A Bee-autiful Day at Castaic Lake

Well a little creature looking alot like this one cost me my race and alot of pain (and there were no pretty flowers involved!)

Sunday's Cal State race should have been pretty straightforward. No field of 50-70 women, and lots of room on the trails (even if we come across some of the expert men). It started out nice, just a small field of 4 including Mandy (who would end up having a great day!). The temps were very hot which did not help anything, but I think we were all suffering equally. We were pretty evenely staggered apart and it was clear that the winner of the race would be determined on the final lap. No one was making any stealth moves or attemps to break away (prob partially from the heat and all of the climbing!). I was definately feeling the hurt though, that is for sure!

My fate arrived just before the twig/brush covered climbing section when all of a sudden I felt a sharp sting on my neck. I knew i had been stung and it honestly felt like multiple occurances. I started to panic, but knew that would be a bad path to take (I am allergic, but thankfully have not gone into shock or swelled up instantly). I slowed down a bit to see if I was going to have a serious reaction right away. Lots of thoughts went through my mind like "I could die out here", "am I breathing ok?". I knew that I had to climb my way up to the top and then down back to the start/finish. So far other than pain from the sting and some slight nausea (but that could be from the heat?), I was able to make it back out without any severe issue. I was definately stressed and very tired at this point. I just wanted to make it down to the bottom and had already decided that my race was over. Continuing on for a third and final lap could make my reaction to the sting much worse, esp with high heat and exersion levels.

I got to the bottom safely and saw James and Rod by the feed. They ran over and James removed the stinger. Rod and James escorted me over to first aid where I was taken great care of by Janet from Team Big Bear. She checked my vitals, put an ice pack on the sting, had me put my feet up, etc etc. My heart rate was still over 130 just sitting there after having been off the bike for a good 20 minutes. Again I realized I made the right choice. What if I had keep riding and went into shock up on the hill? NOT WORTH IT! My HR eventually went down and thankfully the swelling was not bad (thanks to the ice and letting my body just recover from the race).

After 30-40 min at first aid, I was doing alot better, but still had to take it easy (no cool down which I would regret later when my legs burned all night!)

Today, 3 days later, I am still dealing with the effects of the sting. One of my lymph nodes is completely swollen up and I have a stiff neck. Also the sting site is still red and puffed. I went to the dr on Monday to receive 2 cortisone shots because I felt like I was completley drained or even getting sick from it. I am going back in a little while for a follow up. See what this stiff neck business is all about! However, all in all I feel quite a bit better.

I cannot thank enough everyone who helped out on Sunday! That includes Marius who got to do his first feeds! Thanks to Roger, Rod, James especially for coming to my rescue. Thanks to the Backbone girls and guys for a really fun day. I can't tell you how many of them lectured me for not having my Epipen on me!! :) I promise it will never happen again! Had some great chats with everyone there! One of the best parts while I was out racing was getting a high-five from Abel's little brother!

Also congrats to Mandy who had a strong race, finishing a strong 2nd (almost first!). Also congrats to Joy who had the fastest expert time of the day once again!

On a funnier note: Joy drove us to Castaic in the Subaru and we enjoyed an adult student driver changing lanes near us on I-5 in the middle of a bunch of traffic! Splendid!

Next race stop: Santa Barbara for Elkings's Park Cal State XC on June 2nd.

This weekend: Mammoth for some good training rides and some fun!

ALSO Thank you to everyone who has been asking about Greg's knee surgery! He is doing much better now. It has been 2 weeks today. He is moving around well, still not taking the stairs much, but is doing well in general!

Another Fontana Nationals in the books

Ok this post is several weeks too late! In any event, we had Fontana Nationals a few weeks ago. It's certainly nice to be able to sleep in your own bed and drive 20 minutes to the venue each day. However, the difference is that the house chores and other daily distractions are still there. So when I am supposed to be off my feet resting, I am sweeping or doing dishes or laundry! I suppose being out of town at a hotel where all you can do is lay down and watch TV is probably the wiser choice over staying at home. Unless you are good at just being lazy at home, which I am NOT!

We had Zephanie and Kenny stay with us for the week between Firestone and through Fontana, which was great like last year! They brought 5 bikes along with them an a gazillion wheels, so our garage was extra packed! However, it was a fun sight to see. I shoud have snapped a photo! Also Murphy was very pleased to have some friends visiting to give him even more attention and playtime. Also Zeph shared some of her Power Bar SUN TEA which I just LOVED.

