Crested Butte

Go back one week. Last Friday.

I was super excited that I finally got to go to Crested Butte to do the mountain states cup race there. My family has an annual camping trip at South Mineral Campground (since I was 2) that I never miss, and consequently, this race always happens during the race. I decided to make the sacrifice and miss a few days with the fam to check out Wildflower Rush. Brian and I took the tough bastard (my car, the Sentra) up to Crested Butte, loaded down, but getting superb gas mileage! I was really excited to camp there too and have heard so many great things about the camping. We got suited up and pre-rode the course. My legs felt like rotten meat sticks, but I remember that at Deer VAlley the weekend before my legs had felt awful on the pre-ride and great during the race. Not to worry. As we were leaving the car, I put my car key in my jersey pocket. I usually hide the key near my car just in case, but for some reason, I took it with me. About 2 minutes from the bottom of the lap, I had an unfortunately crash. I did a sommersault in the air and my bike flew over my head. The handlebar slammed down on my knee (good thing I put the plastic ends on them or it would be nasty). I shook it off and rode down a little further. Then I decided to make sure I had everything. I reached in my pocket...ipod, check. pump, check. tool, check. car key....... car key.... (my hand frantically moving around in my pocket)....car key.... no car key. I started to freak out (because I did NOT bring a spare). I went back to the site of the crash and was searching through the grass and bushes. 3 nice people saw me and were trying to help. nothing. I rode back down to find Brian waiting for me at the car. He took one look at me and said, "What's WRONG?" I replied, "I... I... (tears starting to flow).... I crashed and... and... I lost the car key!" He acted like it was no big deal. EVERYTHING was locked in the car. I was trying to call local towing companies from the bike shop phone while Brian used Mike West's phone to call AAA. The nightmare began... AAA said they could get someone out in an hour and a half. Meanwhile we managed to break into my car with some help. I don't have a trunk latch, so I busted through the backseat to access the trunk. At least we had everything we needed to camp and race. However, I told my parents that if they didn't see me by Saturday at 6 PM, that meant something very bad happened to me. They don't have cell service up there and I was flipping out knowing that I may not be able to go anywhere for awhile. We talked to the company AAA gave us, a local locksmith (6 PM). He said that in order to make a key, he'd need the lock cylinder out of the door, and that it would cost 250 for someone to come get it. I was flabberghasted and decided that I was going to take the lock cylinder out. I changed a window once by myself and wasn't afraid to take the door panel off. Unfortunately the lock cylinder clip was difficult to get out. Brian, Andy Schultz, and I were all trying to get it. WE ended up sticking a screwdriver in the lock and prying it out. Bad idea. Andy drove me to the locksmith and it was this old man who kept telling this corny jokes. It's 8 PM by now... I didn't eat any food after my ride or drink any water, feeling weak, stressed, and tired. He is taking his sweet time and then tells us that we sort of damaged the lock and he can't make a key. He said he didn't want to file one either because it would take too long. His next instruction was to have someone make a copy of both sides of the key, trace the ridges, and fax him a copy in the morning. I knew how blunted my key was and how hard of a time it took Ace Hardware to make a copy of it. Disaster. I called Liz and she was going to a movie and said she'd call me back.



The bottom one is my key.... a comparison to show you how bad my key was...

In the meantime, I set up the tent in the dirt parking lot (not happy b/c there is GREAT camping all around). Brian and I tried to go to bed, but there were these stupid kids having a fire right outside our tent. I heard from Liz at 10 something. she found my spare and made a copy of it. She decided there was NO way that the locksmith could make a copy from the key. Liz said, "I'll just come down there tomorrow." I was in disbelief and kept poking Brian trying to tell him about my shock (he grunted and went back to sleep! haha) Liz said, "So don't worry about the key, just race well tomorrow." ...which is the opposite of what happened. I lined up at the start the next morning after getting only 5 hours of sleep, and not eating or drinking the day before. My legs were not feeling good on my warm-up either. I should have been excited to get called up in third, but I wasn't... I didn't want to be there. Not only did I not want to be there, but we were supposed to ride THIRTY miles which is about an hour longer than usual. We tried to talk the officials into a shorter race but no way. Katie Compton said, "Ok, nobody quit!" I rode the first lap at a pace I would do a recovery ride at, but that was as hard as I could go. I started out on the second lap, got up the fire road aways and decided there was NO way I was going to finish THREE laps, so I flipped it and dropped out. This is the first time I have ever quit a race other than being so injured that I couldn't. I did the right thing though.

