Cat Morrison: Student, Rider, Sometimes Mountain Bike Racer

CTR 2011: Embracing the Pain

2011-08-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

It all started sometime in the middle of last semester when I decided to check out the Human Performance Lab at Mesa State. I figured it would be smart of me to take advantage of the free student services offered at the lab. Most interesting to me was the VO2 max test. It is just like me to decide to do this during the time of year that I am most out of shape. Why not? Maybe I'm some sort of anomaly and I should figure that out sooner than later, right? What I did discover from this humiliating experience is that I am not only not an anomaly but that I must not be doing interval training. Really? This is what I came here to figure out? Does this guy think I don't know that already? From the beginning the experience stunk. I could tell that as soon as my test was clearly not revealing signs that the Olympic recruiting committee would be showing up at my door the next day, this dude was completely uninterested in me and my questions.

I promptly took off after school the following day to do intervals. I'll show him! He'll see what I can really do come next semester after a summer of high altitude and riding and training. Who does he think he is? Two days later I came down with an upper respiratory infection. I guess I showed him.

The thing is, most of my life I have believed that I am slow and not a very gifted athlete. Maybe it stems from a childhood of mean soccer girls telling me to speed up or making fun of me behind my back about how I need to run faster. Maybe it was all those Wednesday night cross country races I used to do in Summit County where no matter how much I rode I could never win. Maybe it's the fact that when I hit a hill I cringe as I hear the crowd of people starting to pile up behind me, desperately waiting to pass. I shamefully move to one side and watch as my competitors, weighing 30-50 pounds less than me, pass by as if I'm standing in place.

Sometime in February I said I was going to do the CTR again, however it wasn't until June that I committed my heart to it. I'm not going to even do the CTR so it doesn't matter. Matt stopped what he was doing and the room became completely still. I don't know if I said it to get a reaction out of him or if I truly meant it. Irregardless I wanted something to change, I was looking for some answers.

What do you mean? This is your race, this is what you do, I thought you were all about it?

I'm just tired of being slow and getting my butt kicked, I just don't want to get my butt kicked again. This conversation goes on for several minutes but it comes down to a few simple but profound revelations. Matt leads me to discover that bike racing should be fun and bike-packing is a special thing that I should not lose sight of. He gently tells me that on paper it is probably difficult for me not to get beat but it doesn't matter. He tells me he respects me for the decisions I make and the life I lead and that if I want to focus on winning I need to make more sacrifices. I tell him that I don't want to give certain things up and he reiterates his respect for me but tells me I have to be happy with what I get for what I do.

Something shifted for me after that conversation. It wasn't that I didn't think I trained hard enough or wasn't fast enough or good enough or compared myself to anyone else. It was that I accepted myself for who I was and what I did and I stopped taking it so seriously. I'm training for this really hard race and that is enough. I knew that last year was tough for me, mainly mentally. I did not want to repeat the mental anguish and abuse I put myself through. I wanted to have a race that was my race and I wanted to feel good. I wasn't going to do the CTR if my mind was not ready.

When I lined up on August 1st just outside of Denver for the start of the CTR with 70 or so other racers, my mind and spirit were ready. I had my ride worked out in my head and my goals were simple: finish under 6 days, ride your ride and don't worry about anyone else, feel good, be happy, embrace the pain. Knowing that all I had to do was follow my own little plan left me feeling confident. I read somewhere recently that if you trust you have no reason to worry but if you worry you do not trust. I trained my mind to trust, to stay confident and positive. I also learned an instrumental approach about dealing with pain.

A few months ago I was hanging out with Lynda, Jeny , and Lenore (Mike Curiak's lady), when Lenore said something that changed my life. She told Lynda that she was one of the only people she knew that did not emotionalize her pain. This statement rung in my head for the many weeks to come. What does this mean? How do you or don't you emotionalize pain? I thought this over a lot. I found myself practicing what would be come an incredibly beneficial skill and asset for the CTR. Anytime I felt a twinge of pain over the course of the weeks leading up to the CTR I would catch myself "emotionalizing". I would start to let the pain form my emotions and if I could catch myself I could stop myself. Stop Cat, don't emotionalize, just sit with it and don't let it go further than that.

