripping my legs off as I struggled with my easiest gears. But, I know my strengths and weaknesses...I'm not the best climber, but I can spin with the best of 'em.

Jordan comes in from his first lap

Anyway, got back into the start/finish, handed off bottles, and got some fuel. I was using 1 bottle of water/Elete, 1 bottle of weakly mixed Strawberry HEED, 1 endurolyte, and some combo of solids (fruit leather, mini Builder Bars, animal crackers, dried mango, etc) on each lap. I tested out the protocol prior to the race, and it seemed to not upset my tummy. The other HUGE help was that I took Hammer's Race Day Supreme capsules. They buffer lactic acid and help with ATP production. I honestly had NO burning in my legs the entire day. It didn't hit me until after, but it was true. No lactic acid burn for 12 hrs. Amazing.

End of Lap 1

So, the rest of the day was a rinse/repeat with a few variations. Lap 2 was nearly identical in time to Lap 1.

Photo at the end of Lap 2, taken by Chris

Dan keeping me fueled up

By Lap 4, I had mentally broken. I felt awful. I was alone on course nearly the entire hour. I rolled into pit and spewed some obscenities. I was hating life. Then, I remembered I still had my iPod! I wanted to save it until lap 6, but something told me the situation was urgent. I was already starting to get things confused, too...endurance brain setting in. A new playlist awaited! I was renewed.

The pits were alive with friends and spectators...lots of awesome folks who cheered me on with every lap. You are all simply amazing!

The many emotions of this endurance racer

So, lap 5...I was rocking out to all sorts of songs, and then it hit me. Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours". On the bottom of Hate Climb. It clicked on, and I started to tear up. I couldn't explain it but just let the emotion come and go. I don't think I actually cried but it was the biggest upwelling of emotion I felt all day besides exasperation.

Lap 5 was indeed faster as I let the music carry me. "Crimson and Clover" by Jimmy Eat World rocked MY world. Love that song. I also finally caved and walked the steep section up by the fireroad. Oh well...4 outta 9 ain't bad.

Jordan gets support from his friends...Chris, Jen and Julie

Lap 6 is a blur. I remember finally feeling tired. I changed gloves at some point, and Dan wiped down my legs and arms. Honestly, I seriously had mush-brain. I almost double-dosed on acetominophen (only took 4 all day) at one point.

Likely the end of Lap 6

One thought clearly came to my mind, though, as I rolled in from Lap 6. I really, really hoped Allison & Justin were there waiting for me.

And there they were!

Me, displaying which place I'd like to be in

Knowing they would be out to do a lap with me was truly motivating. Our friends...riding with me if for no reason than to cheer me up, encourage me, and take my mind off the pain if for a brief time. They were there! I sat and got freshened up. Snacked on the "crack bites" from Costco that they brought and relaxed for a minute.

We went out on a lap and all went my pace. It was so awesome and really special. Maybe nobody but me will get it, but that's ok. (Of course, in my mush-brained state I totally forgot to thank them before I went out for the big lap...#8).

Returning from my pep-rally lap

So, the time was at hand...the last lap. I was far ahead of schedule, meaning I had time to do a 9th. Chris had planted the seed early on, and it turns out, Dan was quietly scheming/hoping for me to pull numero nueve. Still, I put on my arm warmers and slipped out for the goal lap. I caught up to Weyland, but after we got separated again, I felt pretty much alone. The light had changed...shadows wandered from their morning angles. The air was cooler. The clouds rolling into the next valley over. It was pretty surreal. Up on the fireroad, when it was very quiet, a flash of movement to the left caught my eye. An animal! Upon second glance, it was a bobcat, probably figuring (s)he would trot along, not expecting a mountain biker to be coming along. Cool...I'd never seen one and was glad it wasn't a bigger cat!

By the time I was up there, I had made up my mind to do a 9th lap. I had come pretty far, yes, but knew I could do it. Hate Climb was only a small (though painful) part of the lap. I rolled into the pit and said, "Put my light on!"

The final rally

It was, predictably, my slowest lap. I walked the most, and went the slowest overall, but it was okay. I knew I had 2 hrs to complete it :) After a minor snafu (forgetting how to turn my light on...really, your brain gets mushy), I kept moving and crawled back up to the last descent. I let out a big "whoop" and savored the last downhill.

Crossing that line for the 9th (and last) time
Finally!

It was over...12 hrs of racing in the bag. Here are the stats (per GTC):

78.5 miles
11,261' of ascent
5200 calories

The boys had already started packing up. Turns out Jordan manned up and went out for one more lap with Neil. Seriously, I give him credit...for his first 12 hr solo race, he got podium (3rd) with 6 laps! His first-ever race podium! Rad, huh? Despite an aching back, despite his mind telling him to give up, he gave it another go. Proud of him.

Jen & Julie offered for us to stay at their house in Big Bear (think: hot shower and a bed!) for the night insteading of tenting. It got seriously cold really fast...below 38 degrees, I think. I knew I got 3rd place, and with us standing around shivering, we decided to pack it up and head to BB.

3rd place finish

I would've paid a million bucks for that shower...it felt so good! We ate a CPK cheese pizza and sat around shooting the breeze, already reminiscing about the day. I slept great...for 2 hours, and then I tossed and turned all night. Up every hour on the hour.

My favorite sign on the way home

So, all in all, I guess the "take home message" from the race is this: I came prepared and performed as (or a little better than) expected. There were no real surprises. Nothing that "threw" me. No enormous epiphanies. And, I kind of like that :) I'll admit, I'm still a bit in awe that I did do 9 laps. My longest ride ever on a mountain bike. I don't know how I dulled the monotony of the Hate Climb. I just rode. Turned the cranks. One revolution at a time. And I hope to do the same in November. I know I have a long way to go to hang with the big girls in pro (ok, to clarify, I do not want to race pro, but I have to at this series). But, can I continue to push myself and nudge the bar ever higher? You bet.

Celebratory beverages (just to clarify, we had about 1/4 of the Lost Abbey and still have the Chimay)

I must thank some very important people, because it took a village to raise this racer:

Dan-My support, my love, my partner and the other half of my brain-you were the best pit chief that money couldn't buy!

Jason-You put on a great event, as usual. Thanks for doing SoCal racing proud!

Justin-What can I say? You made a Mannimal out of me.

Allison-Always there when I need you. Thanks so much :)

Jordan-Great job out there. Thanks for pit set-up, the friends, and the support.

Chris-You were an awesome pit bitch in training! Thanks for the photos (i.e. memories).

Jen and Julie-Your house kicks ass! Thanks for taking in our poor, tired, sorry asses ;)

Michael, Weyland, StevieB, Traci, Neil, Craig, the whole STR crew...you were the best out there. Thanks for all the kind words, cheers, and support. Your energy helped me go the distance.

Eric-You got me through a winter/spring full of base training. It helped so much!

Till next time...onward, uphill, and downhill!

Photo Entry

2009-06-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today's ride at Noble was simple...Dan & me...Tour de Noble. 2 flats (me). Some new dirt (eh, was ok). 4.5 hours of pedal time. Good weather. Great landscapes. Eyes on next Saturday.

Let's let the photos talk this time.

My new hardware ;)

Top of Alp

Pretty but the leaves hurt

New trail today (I'd give it a 7/10)

Yum!

Yes, we descended that section (Pinball) after our out-n-back.

Gorgeous view

The meadow

Tread lightly, please :)

More meadow

My partner-in-crime (strictly figurative, of course)

Interesting clouds today

Widowmaker

Dan cleans Stairway

"I gotta see this..."

2009-06-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

was what guy #1 said to guy #2 as I grunted my way past them on one mean climb on the north side of Mission Trails. It was an interesting weekend, to say the least.

After riding with our training partners in crime--Allison, Justin, and sometimes Luke--for the past several weekends, Dan-o & I decided to play it closer to home. With Rim Nordic now less than 2 weeks away, it was time to hole up and get some of the life-needs-to-happen things back in order. Laundry, setting up our bookshelves 5 months after we've moved in, shopping, errands...you know, the stuff of legends.

Friday afternoon, last of the regen days, was spent visiting our friend Joe who just had surgery for a deviated septum (ouch!) and then kicking it in La Jolla with dinner at The Cottage and a spin by the Shores. Pipe dreams stirred up by the warm spring/summer day left me a touch melancholy (right...some day when I'm a millionaire I'll own a house there), but we had a great time walking and eating. Gelato on Prospect St. was a-ma-zing!

Saturday saw us up at the ass-crack of dawn to make it out to Noble for a dual-purpose ride. Hitting the alarm at 5 a.m. on a Saturday was painful. Our buddy Patrick, who we've known for a few years now through the mtb scene, is moving back to his home state of Floria (which means "mountainous" in the native Seminole tongue...haha), and he wanted to ride Noble one last time. Knowing that I needed more than a shuttle run to keep up with training, I suggested climbing up from the bottom of Noble and doing a mini-Tour. Dan was game, so we set out as the sun was rising. Temps were chilly...49 degrees at the parking pull-out. We opted to skip Extra Credit due to time constraints :( so up the paved road with nary a warm-up it was!

New rubber for Dan...Captains

Rocking the Ergon GP1 grips for the first time. Love them!

Goodness

900' of climbing later, we arrived at the oak tree. Not surprisingly, my legs felt pretty good (coming off 5 days of regen), and my HR seemed lower than normal...though I'm sure the cool temps were partially responsible. We rolled right through and on to Indian Creek. It was nice being the only two out on the trail. On our last outing about 4 weeks prior, I had a really rough time of it...no traction, not on my technical game, etc. Today was the polar opposite...traction galore (thanks to new Fast Track LKs), I was hitting everything (ok, except the waterfall). Climbing with my suspension fully engaged was the key. That, and low tire pressure. According to the Garmin, I was 10+ minutes faster on the climb than last time.

Dan makes a run for the Waterfall

Random...new favorite Builder Bar flavor: Chocolate Mint. Tastes like a Thin Mint. Hell yes!

Down Pinball...oh so fun! Lots of big rocks in the trail...seems somebody has been up to some "rearranging" of the trail. Cloud cover and wind had me digging in my pack for my shell. Turned left and up to Penny Pines. We kept a good pace and made it to the trailhead 15 min ahead of schedule. Here, we picked up Patrick and his friend Kelly. Here we were, a motley mix of lycra, pads, XC helmets, full-faces, big bikes and smaller bikes. But you know what, it was all good. We all had our strengths and weaknesses but had a blast riding together.

Dan on the Yeti

Kelly on the Demo 8

Lots of hikers out on trail (National Trails Day). Patrick flatted 3x once we started down middle Noble.

Flat numero dos...how many riders does it take...uh, nevermind

I spent a while checking out the scenery that's usually whipping by me at 15-20 mph. A bubbling stream, an enormous oak tree, the hum of insects. It was nice to stop and listen. Of course, we made fun of Patrick for his flats, but it was all in jest. We'll miss riding with him!

One of the biggest oaks I have seen in the area

Railing the turn...this was between flats #2 and #3 for Patrick

I did have a new personal accomplishment...cleaning Organ Donor. The rocky bench before it almost hung me up, but I did a trackstand recover and kept going.

On up to Organ Donor...I don't know what I had in mind, but I went for it and found a V in the rocks. I cranked down hard and before I knew it, was over the hard part. I had made the crux move and was so surprised that I had to think quickly about what to do next. Turn circles...up to the top. I think I was beaming!

Stairway was pretty easy this time...lots of sanitizing and a new p-line way to the right.

Chunky goodness

The boys split off to go back to the car (shuttle up to get Kelly's truck at PP) whilst I decided to do Whore/Extra Credit solo. I've never ridden any trail at Noble alone. I have to admit I was a tad nervous, but what the heck. It was over in about 17 minutes anyway...the climb up not as tiring because I hadn't ridden as far. I never get tired of wiping the grin off my face after that trail. 2o miles for the day.

Solo on Extra Credit

Saturday night was low key, spent at home with some good homemade dinner.

Sunday...I finally slept in...until 6:30! But, I felt like it was all I needed, so I was okay with that. Did some research on Mission Trails, breakkie, then off to ride. The plan was to get our climb on, and anybody who has ever ridden there knows there are some doozies.

The River

2:40:00 ride time...15.75 miles and 3600' of vert. Several 20%+grades. A couple pitches above 30%. Ridiculous. Visitors Center Loop for a warm up, then climbed the big hill up to Quarry. Loop around Quarry, back down toward the pond, Suycott, North Fortuna. I was feeling alright until the approach climb to NF. I went into the first steep pitch and said something like, "I doubt I'll make this". Well, I did make it (first time ever) but then proceeded to inch my way along, stop, turn around, re-try, and curse my way up. I was so frustrated. THAT is my Hate Climb. Surprisingly, I had only a few dabs up to the top of NF and was the freak show to a few hikers who could not fathom somebody strong (i.e. dumb) enough to ride up.

Not a bad view for only ~800' of elevation

Down the back of NF...so techy! Then, there was the Hell Trail...a series of 3 or 4 bitches that were so steep we walked down a few parts, and on the uphills were barely ride-able (but we did).

Dig!

The bridge by Oak Canyon

We were passing by the bridge and made the turn toward the last bitch. Two bikers were pushing up the loose, chunky fireroad climb. It was pretty steep...about 18-20%. I decided to go for it and put my head down. They paused as I approached. Here is what I heard:

Guy #1: "I gotta see this..."

pause...as I go by...

Guy #2: "Goddammit!"

And there I went.

They told Dan as he went by that they had never seen anyone even attempt it, nevermind ride it. I admit that a wry smile was on my face :)

Steepness

We both took a healthy run at Cardiac but got hung up on the last pitch. Damn.

Dan descending from North Fortuna...chunky!

Lunch and errands, and we were back home for another nice evening.

The countdown continues...less than 2 weeks until 12 solo! Jason Ranoa, who runs the event, posted up the kick-ass plates that the solos will be rocking...awesome!

Home-made Flower Hair Pin

2009-06-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

After searching for a floral hair pin for a special event and coming up with highly overpriced options ($20+ and up), I decided to figure it out myself and make my own. Here is a little tutorial for all the ladies out there (and, um, any guy who wants to get crafty).

I got all my supplies from Michael's. (I already had the glue gun). To complete this project you will need:

Silk/artificial flower(s) (they make some very realistic flowers now)
Alligator clips (found in the jewelry section)
Craft ribbon
Scissors
Glue gun
Something to protect your work surface (such as scrap paper or newspaper)

1. Remove the head of the flower from the stem. Most of them pop off easily and leave a little plastic nub.

2. Lay paper down on your work surface to protect it from any dripping hot glue. Turn on the glue gun to let it warm up while you complete the rest of the steps.

3. Cut a piece of ribbon that is slightly wider than your alligator clip*. I used purple scrap ribbon, but you could get dark green or a color that would blend into the flower color. You need the ribbon as a binding surface between the flower and the clip. Hot glue applied directly onto the clip will not work well.

*note: I used small clips (it was the only size Michael's had at the time...but it was big enough to hold a flower that was 3.5" in diameter. You may need to experiment with different sizes of clips.)

