Whitetank Whirlwind race report...

In Arizona, racing is already in full swing. Jason, Juli and I arrived at the race venue about an hour early to find a pretty big crowd of people. The marathon race started at 8 a.m., and the rest of the regular XC races were going off a half hour later.

The lines were moving pretty quickly, and when I picked up my race number and timing chip one of the volunteers asked me to step on a scale. I was like, "wow, they are really serious about their races here." She led me over to it, and it was right in front of the registration line. Talk about intimidating. I asked her why she was weighing me and she was like, "aren't you racing in the rock crusher division?" In Michigan we refer to that division as Clydesdale. I immediately decided to put a ban on Nutella for at least a week.

Then it was time to line up. Jason was nice enough wake up at 5 a.m. on his day off to come with us and took a few pictures and cheer for us (and tell us to go faster!) Thanks Jason!

Juli and I at the start with our race faces on....

My coach told me that she didn't want me to go all out, since I'm on a training trip and there was no point in completely destroying my legs. Not to mention the fact that I hadn't ridden trail in months (minus the 2 previous days). I didn't have a chance to pre-ride any of the course, but I did hear that it was a good idea to try and get out in the front to avoid any traffic jams. The start was pretty neutral on a gradual climb, and I hung in the back of the lead group of guys. They started to go a little faster, but definitely not at a pace where I felt like I was going to explode. I could tell that the training that Lynda has me doing is making me stronger.

Eventually we hit some rocky hills and there were a few guys in front of me who ran into each other. I managed to ride around them and gave a little silent cheer for my bike. Go Dos Niner, Go! I've had the opportunity to ride some cool bikes, but this bike tops them all. I did the race to get a feel for how the bike handles, but I already felt like I had been riding it for years. I love it!!!

The rest of the course was pretty fun. Overall, it was pretty flat for out here, but there was still some climbing. One big switchback climb, followed by some rocky downhills. I was able to ride it all, but being on a 29'er saved my knees....meaning I managed to stay on my bike at all times. The last couple of miles were awesome. Super, super fast with some really fun banked turns.

Racing with one hand...
I had a blast out there. Everyone on the course was super nice, lots of people were cheering by the start/finish area, and the course was really well marked. Plus, the sun was out and I was on my mountain bike. I will admit that I started to feel it after about 2.5 hours. I did 6 laps, and each lap time was about 1 minute slower then the last. On my 5th lap there were some really tiny kids racing on the course, so I would slow down and ride next to them and cheer them on. In other words, I was stalling. When I came through the finish line Jason told me that I should go faster because 2nd place wasn't that far behind me. I put my head down and pedaled away, because I certainly was going to lose the race in the last 7 miles. My final lap was about 2 minutes faster then the previous one, and I ended up winning by about 9 minutes. Juli finished in 3rd place, and totally toughed the race out on a hardtail. She's ultra tough!

Coming through the finish line...
Podium!!!

Crimson and Cactus

Well my first race of the season is in the books! Waking up early was totally worth it as I got to see my first desert sunrise. It was unreal.

The race was great and I got 1st place. I think I'm more proud of my Dos Niner then I am of me. There were a few really technical sections on the course and my bike just kept rolling over everything. I felt like it was doing all of the work and I was just along for the ride :-)

I'll post more pics and a race report soon!

Day 2

So yesterday I stepped out for the first time without any layers. Jason took one look at me and said, "holy _______, _______, you are really white."

Juli snapped this picture of me today, and I kind of see what he means. I do kind of glow, eh?

BTW...my dorky self is pointing out my first battle wound of the season....a scratch :-)

Anyways, today was another awesome day. It felt completely surreal to be riding with my best friend in the desert.

We ended up riding for a little over 3 hours, and every muscle in my body is remembering what it feels like to mountain bike. There are a lot of rocks out here.

Time for bed. Tomorrow we race, and waking up at 5 a.m. is going to feel pretty surreal too.

Big wheels I know you're the one...

Greetings from Phoenix, where the sun actually shines.

