Dis-Enchanted Dirt

Changes

2010-03-21T03:53:00.002-06:00

Alright people, a year later and I'm back. There have been major changes in my life and things are not done changing. Life has come full circle. I am a pissed off, punk rock seekin' rat like I was 15 years ago, and that says alot - to be here again. Someone took me out back and kicked me in the a$$ and reminded me who I was. Thank you. It was painful, but ya know hard lessons are often the most pleasurable after the bruises heal.

It's Official

2009-10-09T09:53:00.002-06:00

It's official, I set and met a goal - I won the SingleSpeed category for the NMORS Series. I decided last year after trying a few of these short course sprint, traditional XC races I would ride 5 races allowing to meet the 4 race minimum to win a category. I selected races I had ridden before, and courses I was familiar with, showed up and rode hard every race. In the series showing up and finishing is the name of the game rather than winning the individual races.
Official results are out and I get the championship jersey. More importantly this was the first year a female raced enough races in that category to take the jersey, and we had nine women race SS in the series. Hopefully there will be more and more women come out to race SS at these races. The men's field is usually pretty competative and hopefullly the ladies will catch on to the fun of passing a geared rider with their lonley, single gear.....
I'm not at all a sprinter, endurance baby, endurance. But I do have fun at these races and so I'll definately race a handful next year.

Let the Games Begin

2009-09-17T13:11:00.003-06:00

The SingleSpeed World Championships in Durango Colorado have begun. Teammates Lenny and Claudia Goodell made the front page of the Durango Herald cheesin' it on the first group ride of the weeks events. Seems local (meaning from Durango) teammates Matt and Jeni opted out of the event along with Rico, Colorado rider Jeff to actually compete in a 12 Hour event this weekend. I hear the course is not very ridable for at least 7 of the first 11 miles, but hell - who really goes to ride this event anyway? Okay out of 981 riders probably 200 riders come to "race," the rest come for the craziness of 900 cyclists on SingleSpeeds and the inevitable rolling party that results!

Lonely Blog

2009-06-09T15:11:00.004-06:00

My poor blog has been lonely and I know you all have missed my intermitten posts too. Things have been so hectic, and I know my poor blog, you just don't understand one being too busy to spend a few minutes posting to you. I raced every weekend from Easter (ok that one got rained out) til May 9 - then I was out of state 2 weeks and then back to work. And although it is better to be at work and wishing I was not than to be unemployed, I wish I had some time to ride and post to you my poor blog.
Poor blog, we have been landscaping the backyard, so evening rides have been out and evening computer time. I am actually working a "normal" person's work schedule of 40+ hours a week (usually its 30 hours a week) and I have extra work on the side eating up potential ride time and blog time. I am just about to abandon all the distance events I signed up for in Fall because of the fast depletiton of my ability to endure and clearly its bad if I don't even have a few minutes for you, poor blog. But alas, maybe I can pull it out in the next week. I have decided that shoveling and spreading 9.5 tons of rock can count as gym workouts, and posting to you, blog, can be my recovery - so i just have to find bike time.
I promise, poor blog, that I will visit you more often, and above is a pic to remind you what I look like when I'm free to do what I love and what brings me to you for posting.

Leading the Way

2009-05-07T17:43:00.002-06:00

OK, I admit it, part of the reason I am racing Single Speed all year in the NMORS series is because few females race SS, so my odds of placing as well as winning the series are high. I also admit part of the reason why I race SS is because my ego likes getting the props for doing so from the racing community. I deny that I ride SS for any of the reasons that Jason Thorpe claims people ride SS (see Up Front of Mountain Bike Magazine, June 2009). In fact, I got lazy as a technical rider when I got on the full suspension bandwagon, and I also got extra soft...not having gears and only a suspension fork, has made me technically better each ride and not nearly as soft (although the Budah Belly still rules - because SS'ers appreciate good beer more than any other group outside of downhillers I think).
So the point is, yes there is a point here, I still would like to see more women show up riding SS at the short course races. The last three races I have done I have won - without challenge. Conversely, everytime I show up at an endurance event, the female SS competitionis deep and extremely tough. I have a long way to go to compete with those ladies, there's no getting around that (sigh, sound of a beer being cracked open). In fact I leave for the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde in the morning, and I know the female SS field will be deep enough I have not a chance, and I like that, because it gives me a challenge and gives me ladies to admire and to drive me in my training.
So how about it ladies, shed some gears and try the short course races 1x1, I promise to make you laugh at the starting line and share a beer at the finish.

How many days in a row

2009-04-26T10:43:00.002-06:00

I have been cooped up inside for 3 days at a partnership meeting related to a grant I am involved with to create a certificate program for interpreters and trnaslators in the justice system and health care system. And my 3 week semester break started. So as my mind wanders from the meeting to the beautiful trees outside the conference room window and the glimpse of the Sandias over the top of the building behind the trees - I am trying to think how many days I can ride over hte next 2 weeks. Pondering my race schedule over the enxt 2 weeks and travel plans, I'm thinking 12 of 14 days - if rides to the bar count maybe all 14 days. :)

First short course race of year

2009-04-22T20:05:00.002-06:00

So last weekend I raced my first shortcourse of the year...the xc course in Socorro, NM. I was the only chica brave enough to race SS, so I took first naturally. But the best news is that I felt I had too hard a gear running 32/18 and indeed there were times I could barely keep it rollin - BUT I ran 12 minutes faster than last year. Meaning 12 minutes faster than on the geared bike. I would have done better, but the tall gear caused me to cramp up second lap out. Check the pic - top of the nasty hill 5 yards from finish - if it were not for the cow bells, and people cheering I would have rolled back down the hill.