Anytime during the CTR this year that I started to feel pain, discomfort, tiredness, loneliness, frustration, or even elation I would be cautious not to attach myself to any of these feelings. Maybe it sounds weird but it worked for me.

Day One: I arrived in Bailey and tried to break into the gas station. I did not notice the big yellow sign on the door that read "Temporarily Closed", but quickly saw the doors were bolted shut and the strange stares coming from the faces of the people standing on the other side. The rain poured down on many of us on the dirt road detour before 285, the sun shortly dried it up. I was happy to find myself at the bottom of the Middle Fork hours earlier compared to the prior two years. Aaron, James L., Jeff Rank, Jefe were among the few of us there. When I arrived to the beginning of the West Ridge climb in Breckenridge, there to my surprise was Stefan guiding me to go around and do the detour. I detoured to the Dredge and picked up the rest of the trail there. I bivied at the start of the 10-Mile range but got little to no sleep, evidently a popular trail in the wee morning hours.

Day Two: I was ascending the thorn in my side by 3:30 am, the last two years have proven this segment to be one of the hardest for me. I was happy to have a descent free of falling on the other side and was in Copper by 7:00 am along with many other CTR racers including Zach Guy, Garrett, Jordan and Chris Miller. It was great seeing everyone and I hadn't seen Zach since last year's CTR and barely recognized him. What a fun reunion! I climbed Searle Pass back and forth with Zach, I eventually made it to Leadville riding the last part with Jordan. I stopped and had the worst nachos of my life fully loaded with Velveeta cheese, packaged chicken, and fake everything else. I was irritated that I essentially threw away $8. My goal was to make it to BV by night or early the next morning. It rained on me most of the way to BV and my drive train took a beating (I began to miss my singlespeed). I arrived in BV just after 11 pm, went straight to 7-11 and heated up some microwave-only chicken nuggets, I ate like 15. I wandered aimlessly trying to figure out where to sleep in BV. I unfortunately had to wait until morning when the post office opened to pick up my drop box. This was not good planning on my part and cost a lot of hours. I sort of slept from about 1 am until 5 am in the dugout of the baseball field. I meant to ride back out of town and sleep on the county road but my drive train was not functioning, I had chain suck like I've never seen.

Day Three: Anxious to leave the dugout, I arose and hung out around the bathroom until about 6 am. As I pushed my bike through the streets I see another bike outside of a bakery, it's Chris Miller. We chat a while and he comes out and looks at my bike, he pushes the pedal and magically, no more chain suck! For some reason that did not work for me. We go shopping at City Market together and then Bongo Billy's for coffee, good coffee, as the bakery coffee was terrible and I do not stand for such a thing. Inside City Market at the check-out line Chris decided to "dry out" as he puts it. A mixture of water, dirt and possibly pine needles begins to pour off of him but looks like out of him. It is falling right in between his legs and he is straddling this rather large puddle on the floor. He just stares at it and asks "Is that me?" I laughed so hard I cried which served as great entertainment for the rest of the day. I left BV by 8:30 am after the Post Office. I did not see any other racers today and made it to Marshall Pass around 11 pm. I tried finding a cabin I had heard about as it was threatening to rain but was unsuccessful. I than began searching for a bivy spot under some large pine trees however every square inch was covered in cow crap. I started up the next segment and hunkered down in some trees. I got rained on and wet and cold and woke up shivering.