My plane arrived late Wednesday night. Normally I try to tune everything on the plane out, but when the pilot mentioned that we were battling a 130 mph headwind I perked right up. Headwinds slowing us down? A scenario I know quite well!

I'm still on East Coast time so I woke up early. Shocking, I know. Jason works right across the street at South Mountain Cycles, and that's where my bike was waiting.

Blogosphere, I would like to introduce you to my bike...

I mentioned this before, but I'm still waiting on brakes, and my fork. But other then those 2 parts, the bike is built up like I'm going to race it. Jason had to fix a brake for me, and I watched and took more pictures. I'm not going to post them, but rest assured that I managed to capture a few more of my handlebar :-) I swear, I'm like a proud parent.

And then it was time to ride! I was so excited. And to be honest a little nervous. We were riding with Jason's friend Mo, a pro downhiller. This was my first time on singletrack in months and my first time on the Dos Niner. My coach wanted me to take it easy and get to know how the bike handled. I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to keep up.

Actually the guy's couldn't keep up with me....

Ha ha, totally joking. But here's what did happen. I fell IN LOVE with the Dos Niner. Instantly.

We went riding on South Mountain, and it was the perfect place to get to know my bike because I've ridden there before 2 years ago, when I was here for team camp. The trail is swoopy and fun, with lots of rocks and a few steep climbs.

I felt comfortable on my bike instantly. Like one pedal stroke down and I was smiling. The Dos Niner feels completely responsive, but at the same time I feel completely protected when I'm riding it. I was able to ride over rocks, down drops, and over more rocks without ever feeling the bike bob. It was so awesome.

The bike climbs incredibly well too. I was cleaning a lot of stuff that I was walking the last time that I was here. In the past I used to have a hard time getting over rocky ledges while climbing. With the Dos Niner I was able to just roll right over everything.

Jason climbing away.....

The climb was totally worth the views...
Me and my Dos Niner....
So yeah, I was smiling the entire ride. After we were done we basically had to throw the bikes in the car and then go pick up Juli from the airport. Then we met up with Jason's wife Kristina for awesome Mexican food. A perfect day!

I had almost forgotten that good, tired feeling you get from riding outside. Luckily we have lots of provisions in the form of chocolate :-)

Last night Juli came into the room and found me lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling and smiling. When she asked what I was thinking about, I told her, "my bike." She started laughing, but it was true. I can't wait to ride today!

Check it out...

My favorite race website is going to have a weekly column starring my coach, and a few other superstars like Alison Dunlap and Namrita O'dea. This week Lynda focuses on what it takes to do a hundred miler, both for newbies and people who want to have a PR.

I've been training under Lynda for 1.5 years now, and she has completely changed the way that I workout. I never used to pay much attention to how many hours of sleep I get, or what I ate, or how I spaced out my races. I would just go out and ride, ride, ride. Don't get me wrong, I still have long days of riding, but I also have really short intense workouts where afterwards I'm reduced to crawling. And it's a complete no brainer, but getting enough sleep and eating the right foods makes a huge difference in recovery. I could go on and on about the changes that she made, but seriously...I'm procrastinating. I need to finish packing.

Oh, another great thing about Lynda? She humors me. Like yesterday, when I sent her an email asking, "is it OK to do this marathon race that I just signed up for?"

Ok, I know that doing a marathon race in January might be a little rough, but I was planning on doing a long ride anyways. And what better way to get to know my bike then to race it? Never mind that I haven't ridden trail in months, or that it's supposed to be 70 degrees on race day. 70 degrees? I have no concept of what that feels like. All I know is that I somehow convinced my BFF to do this race as well, so I'm going to quit pointing out that it might be a little rough. Juli, if you are reading this, don't worry about a thing!!! I have it all planned out...kind of.

I have exactly 2 days to reacquaint myself with singletrack (desert singletrack at that) before I race. But Jason has promised to take me somewhere mellow the first day, so I won't be trying to launch over crazy desert rock or anything right away :-) More on the race later, but now I am turning....off....the....computer....for....real....

Going West!!!