Liz arrived a couple hours later and I was so happy and relieved. We headed to Silverton to camp with my family.

update soon

I know you are dying to hear about my last weekend. It's a LONG story with some horrible times for me, hence entertaining times for you. I went to Crested Butte to do a race and then to Silverton to camp with the fam. Details to come...

In the meantime, read Liz' blog. It's private so her snot-nosed students can't get in and read about her life, but you can! Here is the log-in/password just for you: email: friendofleapnlzrds@gmail.com
password: guest123. Oh yeah,a nd the site: leapnlzrds.blogspot.com (sorry, I am too lazy to make a link...I did a 4 hour ride today and it's WAY past my bedtime...) ENJOY! her entry is spectacular complete with many photos AND videos! Some will be repeated on my blog.

Boulder Short Track #2

I've been feeling pretty tired since Deer Valley and was debating all day whether I should do the short track today....quick review, I almost got crashed out at the start followed by a crash in front of me a few minutes later. Then I had some severe intestine-area pain that lasted an hour after (and during) the race where I was seriously contemplating the ER when it suddenly went away... I think it was from taking the massive amount of ibuprofen (800 mg 3 times a day) for my stupid knee that has been hurting over a week. The course was super fun, but my rotten meat stick legs wouldn't let me make up for my poor start and I ended up in 5th.... I think I definitely coulda been top 3 if I had better luck. Damn the bad luck!! That's ok.... I'll trade a bad start at a boulder ST for the good start I had on Sunday! A big thank you to all who were cheering me on while I was in the hurt locker! :) Also, a big thank you to my friend Liz, for supporting me and taking photos! :)

Here is a mix of pics from this week and last week's short track:

The start this week

Last week's start



Yay! Downhill!



short, steep hills. Ouch

Mountain view. As Borat would say, "NICE!"

Brian killing it in the short track

Deer Valley Norba National Short Track

AFter waiting around all day for the start, Judy and I were excited when we could start playing with our bikes and go warm up. My legs were rotten meat sticks on the warm-up. After a few hard efforts, they only felt worse! I rode a few laps on the course and was dreading my fate of finishing in the back. I was cursing myself for passing on the ice bath the night before. I even was contemplating not even starting the race.

I lined up pretty much in the back and wasn't nervous. I just wanted it over! I managed to not get stuck behind a crash and was in a pretty good spot. I wasn't sure exactly how far in front I was, I figured in the 20s somewhere. I got passed by a few people after awhile but was having fun and was surprised I was keeping my position. I was digging deep on the climb so much that I could taste the blood/iron taste from my lungs. Yummy!! Then something bad happened. A girl bobbled in front of me and I had to get off the bike and start running. A few more girls came by. By the time I was back on my bike, the group I was in front of was gone!! Then I got pulled. We watched the men's race which was pretty exciting too. My heart broke a little when I saw Ross Schnell in his sweet Trek suit go down in a corner when it was looking like the podium was calling his name. His luck is worse than mine this year, but he's totally got it. We all know. :)

Judy and I began the long drive back to Boulder and got in close to 2 am. I was glad to get home and sleep in my own bed that night. I checked results today and was flabberghasted at my result. 21st. By far my best result at a national. Furthermore, I looked into the results further. I looked at the names of the people that passed me. Turns out I was riding in 13th-17th for most of the laps. I am super excited!! This is by far the best I have done so far at a national. Maybe it's the gluten and dairy free diet I have been on for 2.5 weeks!! OH yeah, I didn't tell you about my food allergy diet. I was off tomato, wine, chocolate, soy products, dariy, wheat/gluten, bell pepper, and mint for 2.5 weeks. It was really hard and I'm starting to reintroduce stuff into my diet to see what is the allergen (I have had bad heartburn for 2 years). I found that gluten/dairy free makes me recover faster and rider harder. yaaaay

boulder short track on Wednesday. Can't wait.