D2D

2009-04-09T17:50:00.002-06:00

Well Spring in New Mexico means wind and unpredictable weather. And we are having a Spring true to form. Weather has been fluctuating between typical windy but warm weather and cold and snowy. Just in time for Dawn til Dusk in Gallup, New Mexico this weekend it is being predicted it will be wet and cold. The composition of soil at the High Desert trail system is comprised mainly of clay - so when wet the trails will destroy your bikes. Most of you will recall the damage that the Siren suffered on her inaugral race - the High Desert Screamer - on these same trails when I got caught in rain. Add a high of 37 degrees (C) and we are talking about a raring good time!
Despite my impulse to stay in Albuquerque I'll be heading over to Gallup for hopefully 12 Hours of racing. I'm really hoping the moisture stays at bay and we get to ride. Promoters have stated this is the largest field ever for the event - 150 more registered racers than last year. Trails will be crowded and I imagine our local 12 hour race will be inundated with Pros taking the fun out of the event for most of us. But alas, I have raised a couple of hundred dollars for the local Open Sky SAR (in only 7 hours) who volunteer to be out on the course and take care of the racers if anything unfortunate happens, bet the Pros did not do that. In fact I challenge all the Pros to get pledges and donations for the bike-a-thon. Information and pledge forms available here Quit taking from local races and give back please.
Hope to see you all out at D2D and hope all you regular racers have a grand time.

Results are in - SHIFTLESS! rocked co-ed duo

2009-02-18T17:07:00.002-07:00

For two non-pros on singlespeeds, team SHIFTLESS! rocked 24HiTOP. The down and dirty is that we placed 7th out of about 30 teams. The top 5 teams were comprised of 4 full on pro teams. The 5th place team - Kim and Jan Bear, from Santa Fe, NM was essentially a pro team. Kim sandbags the local NMORS series as a sport rider, but always turns times consistent with the experts and pro classes. My understanding is Jan was a former pro rider and now races other classes to avoid real competition. Regardless, SHIFTLESS! was the only team in the top 10 co-ed duo that were racing one gear!!
We ran 15 laps, and had a 16th in us, but were not going to displace the 5th place team, so decided to enjoy the noon hour instead of kill ourselves. Marc and I have this elaborate excel spreadsheet with 7 different lap scenarios in it. We decided pre-race on one scenarion and hoped for a second one where Marc had himself a little faster on average than last year. We never changed the average lap times for me in any scenario. Much to our delight we ran about 30 minutes ahead of our chosen scenario - putting us in a position to get 16 laps. We had only one missed transition - and that's because on my 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. double I called in as I went out for the second lap from the port-o-let sick as heck. I was sure I'd run VERY slow, blowing all the ground I had gained with decent first 4 laps. After walking all the bitches because I was in a serious pain cave, and have some mysterious female rider follow me, stop every time I stopped, and watch me like a hawk through the Corral and Rattlesnake trails up to the begining of his/hers trail, I ended up with a lap within what we though would be my worst time of the night. I was pleased, Marc was surprised I was in the exchange so fast after calling in struggling. The mystery lady we believe was one of the many medical personnel riding the course looking for people just like me - puking, delirious, and clearly not coping. Whoever you were mystery rider, thanks - After you saw me stop to eat, I came around the otherside and got another wind.
Also thanks to the geared guy who silently rode up behind me on the 3rd or 4th bitch and gave me the little tiny push that prevented me from bailing and walking the last 5 feet of that second hump on that bitch. As I yelled out to you - you rock!!
I have to say that this was the hardest race for me ever. I've had some tough times at 24 hour races, but this beat them all. I once again got nauseous. I think it was the whole on the bike, off the bike, trying to eat and digest before having to ride again thing. Solo is much easier for some reason. Marc was WAY faster than I, so my "rest" times were very short compared to what he got due to my relative slowness. Moreover, I had almost no support, so I got little rest. Marc's gal Sandy was a saint and stayed up to help me several times and my girl did what she could while riding for her own team and managing her own team. Despite their help, I got like 12 minutes of shut-eye and little time to just sit and rest.
I have declared - probably just to go back on my declaration - that I will not race 24 hour races for awhile. I'm watching all these pros and all their support. I'm tired of going early to get a spot close to the venue, tired of riding my butt off and taking "rest" time to change lights, wipe down chains, change gears, make food, eat, etc. I'll race a 24 again, as I do enjoy the torture they provide, but only if I get some dedicated support. Until then, I'll come crew for friends and teammates. See you all at the "shorter" races!
And a huge thanks to Marc for making this a truly good experience! I can think of no other guy I'd ride with (other than El Freako from Rico) and I still feel that way!! You were one hell of a teammate!!

Countdown

2009-02-10T07:17:00.003-07:00

Well, it's the final hours before I head over, car packed like I'm fleeing with all my worldly possessions, to Tucson to 24 HiTOP. Not sure weather we will go in Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning. Appears Oracle (closer to venue than Tucson) has been getting some very wintery weather. As usualy the weather looks likely to be crap for this event.
Everyone can "watch" the results from the website. Just click the link for realtime results. I'm racing in the co-ed duo category, team name SHIFTLESS! J is racing a 4 person female team named the Hooey Voodoos.
Spent the entire last 2 weekends prepping gear, spening too much money on gear, and packing. The amount of crap to do for these is ridiculous. This could be the last 24 for me for a little while. I may just race the NMES events and 12 hour events. Less preparing, more fun.
Today I have a long list of odds and ends to wrap up. Getting things done for work - both the practice and teaching. Blood draw in preparation for my three month check-up to see if these meds for the thyrois disease are working at all at the higher dosage. Most importantly I have to go get P.I.T.A. from the shop - P.I.T.A. is the new name for the Siren. Every ride on that thing has been one problem or another. Currently the chain tension will not hold with the Ahrens sliders. It either goes too slack dropping the chain into the rear spokes or too tight. I have yet to figure out what I did to destroy my new bike karma, but its got to be something bad for horizontal sliders to move backwards and tighten tension. I have yet to understand how thats even possible, although Physics was not a strong subject for me. Still -
Hopefully the guys at Bikeworks got it figured out and get me in running order so I can ride the darn thing worry free and mechanical free. Well, my list of things to do is not getting shorter, so I better quite playing around here. See you next week after the suffer-fest!

A good night's sleep

2009-02-04T08:18:00.002-07:00

A good night's sleep, or even a crappy one, will clear the pre-race stresses. Team SHIFTLESS! has narrowed down their plan of attack. My most excellent race partner, who has most excellent math and excel spreadsheet skills created 8 scenarios for lap times.
Now I know we all know these are mere predictions for what we would like the perfect world to provide us during a race. And I do carry Buddah in my jersey pocket.....
But regardless, we have identified pros and cons of lap times, traffic, transitions, and changing of light batteries. We are back in sync now. See ya on the starting line.