Well, it's almost time to leave the snow and cold weather for a while. I am so excited I can barely stand it. I DO hate leaving Scott and Naomi behind, but I'm sure there will be lots of TV watching and beer drinking while I am gone :-)

I'm flying to Phoenix tomorrow night and will return the following Saturday. I'll only miss one class, but of course there is an exam scheduled that day. Of course. My professor was very understanding though when I told him that I was going to Phoenix to work. And technically that's not a lie. I am going to be working very hard the entire time that I'm there. In fact, I will probably be sweating...hee hee!

I have no clue where we will be riding, but I do know that my coach wants me to ride A TON. I don't think that will be a problem at all :-) I also plan on getting some serious stretching done while I am out there. I'll be the first to admit that I fall off of the stretching bandwagon anytime I get busy. It's totally stupid since I'm prone to tight IT bands and hamstrings. Anyways, it was evident in yoga tonight that I have some serious work to do. We were working our hip flexors, and all of my muscles were so tight that I could barely move. I give myself a D- for performance tonight. The only reason why I didn't fail completely is that I do one heck of a child's pose!

Now I need to finish packing! Old habits die hard, and I keep finding myself packing as if I'm going to do a 24 hour race. Since I'm going to the desert, I can probably leave the lobster claws and balaclava at home, right???

I'll be sure to post lots of pictures while I am gone!

Talented photographer I am not!

There was a very small window of time where my Dos Niner was built up before we had to pack it up to ship out to Phoenix. One hour to be exact.

It's not set up exactly as I will race it, because I am still waiting on some parts from sponsors. But minus the fork and brakes it's pretty close. Not that you can see anything from the pictures because apparently I really suck at taking them!

I started out with the best intentions....yup, got the bottom part of the bike (kind of)

Managed to take a picture of the chain even though I was trying to focus on the fact that my bike says "Ride and Smile!" I love that!
But everything went downhill from there. I have a million different close-ups of the frame that I'm not going to even bother uploading. With the light shining directly on it, you can't even tell that it's a bike!

And then I got really distracted by my handlebar.

Case in point....

I think I must be smitten with that little chili pepper because I took ten pictures of it on my handlebar alone. TEN!!!!

I've gotten A LOT of e-mails and facebook messages from people telling me about their Salsa bikes, and I can't wait to try out the Dos Niner. I'm so excited about riding it out in the desert that I'm not even really thinking about the fact that I have to fly. Yet.

I leave you with another brilliant picture that I took while picking up my bike. Check out Velo City's new arrival. From the picture it could be a few things, but I was trying to focus on the coffee maker. All they need now is a plate of cookies and I'll start to live there :-)

The great outdoors

So far, I think my training is going pretty well this winter. Last year our weather was absolutely horrible, and I trained almost exclusively on the trainer. This year my I'm switching it up a bit. Hard interval days are inside, and long slow days are out on the road. Right now Lynda has it where I can switch my workouts around during the week depending on the weather. That makes it so much easier!

Yesterday I was able to get out with my friend Sue, and I felt like it was summer. It's funny how everything is relative. In November, I thought 30 degrees was unbearable. Now I felt like it was practically summer.

Our ride was a small adventure of sorts. We got lost, battled a crazy headwind, and outsprinted a crazy dog that was chasing us like it wanted to eat us for dinner. In other words, our ride was a complete success!

This is the moment we realized that we were lost....

This is Sues favorite bike. She has it built up as a SS, and I have to admit I felt a little wimpy every time I shifted down during a climb :-)

I ended up getting 4 hours in when all was said and done. I feel like my endurance is slowly coming back, which is a very good thing. I plan on riding a ton in Phoenix and I don't want to collapse on the side of the trail.

19º 00' N / 72º 25' W

Today seemed like a good day to take a break from the normal blog topics. You know, me, bikes, me, bikes and so on.

Well maybe I will say one thing about me...

Today I had one of those rides outside where I was barely moving. I think I had a constant headwind. By the time I got home I could barely unlock my front door. And then I read a few reports about Haiti, and realized how lucky I am if all I have to worry about is frozen digits.