4. Apply a thin strip of hot glue to the clip. Immediately affix the ribbon to the clip and let dry for a few minutes.

5. To prepare the flower, trim the plastic nub down slightly using scissors. Don't cut too close or the bottom petals may fall off. They can be repaired but it's a pain.

6. Apply a healthy-sized dollop of hot glue to the bottom of the flower. For a 3-4" flower, I used a nickel-quarter sized dollop. Smaller flowers required less. If it spreads out, it's okay because you are putting it on the ribbon.

7. Immediately affix the clip/ribbon to the flower. I put the flower upsidedown on the table and put the clip/ribbon on top. Gently press down and let dry for at least an hour before using.

I have used large and small flowers in my hair so far, and with gentle pressure have not yet managed to make the flower detach from the clip. The clip will tug a bit on your hair when you remove it, but it's not too bad.

All in all, each clip costs less than $5 to make!! The websites I checked had them listed for $20-40!

Here is the cost breakdown:

Alligator clips, pack of 12...$3
Large silk rose...$4
Scrap ribbon...I already had a ton
Glue gun...I already had one but they are not too pricey

Memorial Day Mania

2009-05-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance for the lack of photos...I didn't take a single one all weekend!

My training has continued to ramp up as I inch ever toward the 12 solo. Allison suggested a pretty killer weekend...ride Daley on Saturday (including a women's ride with the Dust Bunnies), laps at Hurkey on Sunday, and chillin' by the pool on Monday. Sounded great to me (and Dan) so we headed out early Saturday morning to meet up with Allison & Justin.

My plan was to do one 14 mile loop around Daley at 'race pace' and then join in on the beginner women's ride. Right from the start, I tried to warm up slowly, but I found myself pushing the pace nevertheless. We hadn't even gotten to Sage yet, and Allison put in an effort on one of the short hills. Before I knew it, she was gone (only to be seen again as a tiny speck moving quickly up the climb). Justin was out front, and so Dan & I soldiered on. We made our way via a file I had uploaded into my Garmin. A few wrong turns and "Off Courses" later, we had things figured out and continued to plug away. I hit the climb up Cardiac and was feeling pretty good, but I still had to dab (twice) before I made it to the top. There were a lot of riders out on this part of the ranch...cool to see! I know I'm getting stronger/faster because I was nowhere near as winded/tired as the last time we rode Daley. Justin continues to push me in my training, Dan is always there to see to it that I follow through, and Allison has been so helpful in offering me all sorts of tips and advice. Team 12 Solo is what I'm calling them :)

It's been tough because as I continue to improve, so does the usual cast of characters that I've been riding with. It all seems relative until I really think about how I felt the last time I did a particular ride or go back and look at the stats on my Garmin.

After about 3/4 of the ride, right before the big climb up Boulder Loop, I discovered my gps had locked up, and I was not happy about it. For what we paid, the damn thing should work fine considering it's so new. Turns out I only had 30 min of time that got recorded. Oh well...after a reset, it was fine.

Dan and I met up with Justin as he apparently came up for some bonus goater, and we all headed back to the parking lot. Shalyn Gates, a local endurance rider, was hosting a beginner women's ride, so we hooked up her crew. I was out at the front of the pack, and broke off with a group of 3 ladies. We took a spin down to the Ranch House and then back up Boulder Loop so that we could descend Crest. Justin noticed that I was resting (low cadence) going up Boulder, and it didn't take long for him to get on my case. He pushed me up the climb, and my HR maxed out at 190!

After a recovery noshing session in the parking lot, we caravaned up to A & J's house. I fell asleep big time in the car...still recovering from our all nighter at Disneyland grad night.

We loaded up and drove out to Palm Desert for part 2 of our weekend. Big thanks to Susan & Tom for hosting us all weekend! We had a killer dinner of salmon, veggies, quinoa, wine, and beer. So good! I didn't get to sleep until late and was sure that with the small indulgence of alcohol I had that Sunday's ride would be tough...

We woke up pretty early Sunday, ate some light brekkie, and then drove up to Hurkey Creek...goal for today was endurance pace and nutrition troubleshooting.

The four of us suited up and took off on a warm-up lap. My legs felt alright, but mostly, I was dreading the mental challenge of 4-5 consecutive laps, including Keen Camp...my favorite climb (rolling my eyes). I managed to finish in ~56 minutes and felt so sketchy on the descents. I was riding the Yeti, and compared to the ISC race (when I was on the hardtail), the bike was tall, awkward-feeling, and not doing well in the loose corners. Allison reminded me to try to descend at race pace, and the rest of the laps, I nailed the downhills.

As we rolled in at the end of lap 1, Dan, Allison & Justin went back to the truck. I headed out again, with full-ish bottles and a snack in my pocket. I had mixed my HEED pretty light, and it worked out well...no sticky-sweet mouth. Only problem is that my bottle cage was back on the underneath of the downtube...I couldn't reach it very easily, so I ended up not drinking enough water.

Lap 2 was very consistent with the first, and I was only off on time by less than a minute. Allison & Justin were race-pacing it (and hitting sub-44 min laps...whoa!!!). They caught me on Rage just past the rocky technical uphill. No sign on Dan, and I figured he was somewhere back there. I was missing him, since he's been good about riding with me lately, but in the back of my mind I knew it was good for me since I won't have him behind me in the race (he'll be pitting for me).

By Lap 3, I was climbing Keen Camp in a good gear and hitting a rhythm. This time, Justin whizzed by me in the middle of KC, and Allison caught up to me as I fooled with my bottle at the top of the climb. No sign on Dan. Rinse and repeat.

At the end of Lap 3, I stopped to lube my crunchy-sounding chain, eat some snacks, and refill bottles. I found out I can tolerate solid food pretty well, as long as it's half a bar here or a fruit leather there.

So...Lap 4. I knew it was coming sooner or later. It was a pretty dark lap...mentally, I started to wander. Physically, I slowed down. I was alone the entire lap and didn't see a soul (not even any of the other riders or hikers out on the trails). It was a pretty low point and my slowest lap. I seriously considered making it my last, but once I hit Exfoliator, invigorated by the descent, I started to change my mind. The exchange in my head went like this:

"4 laps...it's been a while."

"4 laps...that's nothing. You've been riding for less than 4 hours. HE-L-L-O...12! 12?!"

(Grunt). "M'kay. I can do this."

I rolled back into the parking lot feeling like I still had some fight left in my legs. Allison was done, and Justin was taking off his heart rate monitor. Dan was still not back (turns out he had fork issues and spent some time trying to get it fixed up...we were 1/2 lap apart all day). Determined to go out anyway, I got a snack. Justin kindly decided to ride with me...he pushed me up the climbs just by being there. Amazingly, I turned in my fastest lap of the day, finishing with 5 laps in under 4:45:00. Turns out that my fastest and slowest laps were only off from one another by less than 3 minutes. I guess that's what I'd call consistency.

Back to the casa in Palm Desert...another awesome dinner of turkey burgers and all the fixins plus ice cream for dessert. Slept in and spent the mid-morning by the pool. It doesn't get much better than that!

We're now 3 weeks from 12 solo, and I registered today for expert/pro. I have no idea which local pro will be there to kick my ass (hopefully not), but I'm going to try my best and race my own race. I learned that I'm able to keep things pretty consistent and steady, as long as I pay attention to my nutrition and hydration. The elevation is going to add in another level of difficulty, but we'll all be feeling it. The countdown is on!

trail of tears...

2009-05-19T06:41:00.001-07:00

here I come!

XC madness in Downieville...I can't wait!!

sometimes you just need a little push

2009-05-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Getting back to build after a week of regen was something I was looking forward to, in a weird sort of way. I mean, the rest/regen is necessary, but sometimes, when you want to go fast on your bike, it can be tough.

Not sure if I've mentioned it, but my goal for the near future is to successfully race the 12 Hrs of SoCal in the solo division. Yes, that's right....just me and my bike, together, for 12 hours. It will be the longest single continuous sporting event that I have taken part in. Granted, I have done two 24 hr races (most laps I completed was 5 or about 55 miles), a 12 hr group race, and even VQ (just shy of 9 hours), so I know what long days can be like. I even ran a marathon in 2007 (5 hours). But this time, the tables are turning. The only person that can hold me back and keep me from performing at my best level is myself.

Luckily, I've had the support of many people thus far and plenty of advice and guidance have already helped me to improve my riding. I have more endurance, I'm climbing stronger, and able to put in some solid efforts.

This weekend, the plan was to focus on steady state riding at SART on Saturday. I decided to stop less and focus on my nutrition. Intervals while riding Cuyamaca rounded out the weekend today.

Dan & I headed up to Allison & Justin's on Friday evening for our pre-SART rendevous. After watching some Giro and getting things ready, we all tried to get some rest. Last time we did SART together, I felt like absolute hell. We rode it in late June, a couple months after VQ. Admittedly, I was not in great shape at that point, having lapsed in my riding. I bonked less than halfway through the ride and barely finished the 50 miles. This year, I knew things would be different.

We arrived at Loch Leven, and I had some business to take care of. I said goodbye to a good friend...my DH bike. Yes, I sold it. I'm sad in a way, but also excited for what the future has to offer...my long-term goal (next year) is a mtb stage race (BC Bike Race? BreckEpic? who knows!)

Allison & I took off up the trail from Loch Leven, and it was already getting warm. We kept a good pace going up the hill...my focus was to keep my cadence high. I used to mash on my pedals. Not very efficient. I've been breaking the habit, slowly but surely. Not too long after, the boys caught us...they were motoring.

Allison & I start up from Loch Leven

I really focused on drinking water and HEED on a regular basis. I had switched away from HEED a while ago in favor of Hammer Gel...I guess I liked the gel better. But, it's easier for me to drink from the bottle than to rip open and fuss with a gel packet. I might try the flask again on the next long ride, so we'll see...jury's out on that one.

The trusty Yeti

We rode right past the store and up to SART. Weather was pretty clear and warm. Down, down, down we went...what a tease! The trail was in good shape. It was apparent that folks have been out there clearing the trail...thank you! I was descending terribly...my tires (over a year old) were pretty worn down and made the normally loose descent even sketchier in some spots.

Allison making the switchback

Justin (complete with bug net)

Over to Glass Road we went. At this point, I was still feeling good. No sign of the headache that plagued me last year. I was struggling, though, between locking out my rear suspension and keeping it full-on. The minute the trail got chunky, I was struggling to keep my wheels straight. I wasted a lot of energy but tried to rally. Sometimes, it ain't easy training on a 30 lb bike.

At Glass Road, I stopped, pulled a fruit leather out, hopped back on the bike, and kept riding. Luke was up ahead, Dan, A & J behind. I thought for sure they'd be on me in no time. 6 miles later, I was still alone. The pull from Glass to South Fork is climb-y...I mentally came undone here last year. This year, I felt strong and focused on a consistent pace.

Still snow up on the ridge, ~10,000 feet

Regroup at South Fork, refill the bottles and packs, and I was off again...trying to keep stopping to a minimum. It didn't take very long for everyone to catch up, though :) The section of trail from Glass to South Fork has several downed trees and lots of overgrowth. Most of us got pretty scratched up. By the time we hit Glass again on the way back, the group was leaning toward by-passing lower SART. It was in rough shape in the middle of the season last year. Did we risk getting chewed up and swallowed by the overgrowth? Not this time.

Dan-o

Up Middle Control...my other mental undoing from last year. L, A & J were already far up ahead. Dan stuck with me, and I put my head down and tried to keep a steady pace up the 5% grade. I felt pretty strong at the top (even took a picture of the waterfall) and was so surprised when we already reached the top.

Tired bodies

[Aside: Dan has been so selfless this year in helping me train. He seems to instinctively know when I start to struggle, and will stay back with me. Though I am getting better, I used to fall apart when the group would pull away, leaving me to try to bridge the gap. He has pushed me, gently but with sway, in more ways than one.]

Pals :)

We wrapped up with a fun descent to Loch Leven. 45 miles today...longest non-road ride in probably a year. Dinner at Cuca's and some Giro love rounded out the evening, along with a visit from Ann and Andy :)

Today, Sunday, was our Tour de Cuyamaca. After a couple pit stops, we made it up to the park headquarters, greeted by sunshine and more warm temps. I burned my shoulders yesterday (the pack straps rubbed my sunscreen off) and my legs were definitely feeling it from SART. I did a couple intervals up Green Valley and was hitting LTHR pretty easily. I got another little push from Justin. He & Allison have taken me under their training wing...today, Justin rode an interval with me, yelling lots of encouragement. It helped tremendously, though at one point, I think I told him he was evil.

New rubber...Fastrack LK's...woot!

We did go up the fireroad to Middle Peak...another good climb. My nutrition was not as good today, and I felt dehydrated and 'off'. At one point, we hit 16%+ grade on the climb. I despearately wanted to drop a gear and make up some time trying to catch up with Dan, but I didn't have the push within myself. Consistent cadence was my fallback.

Super-fun turns

Dan-o rails it

The scenery was gorgeous, though. After the 2003 Cedar Fire, the land has begun to bounce back. I'm sure it is nothing compared to its former beauty, but I enjoyed the backdrop today. Lunch at Manana's ended our weekend with our good friends.

I ended the weekend with almost exactly 8 hrs of ride time. 12 hrs of SoCal is going to be the toughest race I have ever done, but I've never felt more ready to tackle a goal than I do now. Can't wait! 4 weeks to go...

Noble/Palomar Double Double Weekend

2009-05-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have now erased the opening line of this blog post 3 times, so I'll just be plain...last weekend was so much fun!

We started out with a full Tour de Noble ride. Dan and I drove up to the Noble trailhead early on Saturday morning (leaving enough time to get a new Adventure Pass and a brownie at the market), and ran into Jefe in the store. Good times were already upon us. Over to the trailhead...it was already warming up and the temps, forecast to be 73 in Pine Valley, were already climbing steadily. The parking lot was full of riders going out to test their mettle on Noble. We even ran into Tom (mousejockey).

Allison & Justin arrived soon after and we all got ready for the long day ahead. Seems like whenever we do this ride, it takes forever, even though it's only 35 miles of riding. Lots of rest and food breaks, usually and a fairly casual pace.

I was at the end of 2 big weeks of training, including Idyllwild and the tail end of some build. Would the legs hold up? Last time we did this ride, I pretty much sucked. Slow on the climbs and tired after every effort.

Allison climbing up Extra Credit

Started up Extra Credit and I was already sweating. Out to Alp de Wheez...the Garmin is a blessing and sometimes a curse: it brutally reminded me that, at times, the road reaches a 19% grade. Damn. I felt like I was climbing pretty well, keeping my cadence higher (though I watched A, J, and D pull away from me pretty quickly). Jefe was nursing a bum knee, so he wasn't pushing it.

Dan & Allison crossing the creek

Off to Indian Creek...usually I nail this climb and can settle into a good rhythm. Not today...my tires were slipping on what seemed to be every rock (hmmm...I'm sure my bald rear tire isn't helping). Had a hard time but before I knew it, I was flying down Pinball...so fun!