My momma always warned me

2009-02-03T21:37:00.003-07:00

Reason # 104 not to "do" boys: My momma always warned me.. or maybe it was my Dad. Oh, wait the last warning came from my sister. Yeah that's right, my sister warned me about boys. She's married to one, so she ought to know, right? So, this week despite what I though was a very simple contract with a bunch of local boys - I now realize boys can't read - I was asked what camp kitchen I was providing 6+ boys. So I had to repeat myself, I'm no boys mom, sister, girlfriend, or mother. So at 24HiTOP boys bring their own gear and care for themselves. I will do my best to "hold" camp space, but I will NOT do anything else for boys.
Finished with boy drama - no wait, just when you though you were in the clear...boy thinks you can ride faster than him, despite lots of online statistical information (boys live by that, correct?) and your telling boy (we all know they don't hear girls, but they should get the stats right?) boy wants me to ride faster than him. So at this moment I declare 24HiTOP off next year's ride list. If I could I would beg out this year - well, ok we all know me, no I wouldn't - but come on.
So, gals - please redeem my love for 24HiTOP for next year.....

SSWC09

2009-01-27T07:41:00.004-07:00

Durango, Colorado home of some of my favorite trails and beer. This year it is also home of the Single Speed Worlds! I have always had this weird fascination with the SSWC. Maybe its the mix of craziness surrounding the event with several days of pre-race party, post-race party, or maybe its the fact that I personally think that getting tattooed with the emblem of the race for taking the winners circle is better than any other prize. I mean who needs another darn small trophy of some sort. The SSWC is what drew me into SSing. That crazy culture behind the now current fad among mountain bikers seems like home, and this year I'll be there.
I colored my entry form, got it sent in and officially am on the list with close to 150 other women (and 500 men). Not a race to win for me, but sure as heck a race to go have one heck of a ride and party at!

Still alive

2009-01-09T15:09:00.003-07:00

Sorry all - the last 6 weeks have flown by. With the end of the semester and grading for 5 classes, travel to the tundra (Michigan and Illinois) and some serious family health problems to deal with its been a long while since I paid any of you attention. In the interim I have been training hard (save for 2 weeks in the tundra)and gearing up for sponsors for next year. Big Wheel Racing has brough in some awesone new sponsors and I'll get everyone's logos and links up here soon.
Personally I got to thank Rhoda Weill at Rolling R Productions, Christina P. Argyres, Attorney at Law, and C:Change design firm from the Windy City - with a shout out to Hugh Shulze, owner of C:Change for his short film Arc of a Bird debut at the Santa Fe Film Festival last month!
Now, I just got my Kenda Tires order in, so I'm off to sort through it. I'll be back regularly until 24 HiTOP see ya soon

Thank you Keith Olbermann

2008-11-11T15:46:00.001-07:00

Please think about this. More people need to start caring about love and compassion and not division of a country, a culture war in these great States, and us versus them. This is about the heart. (Click the title to watch the commentary)

SHIFTLESS!!

2008-11-11T15:20:00.004-07:00

Shiftless! This is my team name for the 24 Hour in the Old Pueblo. Yes, the race is months way, but this race fills up every year. Solo categories closed in a little over three weeks this year. crazy, but then again this race is a little carnival like.
I am officially acknowledging that it is wrong to say you will never do something, as my choice in teammates demonstrates. When I started doing these 24 hour events years ago I said I would never race on a team with a guy, or with guys. Of course I have signed up to race co-ed duo this year with one of the few guys I would ever consider competing with - Marc Basiliere. My Big Wheel Racing teammate Jeff Hemperly, or El Freako as he's known, also is a guy I would race with. Marc has raced Old Pueblo for years as a duo, with both guys and gals, so I'm totally relying on his expertice on the best approach. I watched Marc throw down ten laps at Old Pueblo two years ago when his duo partner blew his knee out before the first 12 hours elapsed. And he did so without a complaint or gripe, he just stepped up and kept at it. Now that's the kind of teammate anyone would want.
Now, I have no idea why I agreed to race duo with one of the faster guys I know. Maybe it is some perverse need to punish myself. Maybe it is because I thrive in stressful situations. Whatever the reason, it means I'll be in the gym lifting and I'll be riding as much as I can from now until the race is over. Regardless, it's time to go ride. See you all out there.

Coming Full Circle

2008-10-21T13:19:00.002-06:00

Well it seems that a year has passed by unbelievably quick. I have started back at the begining of my yearly training routine, which is where I was when I first created this blog. It has been an interesting year, with some successes and disapppointments. I can't say there were any failures, and the whole year was dedicated to increasing my cycling, both its abilities and the amount of cycling I was doing. I did both. I saw some big improvements in some areas, and I participated in new events, learning something about myself and my abilities in each of them. I did not DNF any events, although I was DFL several times. I participated in every event I signed up for.
So it is time to set some goals for next year. I have decided to focus on gaining strength and becoming more consistent in my performances. I am aware that part of my consistency issue is related to current health problems, but I believe that the more I learn to manage those the more they will not interfere with my performance. So, its off to the gym and back to carefully tracking my progress.

