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GUEST BLOGGER - Joy!

Due to the fact that Christie has a VIJ (Very Important Job) that shockingly lasts YEAR ROUND, i (Joy) have been asked to be a guest blogger of the very exciting things that have in fact taken place in her life. Here is the run down:

Being too busy to blog!
As stated, Christie works a lot. She also likes to entertain, clean her house, and throw tennis balls for pet Murphy. She also enjoys heat-laden training rides and adventures.

Deer valley (racing plus the traveling adventures)
Unlike last years trip to Park City UT, this one was smooth and quick. We ran into very few hitches in our master plan, and if we did, they were fixed pretty quickly. Food was great and company was calm leading up to Christie's big day in the Cross Country Event. The altitude was high compared to the low lands of So Cal and the competition was stiff. They shot the pro women up an extra climb at the start in an attempt to spread the field before the windy switch back single tracks. Christie had a very strong showing in the field, coming in 36th. Thankfully, she had no mechanicals and body mechanicals, which is always a good thing!

** COMMENT from Christie: The best part of this finish was that I made a smart move after the final switchback to pass another rider, then bust into the final singletrack section, and blast out onto the pavement for a STANDING SPRINT to the finish! And alas, as the third attempted sprint finish of the season, I finally won this one!

The plan quickly switched from recovery to preparation for the Short Track event the next day. She had until 3 pm to line up, which can actually be a bad thing! Way too long to ponder over the looming task of throwing down for 20 minutes with the best in the country! This event will be looked at an a learning experience! Although Christie did not place as well as she had hoped, she realized she had made some tactical errors, which can always be fixed for the next time! We are not fortunate like the Mountain racers who have local STXC on a weekly basis, so Christie has not had the practice that some other racers have had. Plus, we only really care about XC, this short stuff is just crazy!

New bike
Although it took just a little while longer than expect, the bike has arrived! Shiny grey with the bling of SRAM XO and a pink Bontrager seat! It will take a bit to get used to, but Christie loves the 29" wheels with their gingerly handling and smooth maneuvering.

** COMMENT from Christie: Pix to come soon I SWEAR. It's a Paragon 29'er frame, with Reba Race 29'er Fork. Bontrager Race X Lite wheels (running tubeless with Stan's), SRAM X0, Juicy Ultimates, Bontrager Race X Lite cranks, Bontrager XXX Lite handlebar and stem, XX Lite seat post, Bongrater Race X Lite Pro saddle (yes with pink!), etc etc.... Had my pro fit from Mike McKovich @ Don's on Friday and things are fitting nicely.

Fun rides in the wash with joy
Our training schedules sometimes collide, and they are fun ones! Sometimes it will say MTB technical or MTB one hour aerobic. That is hard to come by, so we like to hit up the WASH. Located at the base of Morton Peak in the fantastic zip code of Mentone Beach, the wash boasts tightly woven single track with drops, rocks, roots, and sand. Although peril looms, we are always able to chat it which made me at least run into the wrong things like branches and the rocks i am NOT supposed to hit. These are some of Christie's favorite rides because they lack the stress of watching the power meter or heart rate. Plus they are close to home, which is always a plus. It is also a good place to practice riding through sand traps that are always present in the So Cal events.

And that is all i have for now! But Christie is famous for making delicious Orzo for BBQ's and gatherings at the Pleiss house! Maybe one day you can get hooked up with some of it!