Allison & I tested out the Simbree at Champagne Pass

I'd recently gotten a jar of Hammer Perpetuem in the new Caffe Latte flavor. Mixed some up for the ride. It tasted good, even when warm, but upon much advice from the crew, I probably need a more carb-dominated drink, too. I wanted to see how well I could tolerate the Perp in the heat and for a longer ride. Turns out that I think it's okay, but that I wasn't drinking enough of it to be a proper food replacement.

Dan's shot of the meadow...fantastic day

I tried to pace with Allison up to Penny Pines and managed to hold onto her wheel for a good while (though I know she was cruising). We chatted about girl stuff...you know, heart rates, racing, etc (lol). She pulled away from me on one descent...girl is getting fast on the downhills on the Epic...can't wait to see her results at Downieville this summer.

Rested and re-fueled at Penny Pines, through BLT, up Middle Earth and back down to the meadow. By this time, I was not fueling properly and by the time we reached the top of the Noble trailhead, I felt like utter crap. Thankfully Allison had some Tylenol, because I was rocking a major headache. I didn't even feel hungry...another warning sign. A rest and a half of a PB&J later and I rolled out ahead of the group to cruise down the hill. They caught me quickly and we all rallied down Noble.

Top of Middle Earth

I was not at all loving the poison oak everywhere (some slight itchy spots on my arms today). BUT...the trail was in dialed condition. I made the rock ledge before Organ Donor and finally (finally) made Stairway on the Yeti. I was stoked! The big test was Whore. I put it in a decent gear and made good time up the hill. I remember doing that last year and absolutely bonking. I guess the big test is that, while some things (like Alp de Wheeze and Hate Climb) aren't getting any "easier", I feel stronger and less tired after I ride them. Woot!

Allison gets down to business on Barney Rubble

Dan earns his Extra Credit (he's the teacher's pet)

We had an awesome dinner here at the casa and rolled into bed to get rested up for the Palomar double. Dan, Jill and I had done the Palomar south grade a few weeks prior but decided not to descend and re-climb east grade. I'll spare the details and just say this: hot temps and lots of climbing. 50 miles and 7K+. Awesome scenery and good company. Steady state climbing...we made it. Damn, my ass hurt (but oddly, only on the left side).

Shadows tell the tale...leaving Harrah's for a long day in the saddle

Down the East Grade we go

Re-group at the bottom of East Grade (under what seemed like the only shade around for miles)

Pretty flowers

Longest ride to date on the Roubaix

Most importantly, we got to spend the weekend with some great friends who have been integral in our training and help us keep the fun-meter pegged. Thanks to A & J for the food on the trail (I swear, I'll be prepared this weekend), to Jefe for introducing us all to Pistachio Crisps, and to Dan, who always lets me talk him into these crazy weekends and for taking stellar photos.

The Outer Links

2009-05-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

I wore my spoke/chain link bracelet during the Idyllwild race this past weekend...no real reason, I just felt like it. After the race, I was chatting with Brendan from Siren bikes. He noticed the bracelet and then gave me a card for a gal in Arizona who also makes jewelry out of recycled bike stuff. The company is called The Outer Links.

I just ordered an Outer Link bracelet...it looks so awesome!

Kim from The Outer Links was really cool and got back to me right away. In any case, I thought I'd let you know so you can show her some support.

Idyllwild Spring Challenge

2009-05-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

6 long months of training was put to the test last weekend at the Idyllwild Spring Challenge, and the time to beat was 2:15.17. My last race was the Turkey Trot cyclocross in November and since then I've logged lots of hours on the trainer (and wore through a tire), run many miles (which I'm not doing anymore) and re-newed my training focus after buying, moving into, and working on our house. I was pretty nervous that after all the hard work, I might not be able to improve my time from last year. You see, by this point in last season, I had already done 5 XC races and one endurance race (VQ), so I was fully expecting that I was in 'better shape' back then.

With the 12 Hr solo race fast approaching (June 20), I decided it was high time to test myself. We did the ISC last year, and I really enjoyed the course...a good mix of climbing, traversing, and descending; fireroads and singletrack; technical and rip-roaring fast. As far as races go, it is one of the BEST in SoCal.

Dan and I drove up to Allison & Justin's on Friday evening, so that we'd have a shorter drive in the morning and get to hang with our friends for one extra night. The Mann's were our VQ training partners from last season, and with everyone's race/training schedules this year, we hadn't seen each other much. But as one might expect, with good friends, it was like old times. Allison is now a pro XC racer for Sho-Air and is burning up the podium. Justin's now Cat1 and taking his share of great finishes, too.

Dan & Justin wasted no time pimping out the hardtail I borrowed from Steve...Justin kindly lent me his Cobalt wheels, Allison let me try her Ergon grips, and I even got a new seatpost/saddle. All in all, the bike probably lightened up by a couple pounds and felt fast in the parking lot.

Saturday found us up early and on the road for the winding drive to Idyllwild/Hurkey. The parking lot seemed a little more empty than last year, but I was still anticipating my competition. Dan & Justin finalized their plan for feeding bottles to Allison & I during the race while I sat around and Allison started to warm up. We chatted with Luke & James for a bit, and before I knew it, those guys were all off to the start. Our friend Amy arrived...it was her first race ever (and she finished the 19 mile course), so we chatted a bit before I got warmed up.

I've never really warmed up long enough before a race...maybe spun around in the parking lot for 5 min. Justin had me out for about 30 min with 5 short intervals to get my body producing lactic acid. One of my 'downfalls' is that I always feel like the first 5 miles of a race is utter torture....it's because I had never warmed up properly. After my intervals, I stripped off my arm warmers and headed to the start.

So, I'm still a Cat2 racer. I did the '04 season and '08 season (yes, there was 4 years in between where I only raced gravity) as a sport rider but never was serious about training. The Cat1 40-49 and Cat2 women all went off together. Out of the start, I was behind Barbara, but by the top of the first short climb, I was glued to her wheel and feeling good. Justin reminded me not to let myself blow up on the Keen Camp Climb, so I tried to keep my heart rate from going too high. I did peak out at 188, which is the highest I've ever gotten it to on the Garmin. :/ Keep in mind that by the top of Keen Camp, we're at about 5400'. Compared to last year, though, I was uncomfortable but starting to settle into the effort instead of feeling like utter hell.

I kept glancing back because at this point, I was leading the Cat2 ladies out. My competition was behind me by about maybe 8-10 seconds. At some points, she seemed to be gaining on me and closing the gap. At other points, I thought I was pulling away. By the time I got to the top of Keen Camp, I didn't see her and never looked back again.

I rolled through the meadow and tried to remember to take in a gel. It didn't go down well, and I was awkward while trying to recover a bit but keep the wheels moving. Once on May Valley, I tried to keep it in a good gear and spin enough so that I didn't burn out my quads. Soon, I noticed I was passing people (mostly guys), as I kept the effort consistent.

The Buena Vista and Mirkwood trails were a blast...then over to Southridge. Hike-a-bike hell...I got up some of the steep parts I had trouble on last year, but the rock sections seemed to have multiplied. Every 30 seconds I felt like I was off the bike. I passed some more guys and knew that Dan would be waiting for me at the top with a fresh bottle. I saw him and Justin, they cheered me on and I kept on going.

Snakeskin was awful...I didn't remember all the little climbs but I tried to hold Carolyn Popovic's wheel for a while (haha...it worked as long as there was a slower rider in front of her). Finally...Exfoliator! Awesome trail. I was descending so well that I surprised myself. I felt totally 'on'...contrast that to my climbing on Snakeskin where my mantra became "think smart, pedal hard".

By this point, I was excited because I knew it was almost over. The Demoralizer was the only thing that stood in my way, but I had already decided that I was NOT going to walk up it this year. So, I dumped all my gears and grannied up the damn thing. I probably could have walked it faster, but pride was at stake!

You know, despite the effort, I still felt like I had a little bit left in my legs. I couldn't tell exactly, but with the Garmin I knew I had beat my time from last year. Turns out, I finished in 2:06.04, beating my time from last year by almost 1o minutes!!

My stomach hurt for the next 3 hours, and I was not feeling well...I didn't even really enjoy the post-race M&M's, though the $50 I won was pretty sweet (pun intended). I had a great time hanging with everyone and getting back to the race scene. We ended the evening with a great dinner and great camaraderie. Special thanks to Justin for being great race support, to Allison for her encouragement and the sweet grips, and to Dan for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself.

Can't wait until June 20th!

New-ness

2009-04-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

Lots of new things to ponder this week.

New racing season (yeah, I showed up a little late to the party). My first race of 2009 will be this coming weeked...Idyllwild Spring Challenge. (gulp)

(photo from last year)

A new set of wheels. Specialized Roubaix Pro. Carbon. Full DuraAce. I am not yet worthy of this bike.

New Podium bottle (I got a free one at Interbike and really wanted another).

New recipe for whole wheat bread.

New growth. Plants are blooming and sprouting. Looking forward to the rest of spring.

Tom-ah-toes

Orange blossoms (my favorite)

Cactus about to bloom

Cactus #2

when moths attack

2009-04-21T19:57:00.001-07:00

Mothra vs. Godzilla. Lol. Not quite what happened in our backyard yesterday, but it was a little unnerving. Dan and I were eating dinner around dusk at the end of a hot, hot (102 degree) day, watching the hummingbirds at our bottlebrush tree. Suddenly, the birds were joined by what looked like baby hummingbirds. Awwww, how cute.

Until we start to see a few, then a dozen, and then a few dozen! Upon closer inspection with binoculars and then up close, we decided they were really hummingbird-like moths! And Google, in all its wondorousness, led me to the species: the White-Lined Sphinx Moth (Hyles lineata).

Photo credit to Dr. Bill May (http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/moths.shtml

house = home

2009-04-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some interesting before and after shots of the house. We are in month 2, officially, of home-ownership. We've been living here now for just over a month and spent 4 weeks doing work/minor renovations. It's a work in progress, and no...it will never really end, but we've made a damn good start!

Kitchen before...old appliances, no paint, awful linoleum floor

Kitchen after...stainless steel appliances, new paint, tile floor (done by us)

And, the best part, our chalkboard wall

Living room/fireplace before...yellow/orange paint and 4" tile in entry

Living room/fireplace after...rich, dark accent wall, new tile in entry, ceiling fan

Dining room before...hideous, unfinished green and orange paint. They painted around some furniture

Dining room after...new paint and light fixture (only wires before), artwork ready to hang

It's Been a Long Time (Since I've Rock & Rolled...)

2009-04-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

I think I'm ready to do this again...devote some time each week to blogging. The last several months have seen new beginnings and new endings. New stage in my relationship. New house. New level of commitment to training. Lots of good things and fun times have been had.

In an attempt to keep our loved ones and friends more in-the-loop, I'll be posting up bike-related and non-bike related musings and photos. You want a little insight? Check back frequently. I can't promise that there will be something new everyday, but hopefully it'll be something to entertain, inform, or enlighten.

Awesome New Pants!

2008-07-30T20:32:00.001-07:00

DH pants, that is, made by Loeka. Ordered them up from my pal Jackie at Freeride Foundation...keeping me styling and warm at Whistler :)

10 Questions

2008-07-29T08:04:00.001-07:00

We were perusing Whistler MTB's website and came across interviews for their "park sponsored" athletes: Shandro, Gulevich, Moreland, Buchar. They asked them 10 questions about mountain biking for that "get to know a little bit about you" schtick.

I though it would be fun(ny) to have some of the people going on our trip to answer the questions, too.

Here's what I wrote:

Favorite mountain bike product from the early ninties or 80's? Since I didn't have a mtb then, I'm not sure, but Dan always tells me about something called 'elastomer' shocks...

Favorite Current Trend in Mountain biking. Destination vacations...I want to get me some Switzerland, baby!

Least favorite Trend in mountain biking ever. The kits of the 90s...fluorescent lycra. Ew!

You're flying down a trail when you come to section with three options to clear a stream that is about fifteen feet wide. You can either:
1) Go straight at it, launch off a root at the edge of the stream which will get you to a small island in the middle of the stream where you could hit a small lip and clear the second half of the stream
2) Carve left and hit a hip to the tranny on the far side
3) Go right and ride a 12' wide ladder bridge that has a lip half way that sends you over a 3 foot gap to downhill ladder bridge tranny. (bridge4ft above water)
All fast and flowy…but what do you choose and why?

Since I'd probably kill myself if I tried to pull off any of these, can I walk around it?? :)

How long have you been riding? XC...4 years. DH...3 years.

Favorite Nick Name you've been given? Stephie-bear.

Dream Car? A Suby that gets over 30 mpg.

Favorite Trail in Lower Whistler Bike Park? It was probably Angry Pirate. But I thought A Line was pretty classic.

Ideal place for a dream vacation with your significant other given unlimited budget? Taking a huge, long road trip around the Pac NW to ride...then off to Europe to ride some more, with a few private clinics by Peaty, the Athertons, Sabrina, etc. thrown into the mix. Eventually finding a quiet country hamlet close to killer trails, opening a coffee shop, and riding all the time.

G-Unit or Wu-Tang Clan?
Can't stand when the kids call me Ms. G...unit. So, I have to go with the Wu.

Megadeth or Linkin Park?
Linkin Park.

Modest Mouse or Johnny Cash?
Oh, is there any question here. The man in black.

Favorite off season training activity?
Running.

More traction or less rolling resistance?
Traction, for sure. I am forever sliding out in corners.

Honest opinion of Road Riding?
Awesome cross-training, but it doesn't speak to me like mtb does. Where's the soul?

Words of advice to the Groms?
Stop taking all my little Stephanie-sized jumps and making them huge!

Cat Bait

2008-07-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a busy one...getting ready for Whistler (4 days to go), dealing with bikes, trying to bring the summer program to a close, figuring out how to exercise with a sore knee.

The knee-debacle happened last Sunday while we were riding San Juan. Somewhere after we finished Viejo Tie, my right knee just started hurting, especially on the down stroke of pedaling. Coasting downhill and even pedaling on the flat didn't/doesn't hurt much. But to really mash on the pedals while going uphill causes me some pain. So, have I done what any logical person would and taken it easy this past week? Nah.

I continued with my 3 Turbulence Training sessions and went for a mtb ride with Dan and Will on Saturday at LPQ. 16 miles...not bad. Knee? A little sore.

Then, it was decision time about Sunday...to ride or not to ride? We had to take a trip up to The Path at some point during the weekend to deal with my Socom's f@#$ed up headset. Nothing quite like getting ready for the biggest mtb trip in the past 3 years and finding out the fork won't even come out of the headset. Countless tools, 2 shops, and 1 hour of hitting with a hammer later...I have a brand new FSA headset. Woohoo! (I really wanted the CK but it sits up too high).

Anyhow, we decided since we'd be up in the OC direction, to do a ride with the HTFU crew and spend all day behind the Orange Curtain. First time riding the infamous OC trails (except for downhilling at Laguna).

Would the knee hold up?

Dan and I met the HTFU crew (Allison, Justin, Luke, Jefe, and Zippy Eric) at the Aliso Canyon parking lot around 9:15...we ran late. I was in such a rush and was trying to deal with the pay parking machine that I forgot my Body Glide. Ouch.

Note of importance: the pay parking machine does not take anything expect $1 bills and quarters. The cost to park is $3. I put in a $5 bill and was like, "dude...keep my change..." but it would just spit the bill back at me. How rude. A very nice biker and Justin lent us the $$ we needed.