The person I admire

2008-10-14T14:51:00.003-06:00

Right now I am a huge fan of my lil sister. We were never buddies when we were kids, only after moving at elast 6 hours apart from each other in our twenties did we start to get along. For years now she has come out west to crew for me at 24 hour races. In high school Jodi was a runner, a distance runner. She was tiny, staying under 100 pounds and under 5 feet tall all through high school - all the effects of running. She quit running in college, and grew finally. A few years ago, as she tells it, she came back from crewing at one of the 24 hour races and thought to herself, Jen is doing this crazy endurance thing on her bike, I ought to be doing something. She kept saying out loud to her husband that she never did run a marathon like she always wanted to, and she ought to get back into running. He finally told her to shut up and just register for the Chicago marathon (her home), and so she did.
So, this past weekend I travelled to Chicago to cheer her on in her third time running the Chicago. I knew what to expect, but I did not expect what I experienced. I cannot think of any other non-arena, non-team sport that would draw that many participants at one time! Almost 40,000 people registered and participated, and the number of people in the streets supporting was triple that - or more!
My bro-in-law and I took the bikes and essentially followed my sister the entire race. We stopped to watch her run by 7 times or more, and got to ride along-side her (not right along side her, but within about 15 feet of her) for 2.5 of the last 3 or 3.5 miles of the marathon. At that point people were dropping out like crazy, mostly because Chicago was unseasonably warm again (last year they called the marathon several hours into it, cutting most people off from finishing, having one death and innumerable prsons off to the hospital from heat exhaustion). We cheered for her, encouraged her, and watched our garmin's to monitor her pace. She ran 55 minutes faster than her previous best, but missed her goal by 7 minutes. All in all she was very happy, having made the choice to back off to try to avoid heat exhaustion, she finished strong and only a little sick.
When cycling, if you are feeling pretty bad, you have places you can maybe coast down a hill, or in the flats you can pedal, coast, pedal - but in running if you are not running you are walking and if you are not doing either of those there is NO forward progress. I'll take a 24 hour bike race over a 4.5 hour run anyday. Kudos lil sister, you rock!!

Show up and you win!!

2008-10-06T11:39:00.002-06:00

So this past saturday was the final race of the New Mexico Off-Road Series (NMORS). I had a much better race, taking teammate Matt Turgeon's advice with the input from Shannon Gibson about running a bigger gear on the Siren - which is not quite right yet after last week's match with the clay of Gallup, but getting close.
I was not quite as fast as I hoped, but I was able to come in under 3 hours runing about 30 minutes behind the first place female SS rider. I had a small hang-up out on the course about 5 miles before the finish which probably cost me 5 minutes. I had the shakes pretty good due to the thyroid problem and I was unable to negotiate a dab, which turned into a dragging across rock. I got very fatigued between miles 22-26 but I bounced back fairly quickly and finished really strong.
I am super happy with my effort considering. I took secondoverall single speed female and first in my age group. The performacne was also enough to put me in first place in the NMORS points for the Single Speed Women category.
I stayed to watch the awarding of jerseys to the points series champions of each clas only to be reminded that some people are still ignorant. An official awarding the jerseys made several inappropriate comments about women's categories and what women needed to do to break a points tie. It seems women are still tolerated at the races and in the series, but not yet given credit for their efforts as valid. So to all the women who raced in the series races this year - screw the guys, get out there and keep racing - watch Shannon Gibson, Nina Baum, and Jennifer Tribe-Wilson for inspiration on how to climb to the Pro level in the sport with class and with the ability to finish above most of the men! To the three ladies named - thanks for taking time at races to give encouragement, advice, and answer questions. I think I like these short course races, and I think I may have found a new passion!

How to kill a bike in a single ride

2008-09-29T08:57:00.003-06:00

Here's how: Ride it through a downpour, complete with hail, in terrain that is composed prediominately with clay. Water and dry clay turn into something that will destroy parts of it within about 4 miles. Results guaranteed.
OK, I have to be a smart -a$$ because I'm really bummed, to say the least, about the condition of the Siren at the moment. After about 4-6 miles of riding in rain and some mucky conditinos, the rear tire side wall is bare to the threads. I have no idea how it did not totally give during the last few miles of the race. The rims (Stans 355) are worn clear through the anodized coating and down through the rest of the rim to the wear indicators. Of course brake pads are toast, but that is a cheap and simple fix. And there is a gritty sound that after hours of cleaning I have yet to locate, so I have to break the bottom bracket down, and try to check the hubs more closely. The bike, parts and all, has 56 miles on it.... that's it. Oh, and it's a singlespeed, so you would think there would be little to get jacked up in a ride in the rain and mud.

It's complete - well sort of

2008-09-21T20:38:00.004-06:00

The Siren is complete - sort of. It weight in at 19.3 lbs - which means it's as twitchy as Tweak. I'll put a Mary Bar on it the coming week, and I may need to get a longer stem, because once I got the seat adjusted I was too crunched up. Not sure I can go back to V-brakes, so I think the disc brakes may go on, which would add weight, which may help the bike stabalize. I put 20 miles on it today in really familiar territory. It may have just been me today, but it felt like it just would not climb. I felt like the brakes were always on. I'm going out Wednesday to see if a different day changes the feel - we have to keep in mind some days my body does not cooperate and I cannot always tell when I'm having a "bad" day. She corners very nicely, although both uphil and downhill I kept loosing the rear end. I'll change tire pressure and make a few other adjustments and see if I can't get her more dialed in, possibly go a little wider tire. I think this bike will rock Tucson in the Spring. Pics available here.

It's coming along

2008-09-17T15:07:00.002-06:00

The new Siren Single Speed is 90% built. I was missing rear v-brake bosses, so production halted Monday night just shy of a complete bike. Bosses have been rummaged and brakes are now on. I just need to run the cable and housing, which will require a titch of ingenuity as the bike has v-brake bosses but does not really have v-brake cabeling mounts... so I have to run a full length of cable and find one of those v-brake cable guides that were made for putting v-brakes on old mountain bikes that originally had canti brakes. Yeah, I know, I should have just gone with the disc brakes. And I may still do so, but we'll run it this way this winter and decide whether to upgrade (have a set of mechanical disc brakes in the shop on stnadby) before Tucson.
I also decided after I say upon the mostly complete bike that I really do prefer the Mary BAr, so I will eventuially have to swap out bars. But I'll post pics for all waiting as soon as I have the brakes cables ran. Check back Friday. Saturday I'll put her on dirt at the La Madera trail opening celebration.