Day Four: I left "camp" after shoving my wet bag and bivy away around 3:00 am. This was one of the hardest days and I think that Sargent's Mesa is the stupidest thing you can do on a bike. I was tired because I barely slept and when I started to fall asleep I would hear voices and growling animals and I did not know what was real or an auditory hallucination. These next 2 segments worked me over so hard that I promised myself a nap when I got to the beginning of Segment 18. Trail Angel Apple was there and I crawled under the tent and slept to the sound of the rain for the next 2 hours. When I awoke John Ross had just arrived. I asked if he liked that last segment and tried to get him to complain about how horrible it was.

I rather enjoyed it actually! Reminds me of back home.

He says in his happy British accent. Figures he liked it, I had a feeling he would. He than asked if I was wondering why he lives where he does. I was actually wondering how it was possible for anyone to enjoy that section but good for him. We ended up riding together to our bivy spot that night. It was great to have some company, that section is always tough for me and makes me feel super lonely. It was so incredibly clear out and the coloring was spectacular. It did get chilly quick. We got to a camp spot as John Fulton was leaving. I tried sleeping for 2 hours, than pushed on through the night.

Day Five: Riding at 2:45 am, ascending makes it harder to fall asleep but when I hit the descent before the final ascent to Spring Creek Pass I'm falling asleep. It's torture, I remember this same thing happened last year. I have to pull off the road and lean on a pile of rocks so that I can close my eyes, I only need 5 minutes. I am immediately in a dream state but somewhere between awake and asleep. I hear voices, see things. Boom! I'm awake and back on my bike. This segment to Carson Saddle is great, I feel springy and energetic and fast. I see several bikers hiking their bikes in front of me but I can't tell who they are. At Carson's Saddle before the next segment I meet up with Shawn Gregory and he tells me the Carney brothers are in front of us. I get through the next segment one way or another. It never fails that I fall for every false summit. How many times do I have to do this to finally learn the trail? I tell myself to imagine the number of climbs as infinite and then that way when I finally finish I'll be surprised. That didn't work so well. When I got into Silverton, and immediately pulled into the grocery store but at the last minute notice there is a car trying to pull out and my mind's reaction time is a little off at this point so I'm not quite sure what happened accept that I went down. Trying to dismount my bike and walk has proven more difficult than riding at this point. The Carney brothers are just watching as they eat their food, maybe in awe, maybe too tired to respond but they see that the driver thinks she has hit me. She rolls down her window,

Did I do that?

Nope, I did that all on my own, that's just how tired I am. The Carneys take off and I stay for a LONG time. I eat, I drink, I organize, I wash my shorts, I buy some more food, I'm tanked. I am having a hard time motivating and even though I thought when I got to this point I'd be so excited to be so close to the finish, I still have 75 miles of some of the hardest terrain to cover, and that feels overwhelming. I finally left Silverton at around 8:30 pm, having arrived somewhere between 6 or 6:30. When I arrived at the top of Molas Pass and decided to bivy a little ways off the trail before I carry on. I have this feeling I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around. First off I knew that Eszter was not that far in front of me and I could narrow the gap if I kept pushing; catching her was a stretch but it would be super cool to be within a few hours of someone like her. I didn't have it in me though, it was weird. I just didn't want to ride that technical section of single track in the dark without some horizontal time. I thought I could do better if I took a few hours off the bike, ate, rested and than started the home stretch "fresh". So that's what I did and when I left at 3 am I still lacked motivation; it wasn't until the sun came up that I gained my fire. I was flowing with the earth, I was one with my bike, my body was tired of course but riding seemed oddly effortless. I was clearing technical rocky sections without problems. I was totally surprising myself. I was dancing to the music blaring in my ear. Before I knew it I was descending the other side of Black Hawk and stopped at my last water source for a while. I observe that I've had very little water and did not seem thirsty. Weird? Why haven't I been thirsty since day one? The water treatment drops I brought are foul is why. They make my mouth taste disgusting and I couldn't stand the taste anymore. I made a decision. The water seemed so nice and clean and I hated to ruin it with those drops so I filled my camel back with fresh mountain stream water and accepted that giardia may be likely; I cared not at that point.