Dan-o heads out

Got going around 9:30. Allison had sent me the course profile on Geoladders, and it looked to have 3 pretty mean climbs in it.

Started out with a nice, flat-ish ride for about 2.5 miles. Then, up Burning Calves...I mean Dripping Cave. Short but very steep climb which I made but had to stop to let others go by. My strategy for the day was to climb everything in as small a gear as possible (which is unlike me, because usually I'm trying to see how hard of a gear I can reasonable pull off). Granny gear was my companion du jour.

Right before Mathis, Jefe informed us that his rear brake was not working. We bade him farewell and told him we'd see him in the p.m. for some BBQ action.

So, then, Mathis. Wow. I actually rode the whole thing (except for a short 20' section where I walked). The whole time, I watched the group pull further and further away, thinking "I am sooo going to be Cat Bait." Just look...a lone straggler. Sturdy. Meaty. I could hear the mountain lion thinking...

HTFU crew heads up Mathis

Of course, my imagination was running wild, but it's hard not to think these things sometimes.

Toward the top of Mathis, Justin came down a bit for some "bonus goater". We regrouped and then headed out toward Stairstep. Passed Winston and his posse on the way out there. So, Stairstep. Last time I rode it was 3 years ago on my DH bike. With pads. And a full face.

Here I stood...hardtail Niner. Lycra. Half shell.

My little green bike

I walked 2 or 3 of the gnarlier sections toward the top and picked my way down the rest. Whew! No crashes.

Allison & Eric choose the safer way down

Over to LCPW. Up Willow. Down Rattlesnake (that was exciting!). I was still caboosing it. Down Mach 1. I was on the brakes so bad!

Luke is ready to ride...LCWP

Time to climb. I walked the steep section at the bottom. I actually started to ride it and got off my line, into the scrabble on the left. Damn! So I walked. You know, my knee actually still felt decent, but I had to be wary of how much pressure to put on the pedal. I'd say the left leg was doing about 70% of the work.

How many riders does it take to figure out the map?! :)

Before I knew it, we were descending Willow and hiking back up Stairstep. Bravo to the boys for riding a lot of it, or at least trying.

Dan-o puts in a good effort up Stairstep

We descended Lynx and then had a time trial back to the parking lot. Justin 'won' right at the end!

Over to The Path for a new headset and seat post collar for the Socom (Hope in red). Then, it was time to go to Jefe's for BBQ except I forgot to ask him directions to his house. Oops. Long story short...after getting his voicemail over and over (due to 2 different calling plans), we finally made it over.

We got the grand tour of his awesome home and then drank beers, watched some DH vid, and ate some delicious dinner. Jefe fully stocked us up with American Crew product, too :) Thank you!!

Smoked Porter...yum!

Getting some BBQ action

Luke feeling the love

Not quite your size, Justin!

All in all, a busy weekend...I'm ready for some Whistler R & R.

Un Casco Nuevo (The New Helmet)

2008-07-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Quick as lightning, Dan's new helmet from sponsor Azonic/O'Neal arrived today. He needed a new helmet before Whistler to replace his blue/orange TLD D2 lid that took a good beating after last Saturday's crash.

Check it out...O'Neal 9 Series moto helmet, in "evil black" (no, that's not really the name, but that
what it reminds me of)!

Facebook...

2008-07-18T20:24:00.001-07:00

The answer to every theory about a black hole...simple...there's a computer screen with Facebook on it at the center.

Nobel prize, please?!

Finished...finally!

2008-07-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well, guys, the Lochsa DVD editing is done!! Can I get a "woo-hoo"?? Can I get an "Amen"??

It's taken me about 6 weeks and probably well over 100 hours of editing time to get it all done, but you know what? It was a great experience. I learned so much from my mentor, Joe, about the whole process. He was so patient when I texted, called, and/or emailed him multiple times in a row to ask the most mundane/ridiculous questions.

So, the next step is going to be to set up the file and get it ready to record. Sweet!

I was also able to make a shorter movie from the 2006 footage (back when we only had 2 boats) that will come after the 2008 footage on the DVD. It's all pretty good :)

Even though editing can be a pain, there is something about it that's engrossing...and slightly addicting. I'm already thinking of my next project: Whistler, 2008!

Lochsa DVD Teaser...

2008-07-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, the end of the editing process is nearing (I think...lol!)

For those of you who don't know, I am "producing" the DVD from the 2006/2008 Lochsa whitewater trips! Joe has been patiently mentoring me along the way, and I think it'll be done within a few weeks (once we get back from Disneyland...I mean Whistler).

Here is a little snippet of what's in store...

Went for a hike...and a ride down...

2008-07-13T15:13:00.001-07:00

I left Dan at home this morning to rest, ice, and let the Time Warner cable guy in...yes, we have Internet again!

Anyway, expect the blog to be updated a lot more now, especially since I have the time to do it.

I drove up to Poway to meet up with Joy and Darren...the plan was to hike/ride up Iron Mountain and then ride back down again. A long push with a nice reward at the end. We got up there around 9 and it was pretty humid out...lots of hikers and Joy forgot her bear bell. But, we were super polite and cool with everyone...honestly rode down pretty slowly as we were trying to practice our technical cornering and all.
Iron Mountain is a 3.5 mile hike up to the top. Lots of switchbacks, waterbars, and rocks. I opted for just knee pads, no uppers or elbows, and my full face. The Socom was my bike of choice and it was perfect. Able to pedal the flats pretty well and smooth on the descents.

Today couldn't have been more opposite to yesterday...I felt super comfortable on the bike, I wasn't paying so much attention to my flat pedals, and I rode really well. Last night, I had Dan slam the seat all the way down, which helped me tremendously. I guess I never realized that I had been riding with the saddle up a bit, which made it harder to maneuver the bike underneath me. Hmmm...

In any case, it was, as you can imagine, a long push up. I took my jersey off within the first half mile...it was sticking to me too badly. We passed a lot of hikers, most of whom were cheering us/encouraging us on for being so "hard core" and riding up.

I didn't have to take any breaks and felt good on the hike up. Took some pictures along the way and stopped at the top to get changed into my knees/helmet/gloves. There was a nice breeze up there (2600 feet or so...we started at about 1600 for a vertical gain of 1000', give or take).

You know, for me, hiking up a trail makes everything look so much worse. Rocks look bigger. Rollers look higher. Steep parts look steeper. Today was no exception. I had myself pretty much convinced that not taking upper body protection had been pretty unwise. But on the way back down, everything was fine. I wasn't worried at all.

We took it slow, sessioning some of the corners, trying to perfect our lines. Mostly, we just had a blast.

Good day with good friends, some Rubios for lunch, and then home sweet home to find the Web, waiting......

Thud...

2008-07-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

One more day until we have the Interwebz! Woot!

Things were a little rough here today. Woke up after "sleeping" in until 7 and then got ready to go out and ride the dual slalom track in PowPow. Waited for Will and waited some more. Turns out he was already almost there. We got packed up and out the door. One piece of GREAT news...our chain-smoking, idiot, d-bag downstairs neighbors got evicted about a week or two ago (I thought it had been kind of quiet and my air wasn't as polluted lately! Turns out they put about 12 holes in the walls, 3 broken doors, shattered windows, etc. Lovely...they are GONE!!)

Anyhow, we got up to PowPow (Will couldn't find the spot) and all got suited up. I would be trying out flats for pretty much the first time (save a poor attempt with Vans sneakers about 3 years ago). I scored a nice new pair of 5-10s (sticky SOBs, they are!) and was eager to try them out (for Whistler's sake).

New pedals...nice..........

Dan gets a call from Darren...we hadn't even gone up to the track yet when he tells us it was bulldozed 3 months ago. Wha-what??! Let's just go to Canadia where we can build whatever the F#$% we want! (rant off...)

So, we went over to our other ride spot to do some shuttle runs.

Ya know how sometimes you get that gut feeling? The feeling that something might go wrong. Well, I had that today and ignored it. The day started off with confusion, then the slalom track disappearing, Joy had to go back for her body armor.......shoulda just gone home.

We (Will, Dan, and I) pushed up and took a run down. Stopped to watch Will hit a couple jumps and then I shoved off.

Flat pedals = weird.

I got going and came into a berm with a huge rut on the left side...I high-sided and went over the berm to try to avoid getting sucked in. Wheels slid out and I rolled into a bush. Doh! Nothing hurt on the bike or me...an easy tuck and roll crash. I thought that was it...the bad gut feeling. So, I went on down the hill.

Will hit a jump and landed all squirrely. Ditto for Dan. Problems with the shifting and he stopped short of the take-off and rode away. We thought he went back down to the car so Joy & I followed. We messed around on some little drops and rollers for a while, figuring the guys were sessioning further up the hill.

Well, I caught sight of what looked like Dan walking down without a helmet on and his jersey off and thought, "Oh crap, did he crash?" But they got down to the cars and we were still playing around. Then Will called me over.

Gut feeling confirmed.

Dan ate it on a jump, cased the landing with his front wheel and had a pretty epic crash, according to Will. Landed partly on his head, helmet missing a lot of paint where he impacted...down to the white underneath. Damn.

Luckily, thankfully, he is "fine"...nothing broken, lots of bruises, and possibly a very mild concussion.

We joke that the riding spot has to be some old Indian burial ground or Pet Semetary or something else because so many people have gotten hurt there.

Anyway, went home to chill for the rest of the day. Ride for me tomorrow with Joy...Dan resting for the day.

By the way, I'm hoping Justin's going to still give me a HTFU bracelet :)

Oy...

2008-07-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

A month since my last blog entry. *cringe*

Our "free" wireless access disappeared a couple weeks ago. :( Now it's time to get on the network in a legit fashion...this Sunday.

Work's been keeping me busy (summer program) and been neck deep in Final Cut Pro so I can get the Lochsa 06/08 DVD finished (...it's almost done!)

In any case, not a lot of time to say much right now, but here's a little pic for ya...

Photo credit: Allison (Super)Mann

Red Dress Run, 2008

2008-06-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you mix lots of beer, lots of runners, and lots of red dresses?

Why, the 21st Annual San Diego Hash House Harrier's Red Dress Run!!! (wow, that was a mouthful).

Okay, what is a House House Harrier, to all you mortals out there?? First, it has nothing to do with that kind of hash...sheesh!!

The Hash House is a running club that started in Asia many years ago by some British ex-pats. Eventually, it made it's way all across the globe. The club has all sorts of funny drinking songs and lots of traditions. The "hares" are the run leaders who mark the trail, usually with puffs of flour. It's up to the pack to follow and not be led down the wrong path.

Anyway, the SDH3 hosts the very famous Red Dress Run in San Diego every year. I went for the 2nd year in a row and convinced Rachel to come out too...so, so fun. Beer checks, high fives from random tourists, running through Gaslamp and Little Italy, CRASHING the St. Augustine graduation!! Woohoo! Debauchery at it's finest. In any case, here's a little sampling of the pics:

I may be crazy...

2008-06-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

...but I am going to sell the Niner.

I know. I know.

I have been doing some soul-searching and thinking about what I want from my biking life...XC racing has been "fun" (insert sarcasm here...) but it's not what I want to do. I've been down the "racing" road before (2005) and burned myself out.

Yeah, I'll probably still do the occasional race here or there, but I'm not committed to doing the full schedule. Eventually, I want to end my 4+ year state of perpetual rentership and get a house. Having a little coinage in the bank won't hurt :)

More later, esp. some Red Dress Run pictures :)

Sweet Lochsa Video

2008-06-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

...from YouTube...

Excellent footage! We were there when the clips at the end were taken. At minute 4:45 you can see Dan with the shamrock on his back at the left of the screen. I have photos of the yellow Creature Craft posted below (plus the guy that nearly did the backflip on the blue cataraft).

Hmmm...what else is new?

School is only about 1.5 weeks from it's end! Woohoo! Who said the kids are the only excited ones?!

Got a job with the Upward Bound program at SDSU for this summer. 6 weeks, 4 hours a day. Not too bad...still gives me time to go riding, do yoga, relax, etc.

Haven't ridden in 2 weeks BUT I have hashed twice (SDH3 Red Dress Run and Humpin' Hash last Sunday. If you don't know...hashing started in Pacific Asia. It is a running club that has all sorts of quirky rules and drinking songs...usually a great stress reliever. Hoping (?) to get named soon!!

Anywho, feeling under the weather today. Going to go relax on the couch!

Lochsa, Day 3...Does it have to end?!

2008-05-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

On Day #3, we awoke to nearly sunny skies! By now, the routine was pretty well ingrained...breakfast, drive to the put-in, wait around, then go!! My crew lost a paddler...Lisa decided she'd stay on dry land and be the videographer for the day. It worked out well, since we didn't have many action shots yet.

We put in at Fish Creek and got ready to run the lower 10 miles (yep, with Lochsa Falls). Everyone was tired and pretty sore from our double-dump and swim. Vitamin I for everyone!

Hanging around at Fish Creek

Cata-rafts floating the upper river

Our crew switched to another boat...would we flip in the Lochsa Falls again? Different guide (Doug), different boat...hmmm...

Yep, we're in that blue boat coming through Bloody Mary (I think?)

Our other two boats

Finishing up the rapid

Letting us catch up

The waves were big (again) and the highlight for me was a rapid called House Wave...you drop into the rapid and this enormous standing wave rises up to meet you!

Looking back up-river at House Wave

After that, it was not long before we had to set up for the Falls. We set up perfectly and dropped in, paddling hard. The front end of the boat got buried (we had two guys, one 190 lbs and the other 215 lbs up front). The boat stalled and started to flip over just like the day before. I resolved that I was not going to fall out as I watched Dan, Mat, and Joe all tumble into the water. Doug, our guide, managed to hold on (thank goodness, or else I would have had to try pulling them all in!)

I held on, amazingly, as the boat literally went up on it's side for a few seconds. I felt the balance tip and the boat went back down and stayed upright, with me still in it!

We fished the swimmers out pretty quickly and were on our way to the last rapids. The weather was glorious (70 and sunny) and we all enjoyed spectating again.

The road is about 10 feet to our left

Some of the other boats (from different outfitters such as ROW and Three Rivers) on the Falls:

Diggin' in

This boat sneaks around to the far left

The size of the kayaker gives you an idea of the scale

I'll give you one guess what happened to that guy

Creature craft designed to not flip over

Cata-raft getting tossed

They took on a lot of water!

Our last take-out of the trip

The trip was all-in-all, one to remember for a long, long time to come. If you like adrenaline and lots of excitement, rafting could be your next great vacation. Check out the Kern for close-to-SoCal stuff!

Our crew...would be nice to see one of these trips with a bunch of STR members

Lochsa, Day 2...rallying the Lochsa Swim Team

2008-05-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

Day #2 started off fairly warm and with, as Jim said, "unlimited potential". We planned to run the middle and lower section, a 19-mile span with some of the best rapids on the river.

Yep, Joe documented our trip in HD video

Looking back on the Lochsa

There are a couple of unspoken rules that the group usually follows...generally, don't say things like, "This river is my b#tch" or "I own this river" or the like. Murphy's law usually strikes if this happens.