State Championships

2008-09-15T08:59:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was the New Mexico State XC and Super-D Championships. I raced in both events. The Super-D was quite fun, but definately not a downhill event. It started with loose rocky hairpin switchbacks and then turned into a moderate climb for the last 1.75+ of the 2.3 mile course. I took second in that event.
Sunday was the XC event. I rode hard and felt good for the first 13-14 miles of the 19.5 mile course. I kept the third place rider in my category in sight through the first 7-8 miles and watching her knew I could get a pass in dropping the last decent to the half-way mark. Indeed I did pass her there and kept in front of her for a few miles. She passed me about a mile and a half into the final half - an 8 mile climb up loose rocky, rutted 2 track that has turned more into a drainage ditch than anything. I stayed on her rear wheel until I took a small spill. This caused a mechanical and put me about 5 minutes behind her. I tried too hard to catch her, and glimpsed her in the trees about 15 minutes later, however, the last 2-3 miles of climbing ate me up and I dropped back even further, dashing my hopes of placing in the championships. I did everything I could to have enough calories in me, and to build my stores in the days before the race - but to no avail. Until I able to bring my metabolism rate down to a "normal" level this is going to be an issue for me. Or until I do not make mistakes, like the spill I took.
However,if my calculations are correct, this event will put me in the top 5 of the points series. I will be racing 2 of the last three events in the series over the next 3 weeks. My hopes are to end up in the top 3 of my Sport category after only 5 races in the 13 event series.

Ragin' in the Sage

2008-08-18T10:06:00.002-06:00

This weekend was the 6th Annual 24 Hours in the Sage in Gunnison, Colorado. It was my second year racing it and the race marked the one year anniversary to my venture into soloing these events. As noted last week I have been not quite up to par in health and conditioning so I went to have some fun at a race for once instead of to punish myself. My best friend and teammate, Lisa, and I made a decision to ride every lap together and decided to do just 6 laps, which was one shy of what I did last year. The six laps felt great, my shakes only appeared a few times, and I had plenty of gas left in the tank for another lap or two had we chosen to do so.
This was the best time I have had at a race in a very long time. We rode a steady pace, we enjoyed the awesome sunset, the full moon, and the spectacular sunrise over Hartman Rocks and the surrounding mountains. I was surprised to learn I had more laps in me than I did last year, since I have been unable to train the last month or better, and I chalk that up to overall heightened condition from the last year of steady training.
My Partner was amazing crew for Lisa and I and helped watch Lisa's soon to be 2 year old, who is starting to learn how to help, or rather help herself, in camp. It was great to hear her say "momma, go ride your bike" and send Lisa and I out for more! And Lisa, well she's my bestest bud and one of my inspirations, so it was awesome to ride 80 miles with her. I think for both of us it was a chance to get back to why we ride, to leave the pressure of doing well at a race and the fear of not meeting goals behind. I climbed virtually everything on the course every lap for the first time and Lisa rode down decents she rarely felt comfortale on and flew down other decents that she normally kept a mere steady pace down. Lisa, thanks for the inspiration and the awesome time at the Sage! Pics to come soon.

Off to slack at the 24 Hours in the Sage

2008-08-11T20:58:00.003-06:00

This coming weekend is the 24 Hours in the Sage. This is the first anniversary of my venture into soloing these events. Unfortunately I will not be going to compete, but just to put a few laps in to quell this nagging disappointment in me over not being able to race the schedule I had planned. I have had a hard time this summer with my overall health and conditioning. One problem was diagnosed and I have managed to adapt my diet to accomodate, but I have been unable to ride even the simplest of rides withut feeling like I am brand new to physical activity. I get the shakes shortly after starting any ride, even a slacker ride with friends. I have been losing weight all summer despite my efforts to maintain my weight or to put on a few pounds before the race (as these events always cause a loss of weight for me).
I know most people say, wish I was that lucky when I complain about losing weight, but I'm losing muscle and fatigue very easily. I have fought tiredness and lethargy all sumer. So tomorrow I'll go forthe first of a few tests to see what the deal is. I'm hoping I'm having some blood sugar problems that can easily be diagnosed and remedied with diet. I'm hoping my thyroid has not decided its fulfillled its potential. Regardless I just want to get back to being able to ride without feeling like I've spent the last ** years sitting on a couch doing nothing.

waiting, I'm just waiting

2008-08-02T11:00:00.003-06:00

For parts to come in. Finally made all my decisions regarding components for the new Siren frame. Everything is ordered with the exception of the wheels, stem and seatpost. These three things are in process of being ordered, I hope, and then its build-up time. It's looking like the complete bike will be under 18 pounds. Thanks to everyone who spent so much time working with me on this project so far. I was hoping to have this bike ready for the 24 Hours in the Sage, but I think that's a long shot now because I have not heard if the wheels, stem, and seatpost have been ordered yet. But I'm planning to race it at the High Desert Screamer in Gallup New Mexico in September!!

What's less than 3 pounds and sexy?

2008-07-27T09:23:00.005-06:00

My new SS Siren Frame"> frame from Siren bikes. She's 2.93 pounds with a clear anodized finish. Brenden kindly put pink decals on it to keep the theme on my single speeds - my other SS is a Bianchi P.U.S.S. This is going to be the race bike, so I have spent the better part of last week pouring over parts prices and weights. I'm going for a 16-18 lb built-up bike, but we'll see what I can actually manage - light parts are expensive! So far I think I have decided on White Industries ENO crank and chainring, phil wood BB, King Kog, On One Mary Bar,Syntace P6 carbon seatpost. Still deciding on fork and wheels. Light suspension forks (3 lbs) are few, so my options are few. Wheels, depends on whether I go disc or rim brakes - I have yet to decide, the latter saving over 1.5 pounds.... so many options.

The end of blue dot watching

2008-07-13T15:25:00.002-06:00

This morning, July 13, 2008 at approximately 3:37 a.m. Mary Collier of Siren Bikes completed the Tour Divide race. Mary completed the race in just under 30 days. She spent the last month riding from Banff Canada to Antelope Wells, New MExico. This womena is an inspiration. Only two woment have every completed, attempted, this even. Mary has demonstrated to all women that we can accomplish the same endurance goals as these crazy guys who show up again and again to do this race. Mary thanks for being the inspiration. When I think of the obstables, physicl and mental you must have gone through, the terrain you covered, the mountains you scaled on a bike loaded with gear, the lonely hours in the middle of nowhere - well, let's just say next time I'm feeling like crap or feeling whiney at a 24 hour race, I'll think of you and this amazing accomplishment and I'll buck up and keep pedaling!
MAry has a final gabcast on her blog, Siren Mary and it was awesome to hear the joy, emotion, and culture shock all in a short time! Way to go Mary!