Also special shout out to KENDA/Titus/X-Fusion team sponsor Mighty Good Coffee. This is my new favorite coffee! They sent out 3 giant bags of beans for us to brew up. It was wonderful! Thanks to Zeph and Kenny for leaving the leftovers for us to enjoy ;)

The racing was pretty good. Especially on Saturday for the XC (apart from all the sections where people were OFF THEIR BIKES just like last year!). WAY TOO MUCH RUNNING for me. I was able to hang much longer with a new group of girls, some of who finish in the top 25. It was a very strange day for people, as many were falling and just not having the best day. I was seeing girls who finish top 20 not to terribly far ahead even on the 2nd and 3rd lap. In the end, I sprinted to the finish for 38th, but got 39th. No big deal because I was pleased with my time for the day and all of us in the 30s were only seperated by a few minutes. I made it through the day not falling once and was able to work with people all day. Made it a good day overall and I was pleased.

I worked so hard the rest of the day and Sunday morning to recover and prep for short track (Zeph and I watched Talledega Nights before heading to the venue). I was nervous because I had faired well in the short track at Fontana last year, so was expecting to do so again. However, the temps were reallyhot, the course was even tricker than last year. Apparently my legs were not as recovered as I thought because after an excellent call up and start (I went around the first bend in 15th place), my legs felt worse and worse each lap. I lost a ton of spots and was pulled out after only 3 laps. there were a few girls who were pulled out after 2, but I had hoped to be in it at least 4 or 5. Oh well! As Gareth said, short track is a good way for me to build peak power, but that is about all for now! :) I think I was spoiled by stayin in the short track the week before at Firestone for nearly the whole race! it was just a different course and a different week. ALSO the short track was the day before XC!

Greg took some pix, but I still haven't downloaded them from the camera!

Zephanie and Kenny had great results. Zeph was 12th in XC and STXC and Kenny was 8th (?) in Super D and had solid mid-pack results in a tough pro men's XC field.

Joy took home the gold in Expert 19-29 again! Including some GOLD ODI grips that I am not sure we will see her sporting. :)

Thanks again to everyone for the solid support and cheering out there! Leo from our title sponsor Pass Physical Therapy was there on Saturday, plus lots of other people cheering from the sides. I heard someone say "Hey! See you at Rim Nordic!" while I rode by during cross country. I am not sure who it was, but cool to be recognized even in a new kit!". On Sunday for my short lived short track Jess and Danielle came out, and also Matt, Denise and Ryder (my new BFF).

Also thanks to Roger, Vanessa, Ara, Jay, Teri, James, etc etc for their continued cheering and support! Once again I could hear James' voice from all points along the course!

Firestone Nationals Recap

NOTE: this is the longest blog post ever!

Greg and I headed up to Buellton/Los Olivos on Friday afternoon, stopping in downtown Santa Barbara for dinner on the way up. We ate at a great Trattoria with nice outdoor seating. Arrived at the Days Inn – Windmill (yes the one featured in the movie Sideways) around 7:45 PM. Still had time to catch the re-run of Grey’s Anatomy while I set out my gear for the next day. Had a good night’s sleep in preparation for what would be a very hot day for Short Track.

Day 1: Short Track

Saturday AM we headed over to the race venue at a new location on the Firestone Winery property called Charlotte’s Meadow (made me think of Charlotte’s web). When we arrived at 9:15am it was already prob in the upper 80s. It was going to be a painful day for sure. It was so hot I didn’t really feel like doing much but falling asleep in the shade. Greg set up the EZ up so I could warm up for my race. As usual as I was warming up, I was asking myself why I do these things to myself!

Right before 11 am was call up for short track. I had a cool, wet towel around my neck and tried to hide in a small sliver of shade in our starting corral. I decided we need to buy a big golf umbrella ASAP! I had a great call up (somewhere in the 20s). Selected my start position so that I could potentially avoid a bottleneck. We shall see…….. Had the 2 minute warning, and the nerves kick in as usual. Also the heat was getting to me and I did NOT feel like moving at all! GO… well, the person in front of me could not get into her pedal which caused a delay! So much for going all out right away. I had to play catch up and deal with a massive cloud of dust (ate about 1 cup of dust on the first lap). So dry and terrible! Around the short climb I realized that there wasn’t really anyone left behind me, so I knew I had to WORK!!!!!!! It was so painful in the hot sun with NO WIND. I toggled back and forth with a couple girls on the climb, and around the S turn, and then made more solid moves around the final turn into the lap. This went on for a few laps… At this point I realized that Frosty was keeping people in a lot longer than usual! I kept thinking that at any moment I would be pulled out, but still kept working hard and managed to pass a few more people. Then I saw the 3 laps to go and Frosty waved me through. OH MAN! I was in pain and could I last another lap? I held on and noticed we were pulling away from the girls behind us, so that was good!