And, second rule, don't eat any cookies until the rafting is over for the day. Our friend Kevin has crumbs on his shoulder on the drive down. Bad luck!

Kevin ruins our karma

The van got shuttled down to the pull-out and the guides scouted the river. They told us the interesting news...they saw swimmers on the upper half...the calmer half of the river. Swimmers, by the way, are usually not voluntary...it means the boat flipped or dumped some people out.

Beat up truck at the put-in...foreshadowing??

Undeterred, we set out...Dan and I (and Mat, Joe, and Lisa) in the lead boat. John has done the Lochsa for 10 years...he is smart and keeps us safe yet knows how to maneuver the boat so that we hit the fun rapids, too. There are lessons on safety and speeches on what to do if you swim. I listened intently because on my first Lochsa trip, I didn't swim once. It was only a matter of time. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous...

Well, we were floating along and hit our first rapid, called Mile 129. We had breezed through it the day before. Unexpectedly, the river decided otherwise, and we stalled in a trough. A wave came up as we highsided and flipped us over side-to-side. Instantly, we were all thrown out of the boat with not much warning.

I got half a breath and hit the water...it was pretty disorienting, but I knew not to panic because my PFD would bob me up. I surfaced several feet from the boat and did the next thing...grabbed a paddle. The boat is your safety when you are in the river...shore or logs or rocks are generally not the safest. I flipped onto my back and tried to float while riding out the rest of the rough water. Dan was ahead of me and our friend Lisa was beside me. I tried to calm myself down and her, too. The water was cold but not bad through my 4/3 wetsuit.

The other 2 boats kicked into high gear and in about 90 seconds, we had everyone in the boat. It seemed like (and was) a long time but the flip was so unexpected.

I was a little shaken but fine. More like an overload of adrenaline!! The rapids after that seemed extra big!

We pulled out for lunch at Fish Creek and sat around in the rain. The weather was chilly, magnified by our swim.

Lunch spot...sorry for the blur but it was taken with the waterproof housing on Dan's camera

Huddling

We got back in the boats and headed for the more "exciting" half of the journey...the highlight of which is Lochsa Falls. The Falls (like the rest of the river) is right next to the road and has a viewing area. People come out to watch in droves, especially on a holiday weekend. Everyone is hoping the boats get through but they are also hoping to see some "carnage"! Makes it exciting!

Lochsa Falls...doesn't look the big from up here!

A kayaker takes on the Falls

We set up to the left of the drop-in and the crashing of the waves was so loud. We dug in with all we had and almost made it through...but the river was not going to let us off the hook...we got pummeled from the left and went over again. This time, we were more tired from our first swim and I bobbed up under the boat. I had to wait a few extra seconds to re-surface. I grabbed two paddles while waiting for the boat to come get me, which didn't take as long as the last time.

Our other two boats made it through and only lost one of their paddlers. Bad luck for our boat, I guess!

Even though we swam and it was a bit stressful, we still had a blast!! Just like after any epic ride, when you sit around and trade stories about the day, we did the same...and then went to the falls to spectate. Joe purposely swam through Lochsa Falls twice (he's a water polo player, great swimmer, and he's done it before)...so we got to watch!

Joe swims the falls

Artistic shots

The take-out...Split Creek

Bridge to who-knows-where

Finishing up the ride

Another boat coming through to the end

Would we make it through Day #3 unscathed??? Stick around to find out!

10th Annual Lochsa Whitewater Rafting Trip, Day 1

2008-05-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you mix 18 friends, several cases of beer, and heart-pounding action? Sounds like a mountain biking trip but...

it's actually the 10th annual Lochsa River whitewater rafting trip!

Dan and I just finished the most epic (EPIC!) non-mtb weekend...whitewater rafting the Lochsa River in northeastern Idaho. This will be a multi-post kind of thing so keep checking back for more photos (I was the unofficial photographer)...

Here's the story, more or less as I understand it...the history of the Lochsa rafting trip...

The trip began 10 years ago with two friends, John and Jay, who traveled up to Northern Idaho to deliver some rafting supplies for the non-profit Jay worked for. They discovered rafting on the Lochsa and have been back every year since. Dan got folded into the mix because he's John's brother-in-law by marriage and then I came along. We went 2 years ago and had to come back for more!

It goes something like this:

The Thursday before Memorial Day, everyone converges on the Ironhorse Saloon in Missoula, MT as the prime meeting spot.

Airport decorations...What would the sign say? "Welcome to Montana...hope you don't end up with a mountain lion on your neck!"

No, that's not a typo...Missoula's high temp for the day

Missoula is a really cool city...it is surrounded by amazing mountains and has a really prevalent biking culture...in fact, there were many mtb parallels on this trip. Such as...

The love of beer

The love of Yeti's (I think they made a mistake, though!)

The presence of the "Ironhorse"

Bikes line every street downtown

The first of many beers are consumed, stories are told from years gone by, and the final preparations are made for the 50+ mile drive across the 12, over Lolo Pass, along the Lewis and Clark Trail, and into the Clearwater National Forest.

The North Fork of the Clark River

So green

And white (over Lolo Pass)

Cell phones don't work here. There is no internet access. Seriously.

Pretty soon you arrive at Lochsa Lodge (though there is camping right next door). Gorgeous. Clean air, pine trees, and still some snow lingering on the hills.

The Lochsa Lodge

The first of many token beer shots

Usually it rains and snows (who cares...we're in the water anyway!) but this year Mother Nature was kind...temps in the 60s and 70s and sun for most of the trip.

Pure sunshine

The river, of course, is the main attraction. This year, we had 3 boats for our crew of 17...this is not a commercial outfit, though. Our captains are from Boulder and Sacramento and Denver. Two are mountain bikers (duh, we love adrenaline!!). The crew comes from both coasts and everywhere in between.

This van belongs to one of our guides, Don, who is from Sacramento. I saw this sticker and did a double take. He's been to The Path and he LOVES it!!

See...bikes are everywhere...met a chap riding from Eugene, OR to Denver

River guide, complete with notes from the past

Legendary huckleberry pancakes...

Essential rafting food...the tub o'cookies

Me, modeling the hottest of neoprene wetsuits...(around my waist is a rope-caribeener to help flip the boat back over if it ends up upside-down)

Most people I talk to have never heard of the Lochsa. It runs through part of the Clearwater National Forest, north of the Selway River, along the Lewis and Clark Trail, through a narrow valley. It is very beautiful.

Lochsa country

Our boats at the calm-looking put-in

Another biking parallel...helmets are mandatory

The Lochsa (translation: "rough water") can also be brutal...the section we usually raft is full of Class III-IV+ rapids. The boat can flip. You may end up swimming (we did). The water is cold. There is always a danger of log jams and foot entrapment is you're not smart. The big feature of the river is Lochsa Falls (at times as high as a 16 foot drop-in).

Typical post-rafting activity...savoring a cold beer in the parking lot

This year, during our trip, the river was running at around 15,000 CFS or about 6 feet, which is fairly high. The waves were huge and the drops were huge! With rapid names like Killer Fang, Grim Reaper, and Bloody Mary...well, use your imagination!

Artistic shot

Blue skies by the end of Day #1

On Friday, we did a "practice" run on the upper 9 mile section from the Nine Mile put-in. It was a rip-rockin' time...fun without any swimmers...but our luck was going to change....

Congratulations Meghan!

2008-05-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

My best friend since high school, Meghan, just graduated with a second bachelor's degree from Westfield College! She completed this challenge while working full-time! Way to go Meg!!!

Tony wants to know...

2008-05-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

Tony, a fellow STR member, sent me this message the other day...so I'm going to answer him. Here goes...Tony's message is in italics. My answers follow.

(disclaimer: By the way, let me say that I am not an expert in the physics/mechanics of bicycles. I only know what it feels like to me when I ride. So, this answer isn't going to be all technical with discussions of angles of tire incidence, tire contact patches, and the like. Hope it helps anyone who wants to know about 29ers or trail bikes.)

Hey Steph,
This is Tony, I met you on the camping trip. Now that you have spent ample time on your Niner, and especially now that you have ridden both that and your Yeti at Hurkey Creek I have a request. This could even be an interesting blog update for you.

So far, so good...factual.

I would like to know your opinions on the strengths and weakness of the handling and performance between your Niner and 575. Which bike is a better climber for moderately technical climbs like Keen climb?

Keep in mind that comparing the Niner with the 575 is difficult because one is a hardtail while one is a long-ish travel full suspension bike. HTs, by nature, will outperform some aspects of FS bikes (ex: climbing), for example.

However, I can say that it was much easier for me to climb Keen Camp on the Niner. The larger tires roll over obstacles in a much smoother manner. I know everyone says that, but I have found it to be true for me. Also, the Niner is a HT...that helped A LOT! The Yeti is also a lot heavier than the Niner by at least 5 lbs. That doesn't sound like enough to make a difference on the climbs, but I can tell.

Which bike gives you more confidence in sandy rutted twisty descents like Exfoliator?

Hmm...the Yeti wins on this comparison. Having the extra suspension in the rear (I run the Talas 36 on the Yeti almost exclusively in 100mm and the F29 on the Niner is 100mm too...only difference is the through axle on the Talas makes the fork less flexy) makes the ride so plush. I know I can screw something up, and it will still be very forgiving. With that said, I don't think I rode down Exfoliator that much slower. In a race situation, I would rather sacrifice a little bit of descending speed for what I'd make up in the climbs on the HT.

Now, if the descent is really technical (in the rocks, roots, obstacles sense), I think that the Niner holds its own. We recently rode Gabrielino trail in the San Gabes twice in about 1 month's time. First ride was on the Niner. Second ride on the Yeti. I was FAR LESS beat after riding the Yeti. I descended much slower on the Niner...every rock seemed to ping-pong the back of the bike around (which I'm used to since I learned how to ride on a HT). It's just more exhausting. We also didn't do as much climbing as ride #1 (Niner) so I may not have been feeling as worked due to other factors.

Do you notice a difference in acceleration between the 2 wheel sizes, or does the suspension from the 26er negate that?

I am pretty good at pushing a big gear. Too good sometimes. I will often forget to give my legs a break and spin in an easier gear because I am able to ride in a harder one. Often times, this will tire out my legs.

My point is that for a rider who can push a bigger gear, getting up to speed on the Niner seems not to be very difficult. I feel like (again, my opinion) I climb much better on the Niner overall. "Okay", you might say, "but that's because the Niner is a HT." True, but when I raced XC at Fontana a few months ago, I did two races on a HT Stumpy (26" wheels). I cleaned stuff on the Niner that I couldn't on the Stumpy. AND, I rode faster up hills.

Does the added stability of the Niner work against you in moving the bike around the trail at speed?

In my opinion, not at all! In fact, descending a smooth-ish or even semi-rough trail on the Niner is great BECAUSE it is pretty stable. I feel like it tracks better. Therefore, I am smoother and don't need to make as many big adjustments on the descents.

If you had to do last months race (Idyllwild Spring Challenge) again, would you chose the same bike, why?

I would absolutely choose the NINER again! I have raced the Yeti (Keyesville Classic Stage Race) before. It was the best all-around bike for the task (DH, short track, XC)--though if I did it again, I would sacrifice time in the DH and do the race on the Niner. Racing a 29 lb full suspension bike with plush travel sucked. It was hard and quite tiring on the climbs. I bombed the downhills, but lost time on the climbs.

Pure and simple, the Niner is more efficient because of two things: no rear suspension and bigger wheels.

I have been riding 29ers for 2 years and have always had some problems with aspect of their handling, while loving others. I am currently looking to pick up a 575 because I want something more agile that can handle bigger drops than my Leviathan was designed for. You probably don't have the same issues of frame and wheel flex as a heavier rider would, but you have enough experience on those 2 bikes that I think it will be interesting.

What about a JET9? Canzo?

I really love both bikes, given they are applied to the right sorts of trails or races. When I ride the Yeti, I think "this is my favorite bike!" When I ride the Niner, it's the same. If you want something to handle bigger drops and give you a smoother overall ride (able to cruise over obstacles with ease yet not get killed on the climbs like a DH bike would do), then the Yeti is the better option. If you want pedaling efficiency, low weight, and don't mind a rougher ride, I'd say a 29er hardtail fits the bill.

Now, though, those 4-ish" travel 29ers could be the best of both worlds. I hear a lot of people say they can never go back to 26" wheels. Hogwash! Sure you can, but you have to be willing to adjust your riding style and be flexible. I know that each bike, in my case, has distinct advantages and drawbacks. I know, for example, when I ride the Yeti, I have the confidence to hit bigger things, to really tackle the technical trails with ease.

I have found that I was able to clean all but about 3 switchbacks on Holy Jim on the Niner, which was something I couldn't do on the Yeti. The Niner seems to handle switchbacks pretty well. Also, when I raced in Idyllwild, I cleaned a lot of climbs on Lower Southridge that I had to walk up on the Yeti (these included significant technical challenges as well).

This assignment has no deadline, and no maximum or minimum word count. Hopefully, myself and others can get some insight from your experiences.

Thanks,
Tony

Well, I hope this has given you some insight! All I can say is that really, there are so many different variables between the Yeti 575 and the Niner AIR9 that could make me think one is better than the other: weight, travel options, application (race vs. fun)! I would borrow someone's Yeti and take it for a ride. Really put it through it's paces...then you'll know if it's right for you!

Bike to Work Day!

2008-05-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Since I started the Bike to Work thread on STR, I figured I had better ride to work to avoid public shame

Actually, I contemplated that for me to make it to work on time (7:30), I'd have to leave for work by 5:30 at the latest to make it from home to work. Not going to happen.

So, I made a compromise: drive in part way, park at my friend Laura's house, and then ride the rest of the way to work. Not the greatest, but it was something, I figured.

I have ridden on the road a fair amount. Usually, I find my mind is paying attention to cars and random scenery. For some reason, though, today's short ride was to prove to be an avenue for contemplation about all sorts of random things, too lengthy to list here (and frankly, I can't remember them all)!

BTW day begins...

My bike of choice today

What I do know is that I learned some lessons...

Lesson #1...clothing counts

Not in the "oh-I-am-dressed-so-cute" way, but rather the "classical conditioning" way. Pavlovian, sort of. I chose to ride my Niner to work since I knew it would be a fairly short ride. I dressed in trail riding gear. My brain expected a trail ride. D'oh!

Self-portrait

Lesson #2...drivers can be too nice (kinda)

I came up to a "T" intersection and the light was red. It was 6:30 in the morning. Not a lot of cars on the road. I wasn't heavy enough to trip the sensor and make the light change. I watched it cycle through twice without going green. The car behind me gave me sooo much room (2 car lengths) that he didn't trip the sensor either. I finally coaxed him up closer and was on my way in no time.

Pit stop at Performance...Micro is there to greet me (said I was 3rd or 4th rider of the day) and hand me some swag

Lesson #3...street names can be deceiving

I work on Hilltop. I rode almost all the way along Hilltop. I spent a lot of time climbing.

Photo-op

Lesson #4...sweating

No matter how hard I tried to not pedal hard and attack the hills for fear of arriving at work a sweaty mess, I couldn't help it. Baby wipes to the rescue!