Drunk Log riding and a game of Foot Down

2008-07-08T21:39:00.002-06:00

So came home today from work and my left ankle is huge. My leg has been tender and sore since I wiped out riding down a downed tree obstacle Saturday night out in Gallup. Its progressivley more tender - so I am going to wait another day for my HIT workouts. Since I have been remiss to post, I have been mostly getting miles on the road bike (UGH!!!) since most of the mountain trails are closed because of fire danger and I have been doing high intensity workouts. I definately am getting something out of the HIT's but I think I really need a lot more long rides, so for the next several weekd I'm going back to my last year's weekend workouts of really long rides two days a week. If I don't I'm afraid I will not improve over last year's showing at the Sage. That was my first solo 24 hour race and I have another one under my belt now, so I hope to be able to get at least 9 or 10 laps this year.
Othewr than that I'm working alot because if all goes well Thursday I'll have a beautiful Siren Frame to start building into a light, fast race ride!
Ok, now to catch up on work since I spent most of the day checking Siren Mary's blue dot. See she made it to Cuba, NM and is being held back a little by storms. Hopefully by morning she can head out into reservation and get through Grants! Go Mary!!

What an Inspiration

2008-07-08T12:06:00.001-06:00

I've been working with Brenden of Siren bikes the last few weeks on a new singlespeed frame. What an opportunity! The other half of Siren Bikes and the other half of Brenden, Mary Collier, is currently on the home stretch of the Tour Divide race. I have been addicted to watching Mary's blue dot (her GPS tracking Unit) move along the route and now that she is in New Mexico its even more exciting. I think Mary is only like the second female to every attempt this event, she's the only female to have started this year from Banff, Canada. Wow!! Mary's blog has a link to her Spot so you can see where she is. Mary is heading into Cuba, NM today. She's out riding in some of the most beautiful parts of NM right now and I am so envious. I don't want to be at work, I want to be out riding.

If you go too hard, you might make mistakes

2008-04-21T18:35:00.002-06:00

This weekend I headed down to Socorro, NM for the Tour of Socorro Omnium (that means 2 races). Saturday was the XC race, and I of course was up against at least 2 women who sdhould have been racing expert. Such is the life in the Women's fields, most do not race enough to be forced into the right class by USAC, NMORS, or other riders. Regardless, we all know I am doing these races for experience and not to place. Its bad enough that the chances are high I will race too many of these and end up with the problem of possibly winning the darn series just because I have more points by being consistently 4th or 5th points-wise.
Anyway, there were 10 sport women, 5 of us age 35+ (relevant for the NMORS point series). Interestingly the second place woman is racing expert in the next event...hmmm... anyway... I was about 7-8 minutes of the 7th and 8th place riders (I was in 9th) and was finally warmed up and riding well come the second lap. I climbed better, I held better lines and was moving faster on the flats, downhills. I was pleased that I was going to finish the second lap in the same time or better than the first lap - when .6 of a mile from the finish, at the bottom of the very last downhill, I got too far forward and washed the front wheel out. I hit the ground like a ton of bricks and was so mad at myself I just hollered. Of course, not remembering there were others on the course, I think I gave they racer behind me a little scare with my outburst. he kindly pulled my bike off of me, as I had landed in the worst position possible. he wanted me to take a moment and regroup before I got up, but to no avail, I was up and walking it off as soon as he gave me a hand up. It was quite difficult to ride, the pain and cramping in my left thigh/hip area was nauseating, but ride I did, just really slowly now. I have some hella bruises and enough pain to think I actually was hit by a truck, but so as the life of one who makes such mistakes.
This 18 miles was far better than El Paso, and taking the crash out I was only 15 minutes behond the 2 riders in front of me. Now to figure out how to be 30 minutes faster so I can compete with these expert women in the sport class!!

Dawn til Dusk

2008-04-13T19:14:00.003-06:00

It was only 18 or 20 degrees when racers lined up on Mentmore Road in Gallup, New Mexico Saturday morning, but everyone was upbeat and full of good humor. This year the race started by running the racers out dirt road to the end of the loop and then onto the course in hopes of avoiding the cluster that mass starts often cause. I ran the singlespeed and of course knowing I am not as strong as I should be, I went +2, so I lost a great deal of ground on the road, but when I hit the trail I was happy with my choice. I caught up to Ayden, son of my teammate Chris. Ayden is 13 and this was his first endurance mountain bike race. We cruised a nice steady, but not too slow pace for our first lap. I made a fairly quick pit and headed back out for my second lap. I caught up to Ayden about 1.5 miles in, the first 2 miles are 80% climbing, it is where you do a huge part of the 17oo feet of climbing per lap. He was feeling sick, so not being in the mindset that I could compete with the big gals, I walked with him a bit, advised him the best return route to camp, and when the 5th place SSF passed me, I took off to not be too far behind her.
My second lap felt good. I was not strong enough to ride most of the climbing in the first 1.5 miles, but after that I was able to move along at a decent clip. I kept a pace that would have gotten me 6 laps had I not taken such long breaks between laps. I mostly took long breaks to try to save my feet. After Gunnison last year My feet were in pain and half numb for weeks. I can barely last 15 miles without the pain making it so I can't pedal, so each lap I am taking shoes off, rubbing them, etc. to allow me to continue. On my third lap I passed the 4th place rider, but within 2 miles, the 6th place rider, who had a mechanical on the road the first lap, passed me and within a few miles more, the gal who had been fourth passed me, so I was in 6th. In the end I was 5th, although the 5 times I checked the results postings from 6 to 7pm I was 4th. The actual 4th place rider beat me by 35 minutes or so. Had I gotten a 6th lap, I still think I would only have gotten 4th, because the 3rd place rider got her 6th lap 45 minuters before I got my 5th lap.
All said, I was happy with my performance and my effort despite my not training at all for the last 2 months. I literally have ridden 5-6 times since 24 HITOP. I imagine had I still been training I could have contended for 3rd place, but it would have taken 8 laps, 8 friggin fast laps to have competed with those first and second place gals.
Now, back to Ayden. Ayden and I went out on our last lap together (he was out for his 4th, me my 5th). I struggled for the first 4 miles on that last lap because my feet hurt so bad it was making me nauseous. At about 5 miles in I told Ayden to just go ahead and he said - "no, I said I would stay with you and I will." We rode that lap together, and I came in slightly ahead of him. When he came in, he was right in front of none other than Travis Brown.
My best pal (who we convinced to not bail at 3 pm the day before) Lisa rocked out 6 laps in Solo Female class. That class was also the very tough. Last year she would have placed, but like me, she wuld have needed 2 more laps to be in contention. If only these races would start breaking out the women into age categories like they do the men. There were 7 SSF, and more than that in the Sf class. I think that's good enough showing to let us have age categories too!! Lisa and I had a great time together. I think this was her first race ever without her huuby there to crew for her. My girlfried was her stand in crew. My team was rockin' and it was awesome to be out there with such an awesome group of people. Jeff won the Solo SS male 40+ and Lenny got third in the same class.