Teri, Greg and Roger were in a great spot (drinking beer I think) at the bottom of the decent. Every time I went by Teri told me to get those girls (and lots of cheering!).. I was finally pulled out with 2 laps to go, ALMOST made it the whole time! Was certainly not planning on that! I did 5 laps, over 20 minutes and man was I out of it when we finished! I had dirt all over my body and teeth and I was thinking about chugging water ASAP! In the end I was 34th, but it was hard fought given the bad start and how fast and HOT the event was! It was a strong field, no rag tag people for sure! Also thanks to Jon Rourke (manager of Subaru-Fisher pro team for cheering me on through the S turn!)

After Short Track, we did a team pre-ride of sorts. Matt, Trevor, Mandy, myself, Teri and Joy! We had a good time and I tried to take it easy to recover from short track. After the ride we went for our VIP lunch at the Subaru-Gary Fisher Factory Team trailer. It was great food!!!! Ran into Papo and Team Helen’s there too which was great. After fueling up, Greg and I left the venue by 2pm and I went back for a nice ice bath and to recover for day 2.

Sat night had a great dinner with Matt, Trevor and Greg at Los Olivos Café (a special place for me and Greg!). See Matt’s blog for more details on dinner and the funny story afterwards.

Day 2: Cross Country

Got 12 hours of sleep Sat night! Greg and I ate at Ellen’s Pancake House in Buellton on Sun AM. Danish THIN PANCAKES!!!!!!!!! YUM! They worked well for me last year here, esp when you have a late starting race!

Race start was 2:45pm in the hot sun, but thankfully slightly cooler temps with a hefty breeze! Again I had a good call up, and lined up in the 3rd row. I sort of lined up behind the same girl from Sat who had the pedal problem, but I was off to the side! I felt SO TIRED and not motivated. I was worried I would have no power. It was just one of those blah days… BUT……………. Once they said go (and by the way ladies at the start line it was announced to our field that Andrew Firestone is STILL single!) it was pandemonium, but I went for it!!!!!!!!!!! The girl who caused a delay Sat proceeded to sideswipe across the left side and take out 3 girls!!!!!! I kept going and had somehow ended up on the tail end of the lead pack (trying so hard to hang on!)! We went through the short track course again (hmm LESS DUST when you are with the lead pack!). Greg said that coming out of the short track I was in 15th place! Not too shabby and how fun it was! However, my legs were TOASTED from short track, so I could not hold my place for long. I probably stayed in the top 25 for 15 min or so, and then more people started coming by. This included some of the heavy hitters who were involved in the crash or were held up in the bottleneck.

I felt pretty strong overall (and had a little too much energy for the finish which means I didn’t leave it all out there). I know it wasn’t my absolute best day (partially from not fully recovering from the *long* short track). I had too much pressure in my tires and my saddle was squeaking SO BAD (picture Napoleon Dynamite saying that)! It was really driving me nuts and made me wish for a dual suspension bike!

In the end I finished 35th which I was quite pleased with. Also pleased with my time overall too! So all in all a good day and good weekend. The best part was coming into the finish and getting an ice cold wet towel!!!!

Congrats to everyone for a good weekend! Special props go out to: Joy (1st place expert!), Matt and Trevor (both podiumed in pro/semi-pro singlespeed class!) and VEGAS BOB (2007 breakthrough performance!)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks of course to GREG the best supporter EVER. Also Teri, Matt, Trevor, James, Roger, Vanessa, Ara, etc!

Best part of the weekend was finishing XC and Greg telling me that after my great start and being up as high as 15th he said he could care less how I finished. He has been telling me so many times to just be aggressive and finally I did it right!

Top 5 moments at Phoenix and Sea Otter!

Ok I am way behind on blogging! I decided to get caught up quickly I would do a top 5 moments (not in any particular order) for Phoenix Nationals and Sea Otter. Then I will start fresh with a FULL blog on this past weekend's Firestone Nationals.

Top 5 Moments at Phoenix Nationals:
1. Greg getting pulled over by the Fountain Hills Police, but not receiving a ticket because the cop said "I could never ticket a fellow mountain biker!"