Lesson #5...always look both ways

No, I didn't have a close call. Actually, I was looking for my right turn onto Peppertree. As I approached the intersection that I thought might be it, I looked at the street sign on the left. G Street. Not yet, I thought. Until I was a block past and realized it's G Street on the west side and Peppertree on the east. Oops

West side

East side

Lesson #6...perspective is everything

Being on my bike and waiting for a lot of lights gave me time to observe a lot of drivers. I drive about 40 miles round trip to work. I drive. I probably have some bad habits. But what I saw with people driving today made me cringe. You name it, I probably saw it.

A nicer perspective

Lesson #7...trying something new can be scary

...but in the end, it's more the fear of the unknown that scares you. I had never commuted to work before. I was nervous about taking the rights clothes, choosing a safe route, not forgetting anything, how much of my lunch I could fit in my pack, etc. Despite fretting a tiny bit, it all worked out great. I see the beginning of a new trend.....

I was thinking of exploring...

All in all, I only rode 12.5 miles (no idea about elevation gain) but...if I do the route 3 times a week, it'll be like parking my car at home for one whole day. And, I managed to squeak in a whole hour of cardio that I otherwise may have had to go to the gym for. And one of the best parts...I hyped up Bike to Work Day in my classroom the past two days. My students naturally asked if I would be riding. I was honest and said only part way. Only 6 miles, I said. "Whoa! 6 miles!! That's far!!!" they exclaimed.

Hope everyone enjoyed the day!

Fast XC Ride @ LPQ

2008-05-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

So, last night, Dan and I did the PBW shop ride. I showed up late (summer job interview at SDSU went late...argh!) and was surprised to see about 1o other riders. The Tuesday night ride started off with Joy and I riding different places (such as MTRP or LPQ) but has recently morphed into a ride from the shop. Last week, there were 4 of us...this week, 11.

Dan kindly got all my clothes and brought them over...I changed SO fast! I felt that, since everyone was waiting for me, I should pull the group along on the ride...so I went out in front and tried to keep the pace high. Interestingly enough, tonight's group was FAST! Eddie and Saul were very energetic and giving everyone a run for their money...Rick is always fast...Joy was killing it on the VPFree, and Jason M. (our guest rider) was smoking it!

Almost ran over the ass end of a rattlesnake that I didn't see until the last minute. Joy and I were shrieking and talking excitedly about what had just happened when we noticed two black and white tails facing the trail in the grass...SKUNKS!! Blech!! I thought, "Mother Nature is revolting!"

The ride pace was high the whole time...I kept it in a good gear and tried to pin it. Funny thing was that going along on the trail, some of the guys were quicker but once we hit Powerline, I passed almost everyone! Felt good to push myself really hard to the top. I want to start timing myself going up there!

Anyhow, did a circuit with 3 miles of running and 10 minutes on the bike tonight...now it's off to bed. We'll probably ride tomorrow after work and then will try to figure out what to do for Bike to Work Day...this Friday, 05/16!

Flight School

2008-05-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

Time to get ready for Whistler...I needed some lessons from jump school on Sunday. Thanks to my surrogate mother, Denmo, for inviting us along...glad we got to spend a fun, gravity-infused, jump-tastic day! And thanks to Roger for being such a good, patient teacher!

Me n' denmo...we luv ya!

BIG ramp

Video clip of Troy hitting that ramp

Dan gets air

Too far back

Getting better

Video clip of me jumping

Jason with style points

Dan makes it look easy

First attempt...bigger jump

Me

Troy

Roger

Dan on the step-down

Dan on the ladder drop

Zoe's Meow

2008-05-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

The adorable little girl in my lap is Zoe, the daughter of Dan's cousin Jeff and his wife Erin. Zoe is a beautiful little girl who has Cri du Chat Syndrome.

I wanted to let anyone who might read this blog learn a little about this rare disorder and also about the inspiration that Jeff and Erin give me each day when I think of how they have come to find blessings in life's challenges. Below is a message about Zoe from a special line of greeting cards called Zoe's Meow designed in her honor to bring awareness to Cri du Chat. They may be purchased through Vertical Printing & Design.

Please wish Erin, Jeff, and Zoe the best as they travel back east to "The Institute" in Philadelphia for Zoe's follow-up evaluation. The following was written by Zoe's parents.

Zoelia Claire was born on February 26, 2007 after a beautiful, uneventful pregnancy. She was a full term baby but when she arrived, she was unexpectedly small (5 pounds, 2 ounces). At first, the hospital staff thought she had an infection so she was rushed to the ICU, put on antibiotics, and watched closely. After a stressful week and less than ideal circumstances, everyone at the hospital assured us things were progressing nicely and she just needed to gain weight so that she was strong enough to come home. What a relief.

Ten days after she was born, our world changed... the results from her chromosome test came back. She had a rare genetic disorder (the true cause of her petite stature) and was diagnosed with deletion of chromosome 5P, meaning she was missing the short arm on the "X" of chromosome number 5. This disorder had a syndrome associated with it called "Cri du Chat" or "Cry of the Cat" due to the high pitched cry these babies make.

We were told she would have significant disabilities and that her development in all areas would be delayed - either a little or a lot, both physically and intellectually. The doctors explained that she most likely would have significant challenges, especially in the area of verbal communication. We were told optimistically, about half the kids with Cri du Chat can communicate verbally... with at least a few words... and most can walk. As a comparison the doctors explained she would be special, like a child with Down Syndrome, though most likely not as high functioning. They advised us to not rush to the internet for more information just yet - the outlook we found there might not be as positive.

The news was a complete shock. We couldn't believe it. We took it in. We cried. And then we cried some more. There was no history of genetic disorders on either side of our family. About 80% of Cri du Chat cases, have no known cause... it's just the luck of the DNA draw. It affects only 50-60 babies born in the U.S. each year so there's no big telethon or walkathon out there to help find a cure.

But we believe the story of Zoelia Claire is yet to be written. And she, the sole author. No doctor can write her story, no therapist, no expert can chart her path or the limits of her journey. She alone will create and sing the melody of her song. Part of our job as her parents will be to keep the page blank and free from other tunes the 'experts' would compose for her. Our job will be to hold open the world of possibility for her. Our challenge will be to let go of attachments and expectations so she is free to express her spirit. She will teach us and guide us. And we hope that we are worthy.

We search everyday for answers. We look in all directions for guidance. We are committed to finding her the best care, the most innovative treatments and most of all, surrounding her with love so that she may thrive and flourish. Though the road may not be smooth, the bumps and curves force us to slow down and appreciate the scenic route. We have been astounded and amazed by so many people who have been moved by her. Just her quiet presence in this world has called so many to action in creative ways to help her. And we have been overwhelmed and moved by the outpouring of love and support. We thank you for sharing our journey and reaching out to make a difference for her... for us... for you. Please, keep it up! It takes a small village to raise a child and this is ever more true for Zoe.

So we've had a chance to ponder our situation and we've asked ourselves, "Why us?" And our answer so far has come back, "Because we are blessed."

The Buddhists believe a child like this is one of the highest forms of incarnation and it is considered an honor and a blessing to receive a highly evolved soul such as this. So we will end by offering this prayer:

"I honor the Divine place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the place in you of love and light, of truth and peace. When you are in that space in you, and I am in that space in me, there is only One of us. Namaste."

Wishing you love and many blessings,
Erin and Jeff

How Stella Got Her Groove Back

2008-05-09T07:11:00.001-07:00

Or more appropriately, How Stephanie Got Her DH Skills Back!

The last year has been like a vacation away from downhill. There have been some sporadic races here and there and a few outings, but nothing like the 2005 season, when we were shuttling all the time.

After we replaced our bikes last September, I spent a lot of time on the Yeti...trail riding and training for VQ. A lot of time. Meanwhile, my lovely Socom sat there, scorning me for only riding it in the occasional manner, a casual user.

VQ is over. I am still racing XC. Putting in a lot of XC miles. Shuttling just about never.

But, by August 1, 2008 it has to be g0-time. Whistler, baby. Whistler. Jumps, drops, high speed, techy sections galore. I decided that it was high time I get back on my DH horse and get comfy with her again.

So, Tuesday after work, I went out with the gang and rode 12 XC miles around LPQ on the Socom. Why??!! Just to prove that I could. But actually, we had to get re-acquainted. Sure, at the beginning, we were awkward as two 12 year olds about to play spin the bottle. The Socom's 37 lbs were more than I was used to handling since I've been spending most of my time on the Niner lately. Within a couple hours, we were getting there. (I was so exhausted, too)!

Thursday, Joy (www.joyridemtb.com) invited me out to shuttle and play around on the drops and jumps of our local riding area (Fight Club rules apply). I was pretty nervous because I haven't been jumping the Socom at ALL...I don't think I've ever really jumped it since I got it! It is 7 lbs lighter than the M3, and it feels so different in the air.

I met her out there, got suited up, and instantly felt so good to wear my flak jacket and full face.

But, I was nervous.

There is a small double by the parking area that I used to hit. It got flattened recently, or so it looks. The dirt was all duffy and soft. I went at it the first time and balked. Second time, I hit it and cased the landing, but it was so soft it didn't matter. My heart was thumping out of my chest though.

She looked at me and said, "Why don't we push up further and hit a few other jumps that aren't doubles?"

So, we did. Watched the local groms hitting some big jumps without any fear. F#@kers.

Hit a small jump to flat and it went well. Then we went up higher and found a nice single jump to boot off of. Joy hit it and made it look easy (she has been practicing a lot). Me? Rusty as a pile of nails in a junkyard.

I stared at it. She read my mind. "Are you freaking out right now," she implored. "Yes," I answered meekly.

I rolled up to it. Okay, I can do this. I pushed back up and hit it. Whew!!! It felt so good to get it over with! The second time, I hit it with a bit more speed and went further. By about 3 jumps later, I was clearing 10 feet...by the end of the night it was more like 12.

We sessioned a double that you had to approach from around a corner. I pussed out.

Went down and met up with Rick and Erica. We shuttled up to the top and on the way, saw Dan driving in.

Up at the top is a concrete pad with a max. drop of about 2.5-3 feet. I hit the smaller side two or three times then just went for it. The biggest drop I've done in a long time! It was awesome to hit it and not have the front end dive. I was stoked, and Dan noticed my perma-grin.

Sessioned one of the dh trails and hit some of the jumps/drops on it. There was one that Joy and I both passed on. Not much of a run-out.

We ended up trying out one of the step-ups and then went back to have a jump contest for distance among the 6 or so riders who were out there. Dan won! He also cleared the section of doubles that the groms had been hitting. He did an awesome job!! Way to go baby!!

This weekend will be more gravity-inspired: a shuttle ride in the San Gabes and then at another to-remain-nameless spot on Sunday with Nancy and Roger. Whistler...here I come!

Su(icide) Super D @ Hurkey Creek

2008-05-05T19:40:00.001-07:00

So, just let me preface this post by saying the inspiration came from a satirical article in a recent issue of The New Yorker called "Ask the Jihadist" by Andy Borowitz. In no way am I really suggesting that terrorists or war are good. M'kay. Moving along...

We (D, A, J and me) arrived at Hurkey Creek on Sunday morning so that the boys could race Super D, but when we got there at 7:30 am, um, virtually nobody else was there. A quick check with the volunteers gave us the answer: the race was cancelled. The race director got taken to the hospital the previous night. No dice.

We had still planned on riding at Vail later in the afternoon, but c'mon...we had to make the drive up there worth something!

Allison had to return the camera battery she charged for Michael, so we swung by to say hello. We found Michael happily making coffee, and Heidi was out making a phone call. (By the way...Heidi and Michael are two of the coolest, nicest, funniest people I have had the pleasure of meeting through mountain biking.)

See, the thing is, that Michael always gets jokes about being a terrorist because of his hirsute face and dark hair (though I don't really see it). We also happened to be talking about the article in The New Yorker. And, we also happened to be joking about they guys killing themselves to make it to the bottom of the Super D course when the idea was born: the race would be re-named the Suicide D.

We all decided to ride up the course and let the boys have at it. The rules were pretty simple: first guy to the bottom wins. (Though somehow, finding the "bottom" proved to be trickier than originally thought!)

Heidi quickly produced some improvised trophies: pine cones of various sizes and states of decrepitness (the prettiest and nicest for 1st, of course) and also some random personal grooming products (mini soap or moisturizing shampoo packet anyone?). There was even a podium of rocks to stand on for the awards ceremony.

Pine Cone Awards, 1st and 2nd place

Of course, what rumble is complete without intimidating-looking pictures of the entrants, all giving their best bomber-I'm-gonna-get-you faces:

In this corner, we have Dan "the Pacifist" Mc.

And in this corner, Justin "the Mannimal" M.

And in the last corner, Michael "Scary Beard" D. (with his sissy pink detonator)

After much posturing and ego-stroking (j/k) we were off and riding up Keen Camp. I figure that the best thing for me to do is to climb the damn thing until it gets easier, which it did today. Since we are planning to do the 24 hr race in September, I know it's good practice. I felt much better in terms of my breathing on the way up, though my lungs were still heavy and it felt like someone was sitting on my chest.

A & J on Keen Camp

It's so.....big!

I pedaled across the meadow in a higher gear than in the race and didn't rest once I got up to May Valley Road. Michael told me to go chase down Heidi, who had taken off ahead of the crew (since she would be going for a few days without riding, she wanted to get in a good strong effort). I caught up to her and was getting some advice about climbing, when I realized that she was pretty quickly pulling away from me.

What posing for a photog will do

I pushed hard up MVR and wanted to see if spinning in an easier gear would help...I think it did, somewhat.

At this point, we tried to figure out the exact location of the Suicide D start...it was debated back and forth for a few minutes. A rider from Don's Bikes came by and the guys' three-some inadvertently became a four-some. Hmm.

Heidi, Allison, and I took off meanwhile down Tres Hombres Uno to scope out and set up our photo posts...we'd be doing trail paparazzi duty today while the boys duked it out. We left Heidi on Tres Hombres, me on Exfoliator, and Allison at the bottom of Coyote Run.

Me taking a picture of Allison who is taking a picture of Heidi taking a picture of Allison, Tres Hombres Uno

I waited for what seemed like a long time and had numerous false-starts with other riders coming down the trail. Some of them were scaring me with their two-wheel-sliding-full-fist-braking! I scoped my vantage point...I was lying down in a rut on the side of the trail, getting ready to let the rapid fire setting on the camera do its thing.

But then, I waited more and more. And more. And the camera kept shutting off.

So, when Michael busted around the corner and threw up a cloud of dust to confuse Justin, I'm pretty sure I did the whole "Oh shit!" thing.

Dakka

I was able to snap another single photo of Justin, who was right on Michael's heels.

Justin

Don's Bikes dude came through next and then a few minutes later, Dan.

Don's Bikes dude

Dan-o

I asked if he was okay, and he said yes. Turns out later he crashed and then couldn't get clipped back in (cleat loosened up). He technically finished 4th but the Don's Bikes dude didn't know there were awards (duh! :) ) so Dan got 3rd by default. Justin and Michael duked it out, but technically Michael pulled out the win! Whew!

mechmann, excited by his 2nd place pinecone and moisturizing shampoo packet

The awards were distribute with much fanfare and adoration from the crowd. The first and last running of the Su(icide) D was over...get it? Oh, nevermind! It was a huge success!