Getting My Butt Kicked

2008-03-31T08:24:00.002-06:00

As promised I hauled myself down to El Paso for the first race in the NMORS series this weekend. And I got my butt handed to me. These "short course" races are tough. To describe the course: everythhing I hate about the Cedro trails and more! I am obviously way to used to these courses set up for endurance. I think I am as sore, and more beat up than I was after 24 HITOP!
One redeeming thing about just being able to finish the race is that NMORS is a series, so points are awarded for places from 1st through 15th. In the women's side of things, very few women show up to these, so although I did not place at the race, I received decent points in my age category towards the points race. NMORS has added women's age catgories this year, which is why I decided to try at least a few of these...to support this change.
A shout out to my BWR teammates Lenny, Doug, and Chris and his son Ayden for their finishes and their support and wisdom! I really appreciate it all guys!!
And a very special shout out to my girl, who is recovering from major surgery...even with limited ability...the best crew and suport ever.

A change of pace

2008-03-26T15:46:00.002-06:00

Well I think I may have finally convinced myself to do two things this summer. First, go to a pro-run skills camp - because other people are paying for it for me. I really want to learn how to do wheelie drops, manuals, and big drops and we all know I love downhill-ish rides more than anything. Hence why these darn hill climbing endurance races eat me up! Second, I'm going to do a little traditional cross-country racing. The NMORS series has added women's categories and I want to support that effort.
I guess that means I better get a little more serious about training again.....

The Team Goes Euro

2008-03-14T12:42:00.002-06:00

Well everyone, Big Wheel racing has gone Euro. Its very exciting to me as a member to know that the Team continues to grow, let alone to grow overseas! I'm especially excited about our Germany connection. I have family in Germany presently, and for years have been saying I need to get my behind over there, not just because I could et a free place ot stay, but also because I'm 3/4 German.
I think the stars may be aligning for me to fulfill a drem of taking a Euro vacation and riding abroad!
Welcome to all of my new teammates and thanks Michael (aka Wunnspeed) for all your hard work overthere putting things together. I'm sure your past experiences will get the Euro half of the team going in a fantastic direction!

Thanks to Sponsors

2008-02-20T19:10:00.003-07:00

I want to make a special post to say thank you to all of the Team BWR sponsors. Most of them are listed and linked to at the BWR website . I want to give special thanks to Christina P Argyres, Attorney at Law for sponsoring me and encouraging me. I wish her the best of luck in her quest to be nominated onto the 2008 ballot for Metropolitan Court Judge.
And to C:Change in Chicago Illinois for sponsoring me (and employing my lil sister). C:Change has lent an awesome hand with logos for some of our other sponsors. They also allowed my sister a day off work to fly to Tucson to support me and to race on a four person women's team. That team rode for fun, but finished well and had a great time. My sister has come to Tucson every year I have raced except one. She a marathon runner, but the last two years we have thrown her ona bike and sent her out. She isn;t fast, but let me tell you, for a gal from the midwest that doesn't ride offroad much, she's a trooper. Thanks again C:Change for giving her a chance to become a part of your team and for sponsoring mine!
These tweo sponsors' logos are placed on the Team BWR race kits. At Tucson those logos made 82 laps around the course for 1, 312 miles and 98.4K feet of elevation gain.

Second Place in Tucson

2008-02-19T12:57:00.003-07:00

Well the 2008 race season is officially here. Mother nature did her best to discourage me from starting my season off last weekend at the 24 hour in the Old Pueblo in Arizona, but she failed. Two extremely painful knees and many other sore muscles later I waddled away (I'm still not walking right) with second place in the women's solo single speed category. Let me tell you folks, it was a roller coaster of a ride.
No I did not meet my personal goals, BUT I did not give up either! saturday started out more than soggy from the record breaking precipitation that fell from about 2:00 am Friday to about 4:00 am Saturday in the form of rain, sleet, and yes even snow! Unlike my teammates, my camping arrangements did not stand up to the weather. At 6:00 am Friday I had standing water in our tent, our bags, clothes, and coats were soaking. Everything in our ez-up shelter was soaked, including bikes, food, and race clothes. After tempers flared from stress, cold, wet, and lack of sleep, we packed it in and headed into Tucson in search of a dryer, a new tent, and dry place to sleep.
A huge shout out to my girlfriend for getting everything dry and buying a new tent, to my sister for dealing with me and the horrible conditions, and to their race team member Rita and her other half and their local friends for the use of a dryer and a place to nap and get ourselves together. Without all of you I would have headed home!
Race morning was cold and wet, as this race has been more times than not for me. About the time Todd (race promoter) fired the shotgun for the exceedingly long run to the bikes we were already peeling layers! The sun indeed started to show and a good portion of the course dried out - but the placed that did not, never did and were quite the resistance monsters! However when night fell and the temps plumeted, the moisture rose back out of the ground and started to turn to ice. It was not until about 9 or 10 sunday that the course started to get really dry again.
Now as for my race performance..... it was not what I had hoped. On the down side my lap times sucked and I did not reach my goal of 8 to 10 lpas. On the up side I managed my food well thanks to Hammer. A bottle of perpetuem, hammer gel shots every lap, and endurolytes caps in between laps kept me going and kept the stomach problems I usually have away. I felt good - EXCEPT! - for my knees which started to hurt on lap 3 and by lap 5 I was crying and walking because I literally could not push through a pedal stroke without almost passing out. Crikey!! Motrin 800's did not relieve it, long rests, and changed gear ratios also did not help. I had to pack it in about 2:30 am. I was seriously bummed. I was ranting that I was never doing these races solo again, and that I was tired of something always going wrong... yadda, yadda, yadda. But on that long, slow 5th lap, Jeff Hemperly, the Freko from Rico, who is a team BWR member and who was in 1st or 2nd in the male solo SS class, passed me and said, don't give up....
So I didn't. I rested the knees for many hours and at sunrise I got redressed, got everything in order and headed out with my girlfriend (racing on a 4 person team with my lil sister). She ditched me halfway out because the knees were still so bad I was having to walk and could not hold a decent cadence. When I returned to the pits, I was all set to call it a race, but I learned that if I dug deep and got back out there for one last lap, I would be back in second place, which was where I was running at 2:30 when I had to pack it in for the long rest. So out again I went. The last three miles was so painful that the poor guy behind me just kept saying, "that's it, talk through it" the whole way - he was in survival mode too -
Needless to say I am proud of myself for not giving up, for getting back out there and for making the effort. It felt good to stand up there on the podium and know I earned that place.