2. Not falling on a cactus and finishing 43/60 finishers in a very hot and sometimes sketchy XC race.

3. Finishing 33/48 in Short track without even realizing it! It was too dark and dusty to even know! Plus my arm was pulsating from my time trial crash.

4. Faux Crocs (pink) for Mandy purchased at CVS.

5. Packing Joy, myself, Matt, Trevor, Mandy and 5 bikes in and on Matt's Mazda.

Top 5 Moments at Sea Otter
1. Mary-Ellen taking 3rd in the Pro Super D!!!!!!! On the podium with Marla and Kelli!)

2. Reciting lines in my head from The Big Lebowski during the muddy short track race (where I proceeded to lock up my drivetrain).

3. COLD COLD COLD ice baths (but they really work!)

4. Mandy living on sweet potatoes and avocados (again!)

5. Snapping a pic of Teri and Kabush (who had JUST won the pro men's XC)
In summary: Thanks to everyone for helping me out at those events (Joy, James, Greg, Roger, Teri, Matt etc etc!)

A few (tiny) pix:

Warming up in the RAIN for short track! Was it even worth it? Probably not!

The grueling 5 minute time trial the day before! Was it worth it? Probably NOT!

Quick post...

Well I know I still owe a full report on Phoenix Nationals, and I certainly owe a recap of the 3 days of racing at this year's Sea Otter.

It's coming soon.. I promise. Very busy at work this week, also fending off a cold that seems to have started developing before/during XC on Sunday (hence my DNF in Sea Otter 38 mile XC for the first time in 5 years racing that event!!!!). Thankfully Coach Gareth penciled in some good recovery days and taper into harder efforts later in the week.

I made it into a couple more Cycling News pix once again! Not the featured person in this, but still cool to see. The new kits finally shipped this week, so Firestone Nationals will be graced with the new Pass PT/Gary Fisher team kits.

Greg took some good pix this past weekend again (the rainy conditions at the short track race made for some more good mud photos).

More to come I promise w/ pix!

NMBS #1 Complete!

I have alot to write about, but here is an awesome pix of me during the time trial (post crash) on Cycling News! Papo was the first to discover the pic, thanks for the head's up!

Click Here

What started out as a rough weekend with a gnarly crash in the time trial, ended with some decent early season results in the cross country race (especially given the crazy conditions and heat!)

More to come..... including pix taken by Greg!

Reminding myself how to race.....

Well Cal State opener at Bonelli Park was NOT how I had hoped it would go. Definately alot different than last year when I had my first pro podium and was feeling great. Then again Sunday was the first real race of the season, whereas last year I raced Bonelli after having done more road racing, plus 2 Cal States and 4 days at Sea Otter. It does seem to make a difference. Plus being sick for 2 solid weeks this month also did not help.

Right off the start line my legs felt terribly sore. It wasn't until nearly lap 2 that I felt good and speedy. It was too late to make up any time. I think my power was there, but my speed was limited by the pain in my legs. Could have been from hard workouts that week, or just not enough warm up, or not enough sleep. Who knows, but it reminded me to focus on the preparation aspect again. Sometimes it takes a few races to get back into "Race Mode". This weekend at NOVA Nationals should be excellent practice with 3 events (maybe 4 if I do Super D too).

One good thing about Sunday was seeing alot of folks I hadn't seen since last fall. Also lots of new faces, new friends and the usual suspects. It was also great to see some new additions to the expert and pro ranks. Keeps things interesting and more competitive. Welcome to talented Backbone ladies Vanessa and Heidi to expert, Ankie and Heather to pro! I also imagine some additional upgrades to occur during the season. It's going to be an interesting year to say the least.

My partner in crime, Joy dominated her class (and basically all the other classes) bringing home the 3rd fastest time of the day overall (and 1st expert by quite a time gap). This came out of left field according to Joy, but shows that the real Joy has come out from solid training and a sweet new bike. Or maybe some covert training ;) Perhaps we will see her upgrading to the pro ranks very soon. Of course I like to take some of the credit for her success being her mentor. ;) Hopefully she will still remember me someday when she is on a big time factory team :)

The journey to Fountain Hills, AZ kicks off at 4pm tomorrow. Matt, Trevor, Joy and myself head off for the weekend. Mandy will meet us at the venue, and Greg & Murphy will arrive Saturday well before the short track race.

I hope to provide a better report next week with hopefully some decent results!

My New "Rig"

I just picked up my new Gary Fisher Rig 29'er! My first real singlespeed (apart from the modified Raieigh hardtail I turned into one with a Surly Singleator and old components).