So I put my frozen digits to use and texted the word Haiti to 90999. If you do that, $10 will be donated to the American Red Cross rescue and relief efforts in Haiti. Clearly all of my twittering has improved my texting speed because it took me less then 20 seconds.

I think I'll do it again tomorrow.

P.S. Here's a whole list of ways to help out.

Only 16 days until I get to ride my new bike!!!

Tonight was my first night back in school for the winter semester. The class I had tonight was Human Health and Disease, and ironically enough half of the class was coughing and sneezing all night. Mental note: wear a hazmat suit next week. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

When I got to my car I saw a post-it note stuck to my car window.

"You have a flat tire. Come find me if you need help."

Ugh. It was 9:30 p.m., 15 degrees, and the parking lot was almost deserted. And I was in Holland-at least 40 minutes away from home. It's never a good time for a flat tire, but this time was especially NOT GOOD.

There was a security guard outside smoking, and he came over to help. Mr. post-it note himself. The first words out of his mouth were, "I was hoping you would be a guy so you would know how to change it yourself." Nice, real nice. And I'm sorry, did he really just say that? If it were a bike I would have been all over that tire, but not so much with my car.

I had a total flashback of my 11th grade summer, and my dad trying to teach me how to change a tire. "You have to learn so that you will never be stranded," he said. And I completely daydreamed through the whole thing. It was another one of those moments where I wanted to go back in time and punch myself out.

The moral of this story? It's a good thing to know how to change a car tire. That way you won't ever be stuck in a dark, empty parking lot during the winter time. Trust me, it sucks!!!

Anyways, we (and yes I helped) got the tire changed, but it was not easy. First of all the wheel was stuck on my car, and second of all the whole parking lot was ice. Did I mention that it sucked? I just had to keep reminding myself that I will be in Phoenix in a little more then 2 weeks.

And speaking of Phoenix, I've decided to take the Dos Niner with me. This will be my first time riding trail in a few months and my first time riding the Dos Niner. I know that some of the trail that we are going to be riding is quite rocky, and I can't wait to see how the bike handles everything.

16 days and counting, my friends. Singletrack is in sight!!!!

Finally, I can tell someone other then my mailman!

That title is no joke! When I found out that I was going to be racing for Salsa, one of the first people to find out was my mailman. At the time I was stuck inside with a fractured clavicle, and so excited about my new bike sponsor that I absolutely had to tell someone. Well "that someone" happened to be our mailman. The moment I saw him walking up the street I was running down the stairs and waiting by the door. Luckily, our mailman likes bikes!

Anyways, I've been extremely excited ever since. Salsa is a way cool company that makes cool bikes. When we went to the outdoor demo at Interbike, Salsa was the first tent that we visited. Instantly I just wanted to hang out. Everyone working the tent seemed super down to earth, and really excited about the bikes that they make.

Since I've only ridden on 26 inch wheels, I wanted to get a feel for how a 29'er handled. I was able to demo a Mamasita, and it was love at first ride.

After doing a few loops of the demo course we decided to ride some of the other trails so that I could see how the bike felt on longer climbs. And the verdict? I didn't notice the bigger wheels while climbing-which was a good thing. The bike felt really snappy and accelerated instantly. However, I noticed the bigger wheels anytime I hit anything technical. It was un-freaking-believable. I just rolled over it all! There were a few times where I didn't even bother picking lines. It was fun just to launch over things :-)

After a while Scott wanted to go and take out another bike, and I told him that I was going to keep riding the Mamasita. By this time we had been out for a while, and Scott was like, "you are being rude. There is a line of people waiting to ride that bike. You can't just ride it all day." Ha ha. Little did he know I was planning on sneaking the bike into my suitcase and bringing it home with me!

So there you have it. My new bike sponsor! Lots more info coming soon. This blog is currently getting a make-over, so new links and my 2010 schedule will be added shortly. I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a great year!!!

Pedaling in the New Year

Happy 2010!!!!!