Getting Noticed part 2

2008-02-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

OK I talk to much. I know this. My report cards as a a kid all said I was a great student, but I talked in class too much. I ended up with my career(s) because of my gift of gab. So apparently I talk about riding and racing too much at work, because the President emailed me today that she asked the Media Relations people to do a story in one of our publications on my performance at the Tucson race. This is all because I know she rides bikes and I filled her in on the upcoming race. Me and my big mounth. But on the bright side - sponsors, we have a readership of several thousand and I'll wear my kit for the photo shoot and mention as many of you as possible.
Ugh, better go get on the trainer, don;t want an article to say I participated but sucked an egg......

Getting Noticed

2008-02-02T21:42:00.001-07:00

Went out for my last long ride today. It was one problem after another. The 10 month old shock on my singlespeed blew yesterday. So today was the geared bike. I damaged a rotor a while ago , have not taken the time to repair it and it gave me problems this am. Then when I got going - flat. After the climb up to the trails - another flat.
The thing that did make me grin today was this: I got stopped by some guy on the trail that wanted to know which race I was going to. He stopped me because he saw my kit - the big ol' BWR logo. Guess this team I joined is starting to get peoples' attention. With one guy going to mas-e-menos and more than half a dozen of us going to Old Pueblo .... and the results posted by team members last year.... I guess people are taking notice of the team. Weird. Kinda puts pressure on me to live up to those standards.
Now off to fix that Singlespeed. I'm racing solo in that category and only have one bike, better go get it running.

Down to the Wire

2008-01-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it is down to the wire. In two and a half weeks is the first raceof the year - 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo or 24HITOP as we call it. http://www.epicrides.com/twofour/24.htm
I'm realizing how very close to race day it is and how very little time I have to complete my training. And by very little time I don't just mean how many days left before the race. I have more to do today that there is time to complete - yes I know, so why am I choosing now to blog. So I am having to focus very hard on making sure I get my training in first and then decide what will get completed and what will get sacrificed.
I was real confident, I'm hoping I remain really confident, that I can meet my goals for 24HITOP. I have been working hard on my feuling and recovery during training. So far I can honestly say that during rides I feel stronger and like I am not fatiguing as fast. Both Dr. Ross' book and Hammer nutrition are to be thanked for this. In fact, I was finally able to make the switch from a plus 3 to plus 2 gear ration on the singlespeed for the local trails with the longer and steeper grade climbs. And I even was able to keep up with my geared riding pal the other day. These are great signs; however, these are just my training rides and my local rides, not 24 hours worth of riding. So needless to say...I got a few nerves about endurance capability.
I'll post on Tuesday the 12th and include a link to the real time scoring site for the race. I'll be racing solo singlespped and am the only Big Wheel Racing female racing in that category (I did not register as my name but rather as my team name.) Big Wheel is representing big at this race with a duo team, two solo females and I can't remember how many solo males. Other than than chyeck back after January 18th to see how I did.

IN the Gym

2007-12-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been in the gym for several weeks now. I'm starting to feel it for sure. I am feeling a bit stronger, and seeing a little bit of difference, however slight. I look forward to seeing how this program pans out for me at the race in Tucson!

In the Gym

2007-12-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

Been in the gym for three weeks now. I"m starting to feel it for sure, and see a little improvement in muscle definition. Just slightly. I'm not any less tired on my rides, but I do feel a bit stronger on the singlespeed. I am looking forward to how this program all comes together come February.

Back at it

2007-12-05T16:28:00.001-07:00

Well kids, I guess I'm oficially back into my training. Gone are the days of going to Tucson for the 24 Hour in Old Pueblo (24HITOP) out of shape with more beer on hand than anything else. This year I'll be soloing. So, I've been at the gym three times a week. I decided to jump on the BWR bandwagon and am using Dr. Ross' program. Have been using my Hammer products as well to ensure strong recovery and muscle growth. I've even dragged my girlfriend into the program. That way I have someone to go to the gym with me.
Riding and training is expensive! My teammate turned me to the local community centers. I've learned there is one right down the street from me in fact. Great array of weight lifting torture devices and freweights all at our disposal 6 days a week and for FREE!!
I'm also sucking my lil sister and her hubby into bike events and training! I think everyone should ride and well if I'm a suffering through the winter why not everyone else around me?

Zuni 86

2007-10-24T13:28:00.000-06:00

Well our pals to the west - the great Gallupians - host another fine event last weekend. Went over with 2 of the gals from Big Wheel Racing to ride the 43 mile loop. Unfortunately due to the wind exasperating my asthma I bailed out after 30 miles. Oh well, that allowed me to soak in the fun back at the start/finish area complete with live music and beer. Definately a great route and I can't wait to do it again.