Deer Valley Norba National XC

Friday

After waking up the painful sound of the alarm at 6 AM, I headed over to Bryan Alder’s house so we could pack up and head to Utah. We fit three people (me, Bryan, and Brian), our stuff, and all our bikes inside his four runner. The shortest way to get to Park City was through Wyoming. Remind me never to go back to southern Wyoming. It was a straight road all the way through with flat land as far as the eye could see. People in Wyoming wear cowboy hats too. The only cool thing we saw in Wyoming was that there were tons of wind generators. They would be grouped together in large numbers (like 80 or so). I wanted to get out a take some photos, but we had to keep on truckin’. It’s amazing how large those structures are and the speed at which the blades can turn.

We were very excited to finally get to Park City after almost 8 hours in the car. Brian still had to inflate his tires at the gas station that was totally packed. I have never seen a gas station so crowded. After registering at the venue, Bryan and I went to go ride the course while Brian still had to go mail his taxes that had to be in by 5. I know, all the Bry(i)an’s…so confusing. I did this race last year and I loved the course despite my horrible performance. Bryan and I were getting suited up when I looked in my bag. No bike shorts (Chami). I had packed two days in advance this time to make sure I brought everything. I even brought extra stems in case I was uncomfortable with my position on the bike. I did remember my skinsuit, so I wore that on the pre-ride. Fortunately my teammates came to this national and one of them had an extra pair of shorts I could borrow. While pre-riding, I was terrified at the aspect of having another bad national this year. My legs felt like rotten meat sticks and I wondered to myself how I would manage to pull out THREE laps at race pace. I could barely even make it up the first climb on the pre-ride!! I finally got to our condo at about 630 PM and the rest of the evening, I dreaded the race in the morning.

Saturday

Another early start to the day since our race was at 11 and you have to eat 3 hours before. Judy and I were cooking up our oatmeal and trying to get psyched about the race. I kept wondering to myself how bad I would have to feel if I were to quit, and if that is a good idea. It seems like when the faster people have a really bad day, they just drop out. I can see why in some cases, but I think maybe part of it is to save face. It’s really embarrassing to finish way behind what everyone expects of you and of what you are capable. I headed out an hour before to warm-up. My front wheel was barely turning. Figures. I had to track down the right tool to push my pads back in (the brake lever had accidentally been pulled). I usually bring all my tools, but I somehow forgot the right one for this job. Maybe it was with my chami. It was kind of stressful because I really need a full hour to warm-up and this had already eaten up some time. During my warm-up, I noticed that I actually was feeling a LOT better than the day before and dare I say, really really good? I was surprised and was interested to see how this would fare in the XC.

This time I chose the correct side to line up on at the start. There is always a crash and fortunately this time, it was to my left. I started passing a lot of girls on the climb. I felt myself getting close to blowing up, so I backed it off a little and turned it back on at the top of the climb. I was surprised to see whom I was actually in front of. I was still descending like a grandma (I don’t know what my problem is this year), but managed to hold my position. Then something wonderful happened. About 2/3 through the first lap, a man was counting our positions. He told me 25th when I came through. I was excited and managed to pass a couple more on the climb (although they passed me back on the downhill). I kept my 25th spot for half the race until trouble… brrahhhp. That was the sound of my flat tire complaining as I rounded a corner. “NOT AGAIN!!” I thought to myself. I already flatted twice at Angel Fire after having a great cross country. I quickly tried to inflate it with my CO2. It seemed to hold. I got back on the bike and suddenly my quads began to cramp and my back started spasming. I just got my bike a week ago and didn’t have the time or the cash to get a bike fit before this race. I thought it would be okay, but being in a totally different position really messed me up. My hardtail has a broken derailleur hanger so I couldn’t bring that bike. When your back and quads won’t work, it is REALLY hard to ride uphill. I started loosing quite a few spots since I was just mashing the pedals at a very slow rate. My tire felt weird so I decided to stop and check it again. A lot of air had gone out so I had to add MORE to it. I was hoping that maybe since I had stopped and gotten off the bike again, maybe the cramping would subside. It didn’t. I came through for my third lap somewhere in the 30s. Then the start hill again. I slowed down even more on purpose there, contemplating if I should finish the race. My back and quads were in really bad shape, and my knee was hurting too from the new position (I got tendonitis after last weekend and many ibuprofens later). I decided that I’m not a quitter and that I should just ride the course and try to have fun. I rode the third lap even slower, but managed to cross the line in one piece. I was pretty disappointed with my endless bad luck at these races, but happy when I thought about how I was in the top 25 for half the race, which is really a break-through for me. I know I will finish there if I have a race where I don’t have cramping or flat tires. I think I cramped because I didn’t get enough water. I was drinking one bottle per lap, but I guess that wasn’t enough. At least Brian did well! He got 18th!!!! Today is the short track and then we have a LONG drive back tonight. I have been racing short track really well this year, but I will have to start in the back. Hopefully I have a little good luck and can make up some spots.