This bike will be a great compliment to the Paragon 29'er when it arrives. I am so excited about this bike, I thought about racing it at Bonelli this weekend, but then realized that I might do a bit better in the geared class on a geared bike ;o) Plus the Rig weighs a tad more than my old Paragon and definately more than the new Paragon.

The decision I have to make is whether to keep the 18T cog on the back or switch it out to 20T for learning purposes. I guess I will find out pretty quick what suits me. Trevor recommended switching the cog out based on the type of trails/course you are riding.

Happy Trails!

Official MTB race schedule kick off this weekend!

Bonelli Park XC kicks off the Cal state series this Sunday. Unfortunately it occurs the same day as the Redlands Classic Criterium, which I will have to skip this year. Speaking of skipping out on road races, I decided last week not to race the San Dimas Stage Race. It was a tough decision, plus I lost the $85 I paid to enter last month. I really enjoyed racing it last year and it was excellent multi-day race training. Not racing was the right decision though, I was still not 100% recovered from being sick and it would have only made me worse.

Instead of racing, I did normal training including 3 loops of the Bonelli XC course on Sat. I ran into Bob, Teri, Jay, Dawn, Vanessa, Roger, etc at the Park-n-Ride which was very cool! they were all finishing up a couple loops of the course. I was meeting Mandy to ride, and Bob joined us for another lap. It was a nice warm Bonelli day with excellent course conditions (very little water). I got a nice sunburn on my shoulders since I was wearing a sleeveless jersey for the first time all year.

Mandy and I got to watch my friend Jonathan race the men's IIIs during our loops on the trails. Periodically we would see the field racing by on the road and could pop out to cheer them on.

Party Pix

Here are a few pix taken by Teri at my 30th b-day bash on Friday. It was a great turnout, but I missed those who couldn't make it for sure!

Joy, Mandy, me and Teri. We all clean up pretty nice! Normally we see eachother in our bike clothes!

A special treat for White Chocolate!

Jay, Greg and Bob after a few glasses of Fat Tire from the keg!

Vision Quest Report

I decided to go forward with participating in Vision Quest, even though I was still sick. I hadn't become any worse since Thursday thankfully and figured I would give it a shot. I had to change my strategy and treat it more like a glorified training ride than a race.

I stayed over at Georgina's house the night before. We were able to get to sleep by 9PM which really helped.

Wake up was 3:45 AM. A quick breakfast of oatmeal, banana and tea and we were out the door. Arrived at the venue by 4:45AM, got the rest of our gear on, bikes set and headed to the start line by 5:15 AM. The weather was fantastically WARM thanks to the Santa Ana winds (which we would be hating pretty soon into the ride). There was a full moon and there was a great vibe in the air. Around 300 riders lined up. Half were doing the shorter Counting Coup and the rest of us were doing Vision Quest. The race started at 5:30, in the dark, and I was happy to have a nice small, but powerful light (thanks for the recommendation Trevor!). There were some riders who did not have lights and I could tell they were poaching off my light! Reminded me of the nightride where Joy had basically no lights and Matt referred to her as Helen Keller.

I decided that I would just pace myself like a moderate training ride and see how I feel. I could tell I was at about 80% lung capacity yesterday. That typically means my asthma is kicking in. I had to be careful not to get too emotional or worked up during the day. An asthma attack like the one I experienced in Vermont last year is not what I needed! I made it to the first check point in around 2.5 hours after climbing forever, battling the ferocious winds and getting knocked off my bike. I descended Motorway much better than last week. Feeling good, I only stopped quickly at the aid station to get more water. Here is a picture from one of the more friendly sections along Motorway.


The next 2 hours or so was more pure climbing. I found Marius again and we stayed together a bit longer. I started to get into a good tempo along the climb to Santiago Pk, so I just went with it. I have to say putting my cane creek ergonomic bar ends back on the bike was a live saver. They really helped on the long sustained climbs, especially the technical babyhead sections. Next was maybe 30 minutes of descending after all of that climbing! I felt great on the technical descending of Upper and Lower Holy Jim. I was essentially by myself during those sections which was a nice way to experience the trails. When I popped out of Upper Holy Jim, the checkpoint staff commented that "I looked fresh". I had to laugh, and told them that actually I was sick, but appreciated the comment. I guess I just had a good time on those trails!

By the time I made it to Aid station #2, I was just in time to see Pua making her way down the final 5 mile stretch. I still had at least 2 more hours to go. I had to remind myself that I was not racing this, and that even if I was, this is really only my first real endurance event.