Underground Super D podium

Heidi made us cute hors d'oeuvres and yummy sandwiches of PB2 & J. Thank you!!!

The best darn PB, B, & J sandwich ever!!

We soon departed and left for Vail Lake and double sessions......

Idyllwild Spring Challenge

2008-05-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

I pretty much decided to do this race at the proverbial last minute...I think I registered on Wednesday! I hadn't done an XC race in 5 weeks so was feeling pretty nervous about it. Overall, I hung in there and finished the best I could. Here is my race report:

Hurkey Creek

Dan, Allison, Justin, and I all made it up to the Idyllwild Spring Challenge Race this weekend .

Sure is pretty

The Manns, Dan, and I all arrived Saturday morning for the XC races (Dan would be the only one not racing Saturday...he was our designated camera-man and all around helper as he would be racing Super D on Sunday).

The crowd was pretty big and there were lots of racers who came out. Allison & I wondered if we would still be the only ones in our class (sport 19-29) given the number of riders choosing the same day registration option, but in the end, we were left to duke it out with each other (I'll give away the ending now...Allison had a great day and beat me handily by over 8 minutes).

The gals in argyle

Represent

We got ready and warmed up...but the race got delayed by about 15 minutes and the air really started to warm up too! I'd guess it was at least 75, and the sun was very bright. I opted for the CamelBak...dorky, I know but I didn't want to fight with the bottle and the Niner only has one cage on it.

We watched Justin and Singleminded Eric go off and then lined up for our race.

Justin looking ready to rumble

I put it down hard off the line and got the hole shot but I knew that Allison was right behind me. Almost immediately, my heart rate was through the roof and my lungs were on fire. I could taste blood, which often happens when I ride really hard at any elevation above about 4000'. I knew that I was in for a rough ride.

Allison passed me easily once we turned left to start the Keen Camp climb. I watched her stand up and accelerate away from me. Damn! I knew it would be her day today, but I still pushed myself hard.

When you have a teammate and close friend like Allison, and when you train together like we do, you get to know the other person's strengths & weaknesses. This can play out for the better or for the worse, depending on the perspective. She knows that I warm up slowly and don't hit my rhythm until ~30 minutes into a ride. She is able to go out really hard. Me? Not so much

In any case, I made it to the top of Keen Camp and then made it out to the meadow when I started to pick off some of the other riders (mostly sport guys). A couple of the sport women 30+ pulled away from me on Keen Camp but I caught and passed them once on the singletrack.

Justin on the course

I was sweating pretty badly and couldn't regulate my breathing for most of the way up May Valley Road. I could still taste blood. I felt like throwing up. Still, I tried to push hard up May Valley Road...I knew the singletrack was awaiting and would be a welcomed relief.

Before I knew it, I got to Buena Vista and took off down the trail. I seriously felt like I was hallucinating and was totally wobbly on the bike. Pretty soon, my breathing slowed and I was able to steady out. I actually did really well on the singletrack (my strength) and caught the other ladies. I made it over the Roman wall section and turned right onto Mirkwood. To my surprise and delight, I saw the welcoming, gleaming smiles of Donna and Steve! Thanks guys!

Down Mirkwood it was...I was flying!! Soooo much fun...and then I got stuck behind a couple other riders.

We turned right to bypass all the HAB and a quick climb brought us to Lower Southridge. On our ride here for the STR campout, I struggled so badly. I knew that I needed to stay on my bike as much as possible if I had any hopes of salvaging my time. I passed a lot of people walking and cleared a couple steep, long sections. I was really proud of my technical riding skills!

Lower Southridge was still a grind, but once I made it back out to May Valley Road, I knew the hardest parts were over!

Allison on Exfoliator

Me climbing up Exfoliator

Next it was Snakeskin to Cahuilla Cutoff to Tres Hombres Uno. These sections were fast and flowy with a lot of turns. Overall, lots of fun. Things started to get crowded, though, as the expert riders had merged back with the sports. It was tough to have some guys assume I was going to get off and walk, telling me "rider up" but then I beat them up the climb.

Anyhow, I knew by this point that catching Allison wasn't going to happen despite my best efforts. Nevertheless, I had a blast bombing down Exfoliator and then Rage through the Sage (despite the climb between them).

At one point, some guy who I'll call "The Hare" decides that he MUST pass me and blows by me on RTTS...then, I cleaned the rock climb--the techy one--and there he is, resting off the side of the trail!? Score one for me, "The Tortoise". Then I put the hammer down and big ringed it out to the pavement. Who comes flying up along side and then past me? You guessed it! We took the right turn back to the dirt again and I passed him back. Then, at the turn before The Demoralizer, he nearly pushes me out of the corner. Anyway...

Allison approaching The Demoralizer

Ditto for me

I made my best efforts at The Demoralizer, but it lived up to its name. I walked up the last 1/3 then finished up to see Allison, Dan & Justin waiting for me. I finished about 8:41 after her. I did warm up after all, it just took me too long.

Soooo happy to be done

We ended up hanging around, munching on food and hoping we'd win something in the raffle (Justin did win). The vibe was awesome and relaxed but I felt really sick...lightheaded, headache, etc. Too much heat and not enough electrolytes. Got to meet Zippy (Eric) and hang out with the others friends we've made so far this year.

My time was about 2:15 for a 19 miles course. Justin came in 5th and Eric came in 5th for the 30 mile open course (on his SS, no less!)

Us chicas on the podium

All in all, I would definitely recommend this race...awesome trails, great race support (sweepers, medical, aid stations, volunteers), and a great local vibe. The only bummer was that Super D got cancelled though we still rode (but that's another RR)!

Someone's Got a Case of the Mondays...

2008-04-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Name that movie!!! (Office Space...too easy!)

Nah, today was okay...work was busy (first day back to normal after testing). I got to the gym to do spin class and then conveniently lost track of time (actually got today's class--5 pm--and Thursday's class--6:30 pm--somehow meshed in my brain). I was on the treadmill in la-la-land when I looked up and saw the spin class already going...15 minutes in!! Yikes! I went in and grabbed my shoes and got in there asap! I ended up pushing pretty hard for the rest and felt like I salvaged it but...

On another note, Dan is still out of town. I miss him. He'll be back Thursday :)

On another note (an even suckier one), yesterday on our short, easy UC Cyclery shop ride, I had a "catastrophic" flat...a stick the diameter of a pencil decided to shove itself in my rear wheel on the tread. I watched, with dismay, as the Stan's that Steve had just put in a mere two hours before, started to spew out like blood from a severed artery. It wasn't pretty. I waited around while everyone went back to the shop and then Billy came back to get me. Of course, Murphy's Law prevailed...I hadn't even brought a CamelBak with me. *sigh*

It's all good though...Brian's sending me a replacement Jones so I can be in business for Saturday...Idyllwild Spring Challenge!

Allison n' Me n' Eric n' Some New Green Jerseys

2008-04-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend Dan stayed up in the Bakersfield area for the Cal State DH Race #2 at Woodward West (Tehachapi). I decided not to make the multihour drive and instead stay around San Diego (er, Murrieta). Allison also decided not to go to the Cal State race, so we made it a girl's weekend with rides at Blue Jay (Saturday) and Santa Rosa Plateau (Sunday).

Saturday: Blue Jay-MD-Trabuco-HJ-MD-Blue Jay
Drove up to Allison's, picked her up, and then met Eric at the Blue Jay trailhead. We made pretty decent time on our 22-ish mile ride (with about 4800' of climbing) with a total running time of about 3:18.

Here is my ride report as posted on STR:

Two gals (Allison & I) and our trail male (Eric) decided to go out and play since our men folk (Justin & Dan) are out racing DH at Woodward West.

Met up at the Blue Jay campground and got going by about 8:30. We knew it would be a warm day, so got ready and on the bikes asap.

Up MD to Trabuco was well, how it always is...steep and loose and steep.

Eric was also our trail virgin today...it was his first time on Trabuco and Holy Jim...we promised to be gentle.

He was pretty stoked and so were we! Who doesn't love that trail!?!

Allison clearly enjoying Trabuco

Eric, contemplating the sweetness that is Trabuco

Had a sighting of men in uniform (how sexy) and played hopscotch with the fire truck once we got onto the bottom of Holy Jim.

New trail numero dos for Eric

The water crossings were pretty low and the poison oak was looking quite abundant.

Allison hitting the water

Tunnel of love

Took the Playboy shots of the bikes (thanks for the idea Hugh ).

Once we got up to the switchbacks, well, that was the last we saw of Eric until the very top of Holy Jim (we joked that he was probably napping). Allison & I made good time and both cleared some sections/switchbacks for the first time.

Got a moment or two of rest at the top of HJ, then it was time to head toward The Wall.

We all cleared it without any dabs or stopping and then kept climbing. At one point, past WHT, Eric was like, "More climbing?!" Yes, Eric, more climbing

I spy with my little eye...

Sooner than we knew, we were back at Blue Jay, where Allison and I showered off together....

made ya look We were washing off with Tecnu.

Great ride and we made pretty great time. Eric is officially not a Trabuco/HJ virgin anymore!

Sunday: Santa Rosa Plateau
We did a short ride/photo shoot (hey, new jerseys deserve the royal treatment!) today and kept it simple. The ride was fun, and we managed to pack it in before the heat really climbed.

Here is a slightly edited version of Allison's ride report as posted on STR (as it has many pictures of me and thought it would be nice to post someone else's writing for a change:

Well, Steph and I debated quite a bit about what to ride today... I went so far as to call the Hurkey Creek ranger booth last night at 9:30. Unfortunately they said the trails were closed until about 3 or so today (I have afternoon plans). I figured the same was true for Vail.

We said, Daley? San Juan? It was supposed to be HOT. I slept in, so by the time we were eating breakfast it was about 8:30 or so. Well, Santa Rosa Plateau was going to have to be it.

It was about 75 or so on the drive over there.

Find Steph and her green bike...amidst the greenery

Path girls enjoy their Path jerseys!! We are diggin' the sleeveless and it isn't even summer yet!

Steph enjoys the rolling descent

Turning around for more

Swoosh

JUMP JUMP

Tail whip!

Hope everyone else got to be out enjoying the great weather and trails this weekend!!

Thanks to Steph for keeping me company

Congrats to Dan who placed 3rd at Cal State in the Vet Pro category!! Way to go honey!!!

Another Day on Two...

2008-04-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

...though I have to ask...does the spin bike count?! ;)

I have been doing well this past week or so with trying to get on the bike and/or spin at least one day more than before. So far, I've ridden: last Saturday (40 mile road), Sunday (30 mile trail), Tuesday (spin), Wednesday (30 mile road), and today (spin). I am pleased to say that my legs feel good, though tomorrow will definitely be a rest day, with yoga as a likely relaxing alternative.

Spin was pretty challenging today, and I kept the resistance on the higher end when possible. Man, was I sweating really bad! But, I was proud that I managed to keep the intensity and pace considering I warmed up with a 25 minute jog and a full circuit of weights. Not bad, not bad.

Dan is camping tonight at Breckenridge Campground in the Southern Sierra (outside Isabella). He worked in Bakersfield this week and decided to stay up there for the Cal State DH race #2 (at Woodward West in Tehacapi). I miss him (but as I tell him, not in a co-dependent sort of way!)

I will be busy with riding with Allison this weekend...and trying to stay cool (temps are forecast to be upper 80s)!

Almost forgot...booked my ticket last night for the rafting trip!! Here is the email from John with all the details:

Dear Friends,

It is that time of year once again to start preparing to quench our tenth annual thirst for Moose Drool beer, huckleberry pancakes, and serious carnage on Idaho’s amazing Lochsa River. The water level this year in the Clearwater Valley is currently at a whopping 113% of average. That should mean huge flows come late May.

Lochsa Falls

LOGISTICS
For those of you who will be making the trip for the first time, here are the details. We will meet in the Iron Horse Saloon (ironhorsebrewpub.com) in Missoula, MT on Thursday, May 22 at 12 noonish. After some “socializin”, we will boat the Alberton Gorge of the Clark Fork outside of Missoula. The Clark Fork will be our warm-up day for the Lochsa. After the Gorge, we will drive to the Lochsa and check in at the Lodge. We will then spend three days rafting the Lochsa River during the day and returning to the Lodge for Moose Drool beer and “bite-sized steak” at night. I have already decided that the weather is going to be stunning.

Iron Horse, Missoula, MT

TRAVEL

There will be at least one vehicle driving from Colorado and one from Sacramento. The Colorado ride will leave around 5pm on Wednesday, May 21 from either Vail or Denver (tbd). We will drive straight through except for a brief stretch in our sleeping bags from about 5-7am and breakfast in Deer Lodge, MT around 9am. If you choose to fly, try to be in Missoula mid-day sometime, preferable before noon. Departure can be any time on Monday although you won’t want to leave too early in the am. Mid-day to early afternoon is best. Drivers will likely depart after breakfast on Monday morning, Memorial Day.

LODGING

We have seventeen beds currently reserved at the Lochsa Lodge (www.lochsalodge.com) which is located on a bluff overlooking the Lochsa River. We actually have reserved most of their rooms “with plumbing” thanks to Andrea (the owner) looking out for us. The Lodge is a very special place. There is no internet and you lose cell phone reception 40 miles before you get there. In fact, from the time we drop over Lolo Pass on Thursday night until the return on Monday morning, you will not have any cell phone reception. That may be the best reason to go on this trip.

General Store/Gas Station at the Lochsa Lodge

BOATING THE LOCHSA

For those of you who haven’t been on this trip, the Lochsa is one of the Epic single day rivers in the US. A typical day has more than 35 Class III-ClassIV+ rapids with names like Terminator, Grip Reaper, Bloody Mary, Killer Fang Falls, and Buttercup (o.k. I made that last one up). It is a big, deep, fast river with not many hazards outside of the many raft-flipping waves. You don’t need any special experience to boat the Lochsa, just a commitment to keep paddling, a little courage, and a general lack of good common sense.

As always, anyone who wants to bring friends is more than welcome to do so. Just keep in mind, this river is not for the meek. It is not an insane river, but it is really, really big and the chances of swimming are very good.

GEAR

Required gear includes helmet, wetsuit, PFD (Life-vest), splash top, and river shoes or Tevas (Shoes recommended). We will have several spare helmets and PFD’s around and all other needed gear can be rented from Trailhead in Missoula (www.trailheadmontana.net).

Recommended gear includes splash pants, whistle, knife, flip-line, neoprene gloves, inflatable girl, polarized sunglasses.

LOCHSA FALLS ON YOUTUBE.COM

As many of you know, the Memorial Day weekend roadside crowd at Lochsa Falls is one of the great scenes in boating. Video from the last couple of years have been posted on youtube.com.

2007- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7GtTizpR08
2006- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8DUQ1QHhNA

CONFIRMATION

All I need right now is a general sense of who is in, who is out, and who is still working on it. You can always show up by surprise last second at the Iron Horse, but it is very helpful for me to get a sense of numbers. Many of you have already bought airfare and several others have told me you are in but just humor me and confirm again via email.