Boulder short track 1

Wednesday night(last week)!! First Boulder short-track of the year and my first boulder short-track ever. Aside from the long registration line, it looked to be like a fun course and a great time. The field actually had some really fast people. It isn’t a boulder short track if you don’t have some of the fastest girls in the country lining up next to you! Kerry Barnholt and Jen Gersbach were off the front pretty quickly. I was in third position behind them, but I just couldn’t hang on. My legs were feeling okay, but were tired from my 2.5 hour ride in the rain on Tuesday. I managed to hang on to third for most of the race until I got tired. I faded back to fifth and kept that spot till the finish. Liz came out to watch the short track and was my personal cheerleader AND photographer. I can’t wait till next week’s short track!

Photos to come tomorrow, check back :)

Ridin in the rain

Yep, it rained almost all day today, but I really wanted to take my hot new Scott Contessa Spark for a ride!! It faired well on the mountain bike trails with all the wet rocks and roots. It was really beautiful in the mountains today while it was raining. So much that I didn't even mind riding in the rain. The most annoying part is that after being in the rain for 2.5 hours, my fingers were pruny for a long time after that. Ick! I've been trying to get everything ready for Deer Valley too. It's been sorta stressful because my rear race wheel is misbehaving and Stan's is leaking out around the valve. That's what happened when I flatted at Angel Fire too, so I put some new rim tape and am letting it seal. I hope it works when I try to air it up tomorrow. I'm trying to get my position set before I go too. I am getting a fit when I get back, I just can't swing it before leaving. I should be able to get it pretty close. My knee is hurting pretty bad right now from riding in a weird position all weekend, but hopefully it will go away. Tomorrow night is the first Boulder short track too!! I'm excited to go. They always have fun music and Dave Towle announcing. He is very very entertaining!!

That's all for now.

Slack!

Sorry, I know I promised an Angel Fire update, but that just never happened. It seems ages ago now. ;) I have been working and trying to train a little bit during the weeks and very much enjoying not going to class or having any homework.

I raced 24 hours of Erock last weekend with my team (they did most of the work, I Just came and rode some daytime laps). It was still fun. I also got to try out a 29-er. It was a good time to hang out with the girls. I got my NEW Scott Contessa Spark on Friday and got to ride it all weekend! It's a sweet bike, but it feels weird after my hardtail. It rides really nice and I will get used to all that yummy travel very soon. It is really nice looking and Shep made sure to get the pink housing looking rad. (pics to come later).

This past weekend was my first weekend not racing in 7 weeks. It was marvelous!! My roommate, Brian, and I went camping at Kelly Dahl, a campground about 4 miles outside Ned. We went on some awesome rides both days. Walt, Sarah, and Miguel came up on Sunday to ride too.

I will have the full report on camping soon. All I can say is that it was so great to finally be camping again and I got to use my new tent. Liz has made a detailed post about camping, so I'm trying to figure out how you all can access those particular posts since her blog is private. We don't want any of her music students reading her blog now, do we?

Deer Valley is this weekend. I'm a little nervous taking my new bike. I think I'd take the hardtail, but the derailleur hanger is toasted and it'll be awhile before I get a new one. :( wah