The third leg was by far the hardest for me. I had been feeling pretty good for the first 2 legs. I think seeing people finishing the event was making me stress out. I had to remind myself that there were still people at least an hour behind me, and maybe some who would not make the time cutoff. SO i had to feel happy about that. Marius and I met up again and I could tell that we were both suffering. The next 1+ hour included some of the toughest parts of the race . Actually it included the most emotionally draining section: the hike up Horsethief Trail. Not too far into the climb to the base of the hike, I saw Papo coming down lower Trabuco. He looked really good and I imagine he was easily in the top 20 overall (maybe top 10?). I was on and off the bike alot, and getting frustrated. Also my camelback was leaking so I had a slight meltdown. Marius had to tell me "you're allright!". Once we started on the hiking section, I knew it was going to be a long haul. I interacted with a few people along the way, which helped. Once I got to the top, I turned down the offer of a cheeseburger and grabbed a few fig newtons and put my arm warmers back on. I bombed the main divide fireroad and got to the top of Trabuco as fast as I could. I knew I was in the home stretch!!!!!!! Also the guys at the top told me I was 6th place female. I tried to forget that Pua was literally 2 hours ahead of me (it would turn out to be more than that!).

When I got to the top of Trabuco I raised my arms to the aid staff and said "woo hoo! no more climbing!" I descended fast (but safe). When got back to the junction of Horsethief, I said to the next group of aid staff "ALMOST DONE!". I started along a really fun section of technical descent and knew that I was probably 20 minutes from the finish at the most. I must have been getting too comfortable or just too tired because I proceeded to have a pretty hard crash in a very rocky section. I ended up off the side upsidedown with teh bike on me. My knee was bleeding and I scraped my other leg on the calf. I would also discover that I MIGHT have poison oak or something on my behind (NOT GOOD!). I collected myself, tried not to have a melt down. Got back on the bike and continued (a bit slower) . As I passed the aid station, I felt a sigh of relief that all I had left was the 5 mile flat fire road out. No more than 2 minutes into this last section, I realized I had a FLAT TIRE. this was not what I needed. I got off the bike, realized that it was not just something I could pump some air into and proceed. So i had to take the wheel off (it was the REAR) and stuggled due to fatigue and stress to get the tube changed. then all 4 of my air cartriges faiiled. It was as though they had no air in them at all. I was having a melt down at this point, worried I would have to walk 4 miles. A few people slowed down near me, but at this point i basically had larangitis. MARIUS, my savior, stopped and helped me out. His air cartridge failed too, but he had a pump. THANK goodness. Turns out he had a crash too and for both of us it had been a rough day. Marius and I rode to the finish together and were SO happy to see the finish line. We received our Vision Quest feathers and were greeted by friends. This includes MANDY who finished 4th OVERALL in the Counting Coup. WOW, and on a modified cross bike nonetheless.

After being on the bike for 8 hours 45 minutes roughly (flat tire and crash probably cost me a good 15 minutes). I went back to O'Neill Park to meel Greg and Murphy. Georgina finished not too long after that and had her own adventure stories. She met her goal for the day and also rode for a great cause (Trail Angels).

One more highlight of the day was being approached after the finish by another rider. He told me that I helped motivate him. We were together on sections of the hike up Horsethief and he was having a rough time (as was I!). He told me after the race that the times he wanted to quit, he would see that I was still going even being sick. In the end he cut 2 hours off last year's time. He was so happy and shook my hand. Sometimes you never realize the effect you have on other people, even when you are experience pain and suffering of your own!

I also thoroughly enjoyed a double-double cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake from In-and-Out Burger on the way home! YES!!! Clif Bloks, Fig Newtons and CarbBoom just weren't doing it for me anymore.

We all finished safe and with many memories and stories from VQ itself and our group rides on the course the last few weeks preparing. It was certanly a VISION QUEST to say the least. I thought I was going to lose my vision on the hike-a-bike section ;) Oy vey!

Just My Luck

I woke up with a sore throat and sinus pressure today. VERY bad timing with VQ only 2 days away. If it was just an XC or road race it wouldn't be so bad, but 8 hours on the bike is a bit different.

keep your fingers crossed for me! I am taking the afternoon off to try to kick this thing before it gets worse...