My last afternoon and evening on the bike was something I don't get too often. I was so careful to keep calories and fluids going so that I didn't fall apart at the very end like last year. As I finally reached Indian Trail Ridge my brain was flooded with helpful mantras, inspirational quotes, Zach Guy's perseverance through this section last year with a half functional bike, embracing the pain, what was waiting for me at the finish, and finally my beautiful, supportive, nurturing, ever present EARTH. As the pain pierced the bottoms of my feet from hours after relentless hours of pushing my bike, I made a conscious effort to feel the pain, observe it, and let it go. I can do this. It really works. Did I think pain was not going to be an issue? Of course it is, it always is. If I choose to look at it for what it is and not "emotionalize" it, I'm golden. So I gave my feet and other parts of my body a few seconds of recognition they deserved for their hard work and I moved on. As I slowly but surely made my way to the final summit I received a friendly reminder of why I was there. I stopped, turned around, and gasped at the sight of her. I opened my arms and hugged my mother. I love you universe! You are so beautiful! I shouted out. That was for you Jeny I said. If you've ever ridden with her, you know what I mean. I put my hand to my chest and had one of my last and few "white moments". I thought of how lucky I was to be there and felt sad for those who never get the chance. I felt sad for those who don't love our universe the way she deserves to be loved. Mainly I felt lucky. I was honored. She deserves my reverence.

The final segment was amazing. I road strong and triumphed the hills. If I wasn't riding them I was running them. I was determined to finish before dark. As I meandered through the very tall grass nearing dusk I thought of an article I read in a mountain bike magazine recently about how you should avoid riding at dawn and dusk, the times that mountain lions hunt, and how their habitat is tall grass. It would really suck if I got attacked at this point. I thought. I would be really pissed off if I came this far only to have it ruined. I made some appropriate noises to ward off any predators and kept pushing. If it's going to happen it's going to happen and hopefully it's quick. After I reached the high point before the final descent, I ate and drank something, peaches to be exact. I knew this descent takes energy and I didn't want to bonk. Not far into the descent I am met by a huge, big butted, brown, stupid.....COW! Because these animals lack any sort of intelligence whatsoever, the thing jumped in front of me and decided to run down the middle of the trail as fast as it could (which by the way is not very fast) because I have just become it's herder. I can't believe this. You've got to be kidding me. OUT OF THE WAY YOU STUPID, STUPID ANIMAL! I yell and yell and wonder if anyone can hear this crazy lady screaming in the woods. Of course this is happening, now, so close to the finish, this stupid cow, slowing me down. Why is there a stupid cow on a mountain bike trail? I continue to yell. After what seems like forever I began to laugh at myself and the situation and hear "give up control, gain power". There's nothing I can do about it so I might as well submit. Finally the thing moves over far enough for me to get around which scares the crap out of it and this big ass animal darts up a steep hill on the side of the trail. Finally, you got some sense in you! The next animal to jump in front of me is a much smarter species, the black bear. It darts up the trail, stops, turns around and stares at me. I obviously keep going and glance occasionally over my shoulder but there is no threat.

These last miles go on forever and the light at dusk makes it hard to see. I reluctantly stop and pull a fresh battery from my bag, strap in on my bike and continue. After I cross the bridge I know I am home free. I'm feeling great, happy, tired, but happy. I am greeted by a crowd of people, well maybe 8 people, but that's a lot for a CTR finish. Usually it's just Matt and Ringo. It was a blissful ending to a blissful ride. Jeff from Rico was there and his wife, Shawn Gregory's wife and girl were there, Joe's girlfriend, John Ross' friend and of course my boys, Matt and Ringo.

It's amazing how far your mind will take your body until it knows it's done. Five minutes after I finished the CTR my mind knew it and I could no longer function. Simple choices became seemingly difficult. Choosing to wear shorts or pants, sit or stand, eat or drink, were decisions that confused me. I can't believe I was able to keep it together right up until the end with maybe only an hour to two hours of sleep a day for 5 days. I had never done that before. The mind really is a powerful thing.