Call me with any questions. Everyone on this email list is highly encouraged to join us for what promises to be an amazing tenth anniversary trip. Looking forward to seeing you all in Missoula.

John
(This guy’s back flip attempt in the Falls was impressive if not successful)

How could I resist that??!

Road Ride #2...Solo

2008-04-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Since school let out early today (and I turned in all my grades this morning AND I get there before 6:45 every day), I jetted out by 1 pm. My master plan was to do a road ride before Zoe's patterning sesh began, so that's just what I did.

I decided to check out the bike path along the 56 fwy, but getting there (though it's not very far as the crow flies) ended up being somewhat longer than planned. There are basically three ways to get there from here...#1 is Genesee to the I-5 (YES, you RIDE ON the freeway, even though it's only for a half mile or so and there is a huge shoulder...it is still ON the freeway. I don't like that idea very much). #2 is to go down Torrey Pines Rd. to Carmel Valley Rd. to the 56 (scenic but I wasn't sure of the status of the bike lane on CVR). #3 is to go out Miramar Road to Camino Santa Fe to Sorrento Valley Pkwy (or something like that...the roads are all Sorrento-something out there).

I opted for #3. It is not very direct. In fact, it is about 10 miles just to get to the 56 by taking this route. And, CSF and Miramar (though they have a bike lane for 95% of them) are highly traveled, high speed roads (50 mph in some places). In hindsight, next time I am trying option #1 as an out and back.

In any case, I got to the 56 with no trouble (I was going off what I remember from Saturday's ride and what I had mapped out on www.mapmyrun.com--fun site by the way). Found the entrance to the bike path from El Camino Real. It is nicely paved and was pretty deserted for the first couple miles. I passed through a neighborhood and then continuing on, I hit a dead end. Oops. There was a nice lady walking her dog who confirmed that I had just missed the turn off...the path turns up so that it parallels right next to the 56 at this point.

From here, it was a lot of gradual ups and downs. Funny, you don't notice it when you are driving in a car but darn, it wasn't flat! At that point, I had to make a decision...go back from whence I came or continue on. Feeling that my distance would already be long enough for today, I opted to go down Black Mt. for the most "direct" route back. It is the straightest, probably shortest route but involves lots of traffic (though mostly bike lanes) and took me eventually back on a long stretch of Miramar Road...which is neither scenic nor quiet nor tranquil.

All in all, it ended up being about 29.5 miles (according to how I carefully mapped it on mapmyrun.com) which was pretty good considering I was gone for 2 hours and road for actually about 1.45 (I am estimating since my cycle computer is dead and needs a battery).

I think that I will opt for the Torrey Pines climb out the next time around, but now I know!

Got to patterning on time and hung out with Jeff, Erin, and Zoe for a few extra minutes. I even rode my bike over and back...trying to squeeze in every extra mile that I can. That put the day's ride closer to 32 miles. Tomorrow...well I'm not sure. The track meet got moved to today...probably a circuit/weights/yoga day.

On the horizon, Allison and I will be joining Rut n' friends for some SJT/Chiquita goodness while the boys (Justin and Dan) are going up to Woodward. Sunday? Well, we're trying to figure that out :)

San Gab First-Timer Ride

2008-04-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I called today's ride EPIC for several reasons: it was mine and Dan's first ever ride in the Gabes; it was hosted by some amazing riders (Rut, Hugh and friends); it took us on some ridiculously sick trails; it was pretty long with some good climbs.

Andy asked Dan and I to join Hugh and their buddies for the ride, and I felt pretty honored. I mean, I know these guys are fast...really fast. (This by no means says that I am fast, but rather that they were willing to have me tag along ). Andy graciously let Dan borrow his Nomad since the shock and fork on the Yeti are heading back to Fox tomorrow.

The trusty steeds

Inspecting Hugh's precision-clean Moots

We met up in Tustin this morning at 8 to carpool. Hugh, I must say, has an impressively large.......truck I couldn't get in by myself

It's so......big!

We drove up and parked by JPL, then rode up to the trailhead. Stopped to use the facilities along the way and caught a couple minutes of the local futbol game.

My view for pretty much the whole day (and not a bad one, might I add)

Wow...I felt kinda worked going up Lake! (I did a 40 mile road ride yesterday). Got past the gate, and it was time to strip off the arm warmers, vests, etc. because the temps were already climbing.

The climbing quickly commenced as we made our way up Sam Merrill (I think). Lots o hikers out today and most were super friendly. One lady even exclaimed "Finally...a girl!!!" I made most of the climb but a couple switchbacks got the best of me.

Dan making the first switchback

Andy making it look easy on the SS

Took a rest at the hotel ruins and then it was up Echo Mt. connector toward the fireroad climb.

Looking back

Taking a break

Hugh heads up the Echo Mt. connector

Me JRA

Remnants

It didn't take me long to find a groove going up the road. Kept it in middle the whole way up. Hugh and company were far ahead, while Andy, Dan-o, and I took up the caboose. At one point, I went on ahead of Andy and Dan, and boy-oh-boy did I hit a nice rhythm. I was cruising along up the hill feeling pretty good.

Rut n' Me, climbing, climbing, and climbing

Stopped where a hiking trail split off to the left to wait for the duo, but after about 2 minutes nobody showed, so I pushed onward. I was starting to feel hungry and by the time we got up to below Middle Merrill (?) I was so excited to see my pb & j!

Discussed the options for riding from here and the group (though some suggested going up to Wilson then doing a loop that would end with another 6 mile climb) opted to head through the tunnel, out to 2, then down the pavement to Red Box.

Tunnel.....

We stopped for a group shot, then began the descent. I was having a hard time finding my groove on the Niner on this part of the trail, but eventually I figured it out! The scenery was beautiful and the temps were perfect. All I remember is this:

sweet rocky singletrack, exposed dry trails, shady canyon, water crossing (rinse & repeat about 50 times!)

Me cruising down Red Box

I swear, I felt like we were in some crazy Indiana Jones movie...biking through some secluded canyons, fording raging rivers (okay, exaggeration ), snakes and a dead duck on the trail. Luckily there were no monkey brains involved, though I swear Rut mentioned something about sacrificing San Gabes virgins!!

Like I said...lots of water

The Niner served me well...had to give it props

Rut rolls a ridiculous rock

Going up

Only one slithery friend sighting today

We descended for what seemed like infinity...I started to get pretty worn down though I was happy. Lots and lots of poison oak though (that was the only down-side)! Once my foot got wet, I gave in and just traipsed through all the water-crossings. The guys thought it was pretty funny but by the end, they were doing the same.

The end of our day was a stop to Big Mama's BBQ on Lake. It was awesome food and the conversation and laughs were the best part!

Big Mama does good BBQ

Mmmm...corn bread n' honey and all the rest

The ending stats were approximately 28 miles and over 5200 feet of climbing. Not too shabby for a San Gabes first-time ride!

One thing is for sure...we'll be back! I really envy those of you who can ride these trails on a regular basis...you are very lucky!!

Major props to Andy, Hugh, and the rest of the gang...not only are you all studs when it comes to riding (four of them were riding SS), you get an A+ when it comes to kindness and being a blast to ride with.

Saturday's Road Ride

2008-04-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well, this is a long story, but I'll try to keep it short. And no pics, so possibly even worse.

I decided to go for a road ride, hosted by a local riding organization and staging out of our local shop. I rode over to the shop at about 8 in the morning (trying to cut down my carbon footprint...), and there were over 100 riders by the time it all got started. After meeting some of the other gals and listening to their advice, I decided to start with the development riders, on the mid-pack level.

Supposedly, the pace was about 15-16 mph. But, lacking a working computer (my battery died), it was hard to gauge if that was actually accurate. Comparing back to my East coast riding days, when 15-16 average meant there were a ton of hills involved, I now realize this was a very slow pace. Irregardless, we rode out to the Del Mar area and then practiced pace lining (during which I got chided to "Slow down! You took off too fast off the front."...to which I was thinking "I can't go much slower!") Anyhow, we made it to the school (not sure which one) somewhere in the swanky affluent neighborhoods around RSF.

There was a Tour de Cure going on at the same time, with a pit stop at the same school. So, there were a lot of riders hanging around getting ready to take off again after using facilities/getting a snack. We were about to shove off and were being addressed by our ride leader, when a huffy bleached blonde "soccer mom" who no doubt rolled into town in her Land Rover walked by us with her poor child in tow. She looked at the group of cyclists and exclaimed, "You know, there are little league pictures going on today and lots of moms are trying to get into the parking lot!!" Hmph!! Wow, what a piece of work.

Anyway, I stepped up a level, and was informed that we'd be starting on the "hills" next. I pretty much passed all but a few riders on the "climbs". Their definition of climbing is just different from mine. Now, could I ride it at a 22 mph pace? Heck no! But just the same, my pace was higher than my group's.

We toured around RSF and stopped a couple more times. The neighborhoods were actually pretty nice (duh), and the ride was pleasant in terms of scenery. We made it to yet another dreaded hill (which turned out to be 0.3 miles long), then into Solana Beach. From there, it was a quick jaunt over to the local coffee joint, during which everyone stopped to sip and gab. I stayed behind with the only two people I knew, and got hopelessly cooled down.

From there, we had the long slog back up Torrey Pines ahead of us, which I made with no problems. Then, it was pretty much a coast down back to town and home from there. I ended up with about 41 miles total. Not bad for my come-back road ride (6 months since Rosarito).

The verdict: I learned a nice road route but riding with the group (in all it's disobedience of traffic rules, taking up 1 1/2 lanes of the road, and multiple unnecessary stoppage) was not so much for me. Don't get me wrong...I'm not trying to sound like some elite road rider (not even close!), but the group was hyping itself up to be something it could not deliver.

I think I have found a suitable road ride from the house, and I'd like to try it out soon. Will report back.

I Will Remember You...

2008-04-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

A year ago today, I lost my precious grandmother, Ruth Helen Skowyra. She meant so much to me, and life without her is not the same. I was there, holding her hand and wiping her brow, when she died. I looked into her eyes, searching for meaning in life's most inexplicable, yet inevitable moment. It was an experience that haunts me and one that has left an indelible mark on me.

I think about how she enriched my life, and there are so many ways.

She taught me to be proud of my heritage. She taught me to do what is right. She always believed in me and loved me.

The last time I saw her, she was walking down the hallway at the nursing home. I was so proud of the steps she had taken.

Time does heal, but the wounds are still open. I will always honor and cherish your memory.

A weekend of firsts...

2008-04-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

I have to be brief because it's getting late (though expect more details tomorrow)...

First #1...my first long road ride in San Diego.

First #2...our first biking outing in the San Gab.

Both a great experience!

Should I or Shouldn't I?

2008-04-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

This is the constant tennis-match-back-and-forth question I've been asking myself about selling my road bike. The obvious answer might be, "if you have to ask the question, then you're not ready yet". But, ah, that would be too obvious!

I have only ridden it once in the past 1.5 years, and I'm afraid that I'm watching it slowly age (though it's in great shape). I posted it on Road Bike Review and had some mild interest. In fact, the girl who last emailed me (and I responded to) sounded really serious but has yet to reply. *sigh*

It's not the fanciest bike out there. No Campy. No Dura-Ace. Not ultra-light. No carbon fiber.

But, it is a solid intro-level bike for someone looking to get into the sport.

I think, to make my final decision, I will borrow from the wisdom of someone on STR. Ride it three times and then decide. This Saturday I may just as well go out and do that on the UCCyclery Saturday ride.

Truthfully, it is more my fear of becoming someone's hood ornament that keeps me from riding the road than anything else. Maybe I'll make a list of pros and cons. Here goes:

Pro
Not as scary as riding alone on a secluded mtb trail
Good training for mtb
Ramp up the miles
See lots of scenery

Con
Bo-ring
Cars/distracted drivers
Potential to commute is about nil
Road rash

I guess I'll count Saturday as ride #1 and then go from there....stay tuned!

Daley Ranch (through new eyes)

2008-04-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

As the second day to our unusually unscheduled weekend, we decided to do a nice Sunday spin with the Manns at Daley Ranch. And we brought along a guest, an XC racer from Texas named Lisa. She helped me see this riding spot through new eyes.

Lisa got hooked up with us through our LBS. Our mechanic said she was in town for work and looking to go out for a decent ride. We immediately made plans to pick her up from her hotel and bring her with us. Right away, I could tell she was super nice and a very good rider.

We met up with Allison and Justin by 8:30, and it was already getting very warm. Knowing they had just done a long road ride yesterday and that Lisa's home turf (Houston) is pretty flat, we decided to keep the pace pretty casual.

From the first climb, she was so impressed with the scenery and wow, did we ever come up here on the most perfect day! The air was so clear that we could see Point Loma and the islands off Baja! The greenery was so vivid, the flowers were pretty, ponds were everywhere, and the mountains looked gorgeous.

I thought "wow, I really underestimated this place the last time I rode here." So, cheers to Lisa for making me pay attention to the beauty that is in our backyard. She said that she must drive 2-3 hours out of Houston to get any trails really worth riding on. I immediately felt very lucky.

I'm not sure of the fire-road names but we basically completed the huge loop around Daley. We threw in some singletrack (Burnt Mountain, Bobcat, and a few other) and had some good climbs and fun downhills. I brought the Niner out again and had a blast. On some of the sketchy dh (i.e. Crest trail), it handled remarkably well and was very, very solid.

We rode along at a nice pace, not too fast or slow. I felt really good today and did most of my climbing in middle. We stopped briefly at the Ranch House to rest and water up.

At Cardiac, we all gave it our best try. Justin and Dan cleaned it easily and all three of us gals, though we each dabbed, made it up the rest of the way.

On the climb where we had the infamous Sladnas ride climb-a-thon, I managed to clean it again. It seemed a lot easier this time around...maybe less loose stuff to get in the way...maybe the bigger tires...maybe stronger legs?

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...we had a great time (and for once in a long while, the gals outnumbered the guys-though I'm sure they didn't mind that!).

On the very last downhill before the pavement, you know...the sketchy very steep one...I was pretty skeptical about taking the Niner down it. I was actually a bit nervous. We got to it, and I rolled up on it, scoped my line and just went. The bike did great! It was really solid and I never felt sketchy. We all made it down in one piece.

We were done by 11:30 or so. The stats came out to about 14.5 miles and 2400 feet of climbing.

Lunch was one highlight of the day...Chipotle. We even got VIP parking. It was awesome to spend a relaxing day with friends and seeing the familiar through new eyes.

..........

On another note, I did the whole Intermediate Yoga DVD yesterday for the first time...1 hr and 20 minutes. Wow, I felt pretty worked at the end, but it was definitely a good "worked". Will try to continue to shoot for once a week with that workout.

Gloria Gaynor Said It Best...

2008-04-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

"Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
'cause you're not welcome anymore"

She was talking about my poison oak, dontcha know? ;)

Finally, after two weeks of constant itchiness and new red bumps popping up everywhere and anywhere, I awoke to find myself itch free. I still have the bumps that are healing but I have cleared the worst of it.

Oh yes, Gloria, I will survive.