Countdown to Vision Quest

Sorry once again no pix. You wil definatley get to see some in the next post (after the race)

VQ is less than 4 days away at this point. I pre-rode a final 1/3 of the course (Black Star Canyon) this past Saturday with Marius and Georgina (actually it was the first leg of the race). We started at 7AM and it was plenty cold for me. Trying to imagine starting in the dark at 5:30 AM was not pleasant given that my hands and toes were in pain from the cold. Georgina and I tried shaking our fingers to release the pain, but that didn't work. Once the climbing started, I warmed up and forgot about the cold. I am hoping the same thing will happen on Sat during the actual race.

The first leg of VQ course is definately harder than the middle leg. the first target was a super doppler radar tower, it looked closer than it actual was (figures!). Once we got to the doppler tower, it was followed by much more climbing: steep in sections and alot of up and down (hard to keep a tempo). However, once again we had great views of the surrouding mountains and even downtown LA! it was VERY clear.

After 2+ hours of climbing (around 4,000 ft), we had the descent down Motorway. It was very technical in spots, lots of babyheads and some steep drop offs. It was my first time down this particular trail, so I took it pretty relaxed. Also figured for a 7+ hour race, a few minutes slowing down on a sketchy descent isn't a big deal.

So my preride of the Vision Quest trails is now complete. Only days away from the event, I am trying to get organized, get my bike, gear and nutrition ready to go. Also getting ready for that 3:30 or so AM wake up call. Ick!

Next update will be POST-VQ!

Scoping the Vision Quest

Sunday was essentially like spending a whole work day on the bike. Georgina, Marius, Yvonne, Mandy and I trained on legs 2 & 3 of the Vision Quest trails. Started out at Maple Springs (did a 5 mile road climb to get to it from where some of us parked), up to Santiago Peak, to Holy Jim (upper and lower) up Horsetheif Trail, across the ridge, down Trabuco and out to Cook's Corner.

In the end we did 40 miles (35 on the trail), over 8,000 ft climbing. 40 miles doesn't seem like alot, but when you add all that climbing to it, it's plenty (Vision Quest will be almost 12,000 total). Taking it at a leisurely pace had a ride time around 6 hr 20 min, total time of 7 hours 30 min. Essentially a work day (rougly 9am to 5pm). This also included around an hour of hiking with the bike.

This was only 2 of the legs of the whole Vision Quest. This coming Saturday we will do Blackstar up to Motorway and down to Maple Springs. Should be a much shorter day than Sunday's adventure. I am still learning these trails, so hopefully i have the names right. After I train on this leg, I should have more of an idea about how dead tired I will be hiking up Horsetheif.


It was a fun day, beautiful weather, panoramic views throughout the day of Catalina Island and the coast, Mt Baldy, San Gorgonio Pk, San Bernadino Pk, San Jacinto Pk, the whole inland empire, San Diego county, etc. It was neat to spend the whole day out on the bike and cover so much territory.

I felt alot better than I thought I would after spending so much time on the mountain bike in one day. Hopefully a good sign for the big dance in a couple weeks (less than 2 weeks!).


Wish I had some pix! hopefully will have some pix after Sat's ride of Blackstar and Motorway.

2007 Season Is Underway

I haven't been blogging much, but I have certainly been busy on the bike. Focusing on training and kicked off the season with Boulevard Road Race on Feb 3rd. It was a tough race with some serious headwinds and crosswinds! I finished 13th out of around 50 women who started the race. Fellow MTB'ers Joy and Chrissy were there (Joy and I travelled together of course!) and both improved from last year for sure. Joy stayed with us in the lead group much longer, and Chrissy went on to finish 2nd place overall. Better results than last year for us MTB'ers and it was a harder race for sure. It was a combined Cat 3/4/35+ field again, and I was the 4th place Cat 4. This season for road races I am representing Team Redlands (Formerly seen in Jelly Belly kits, this year we have a new throwback desing for the kits (thanks Jeremy!))

Vision Quest is around the corner! Mandy, Georgina and friends and I have some big training days on the VQ trails coming up this Sunday, the following Saturday and THEN March 3rd is the big day. Starting at 5:30 AM is somethign I need to start preparing for. UUGH!

Team News: We have been picked up by Gary Fisher as a regional/grassroots team and have a new title sponsor and name: Pass Physical Therapy (they were our 2nd largest sponsor last year). K&N swaps postions with Pass and will be an associate sponsor. We will all be riding hardtail 29'ers and welcome Mandy Eakins to the team. We have Matt Freeman (pro) & Trevor Walton (semi-pro/singlespeed) returning, Mandy (pro) and myself (pro). Jeremy Templeman who once again has designed our team kits, will be representing the expert ranks.

I particpated in the Tour de Palm Springs once again this past weekend. 110 miles for the day with some fun and scary memories. Joy and I attended to a guy with a broken arm (saw him crash into an orange cone), a girl who crashed in front of us and got some road rash and a banged up knee, plus several near misses. I am putting together a letter to the event organizers because I saw WAY too many safety issues this year. In the 4 years I have been doing Tour de PS, this year was the worst! I did like the downtown start, but the first 20 miles are just treacherous, and the miles of orange cones didn't help! Anyways, miles 60-100 were pretty good except for the numerous stop lights. Joy and I met some triathon folks from Temecula and worked pace lines with them for around 50 miles. It was a good fit and we put in another good effort on an already heavy and painful training week. My friend Casey from Trek (the home office!) was out in the area for work and he played some fun rounds of "Flippy Cup" with my friends who did a fair share of "celebrating" at our rental house after the ride.

Happy New Year!

2007 is upon us already! Greg and I had a nice long vacation including a short visit to see his family in Indianapolis. This was followed by 5 days of at-home vacation with lots of riding for me plus napping, sleeping late, cooking and playing with Murphy.

The other day while I did a training ride at Morton Peak, Greg hiked with Murphy. They both had a great time....Murphy felt like a true worker dog with his backpack on.

I just signed up for ....

Vision Quest 2007

As quickly as I signed up, it has sold out. Thankfully Georgina talked me into signing up in time!

I have been too busy to update much on the blog lately. Just putting in base training and trying to fit in Christmas shopping and work!

Happy Holidays!

ESRI Hell Ride Group Photo

Here is the group picture from this year's Hell Ride. I organized the event again this year and it was a success! We had an even bigger turnout than last year (perhaps the largest turnout ever for a Hell Ride in the 10+ years it's been going on! There are a few people missing from the photo, but I think this shot turned out really great (Thanks Steve!) I think we had 34 riders total, 31 who did the longer course. There are alot of great riders at ESRI and non-ESRI folks who came from as far as OC.

Also thanks to Bob, Joy, Colleen, Trevor, Suzanne, John and Lisa for a great pre-ride the weekend before!

The long course ended up around 38.5 miles including some pavement.

More Demo Bikes!

The last two weekends I have tried out some more excellent 2007 bikes!

Including the Trek Fuel EX 9.5.....
I enjoyed this bike on a nice long 40 mile MTB ride. It was nice to have the suspension for the long haul. This bike climbed great for a dual sus and was only just over 24 lbs! NOT BAD for a dual sus! it had 2007 XTR group and performed great. Also had Bontrager Race Lite wheels and a nice Bontrager tire set up. I would definately like to get my hands on a Top Fuel to see the weight difference and stiffness during climbgs. The nice thing about this bike is that it was set up perfectly for my weight and suspension preferences. So the suspension kicked in only when needed. Thanks to Greg and Josh from Trek for another great demo bike!


And the Orbea Alma 29'er (only full carbon 29'er on the market!)



Both bikes were fantastic, but my heart goes to the hardtail! Riding a 29'er for the first time was awesome. It handled very well on climbs, turns and semi-technical sections. I took the bike out on SART, but not any super technical sections. So not sure how it would handle on say, east coast rocks/roots. Also didn't take it on any super steep/technical climbs. I have heard that 29'ers aren't the best for those conditions if you can't keep the momentum going with the larger wheels. I will have to test it out to see! I LOVED the full carbon HT frame. It was plush compared to my aluminum frame. The bike fit me very welll and I loved the FSA and SRAM X.0 components. The Bontrager Race Lite wheels also felt great. The bike handled nice and stiff on the climbs and made little bumps feel like nothing. I also felt like it cornered very well, even on narrow turns (maybe I was just imagining things). I had a blast and would definately love to ride that bike again! Thanks to Ramon at my shop, Redlands Cyclery USA. I have to say, Orbea makes a sweet mountain bike! I am happy with my road bike and even happier with the experience on the Alma!

Good Luck Jonathan!

I wanted to send out a wish of luck to my friend Jonathan Weaver. This coming weekend he will embark on his 2nd Ironman (and said to be his final as he shifts gears to focus 100% on road racing). Ironman Florida is this Saturday! For updates check out Jonathan's blog.

Jonathan will be coming back to SoCal next spring to join me at the San Dimas Stage Race. He is working on bringing out some of his teammates from Feedback Sports Racing in Boulder.

GOOD LUCK JONATHAN!