I added a lot here and still left a lot out. I like sharing and telling my experience to those interested in hearing about it. Your body goes through a lot out there and you somehow forget this a few days after your done. There were moments where food was just unbearable because the taste in my mouth was as if I had gargled with gasoline and rubbed it with sand paper. The pain in my ass became so bad that at times it felt like it had been scrubbed with sand paper as well. There were moments when my own stench made my stomach turn and I wondered what other people smelled as they went by me. Sometimes the only thing I wanted was an ice cube just to soothe the burning all over my mouth and lips. The visual hallucinations remained pretty consistent but you get used to them. I know there's more but sometimes I forget, forget what the pain is like, until I do it again. So, why do I come back? Why do I do it in the first place? I guess because I can. We have these incredible bodies and minds capable of so much more than we do. I want to know what my maximum potential is and I know I'll probably only get a glimpse. There is an inner gut feeling that drives me, I call it my fire. As long as I'm alive I'll strive to keep it lit.

Thank you to all my friends who supported me all summer long. Thank you Holly for your endless encouragement and friendship, Katie F. for the skins and your interest and support, Katharine, my soul bike sister and for a place to stay and acclimate, Sarah, Miriel, and Leigh for always routing for me, Lynda and Dave for your coaching plan and Camp Lynda that started my year with motivation and determination. Thanks Eszter for being an inspiration as a rider and friend, thank you my wonderful sisters Mary and Teresa for being always so mentally supportive, thank you Cynthia for all that you are and give to me. Thank you Stefan for the dream. Thank you Voodoo for the bike and Mike Curiak for building awesome wheels. Thank you Ergon for grips that don't make my hands go numb. Thank you Mom and Dad for giving me my tenacity. Thank you Bennett for loading my MP3 player with some of my favorite artists: Led Zepplin, Bob Marley, and The Grateful Dead....they were the best pain relief I could ask for! To my best friends Julie and Stacy, Julie for telling me to embrace the pain and Stacy for your heart, spirit and sisterhood. And finally to Matt, my love, my friend, my bike mechanic. Thank you for spending endless time, money and energy spent getting my bike dialed to ensure I would have a successful ride. Your support means more to me than words can tell. I'm sorry if I'm forgetting anyone, you know who you are and I love you all.

Those old familiar places

2011-05-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

I’ve probably said it before and I’ll probably say it again, the Kokopelli Trail holds much meaning to me. My adventures in the endurance self-support mountain bike scene started with the KTR in 2006. I had no idea what I was getting into then, but knew there had never before been a female finisher. My dream quickly faded before my eyes when I learned that Jari Kirkland had showed up but more impressively when I saw a little lady with pigtails fly by me like a bat out of hell (that would be LW, at the time I did not know her). My finish in 2006 was the hardest thing I had ever done on a bike. It took me 20 hours and 30 minutes! I had a pack equivalent to something one would carry on a week-long backpacking trip loaded down with randomness that I ended up carrying with me the entire 144 miles. I got lost, confused, and hot, bothered, lost again, hallucinated, and wanted to quit more times than not. It was not an easy task and when I think back I can’t believe I drug myself to the finish. Since 2006 I have done the KTR three more times including this year and each time offers such a completely different experience.

This year I managed my best time and best feeling ever on the KTR. I don’t know why I felt so good. I honestly didn’t think I could pull this one off so soon in the season with the complete lack of any organized training under my belt. School, having just finished, has been brutal this semester and I think I was just longing for some time in the saddle. I also can't resist the opportunity to ride through Fisher Valley during sunrise, it is one of my favorite places on earth.

I have been experimenting with different ways of eating both on and off the bike and perhaps this contributed to me feeling so good. I never really felt sick to my stomach, which if you know me you know this is huge. I occasionally would eat some digestive enzymes and kept drinking CarboRocket, an occasional Kep's Ball, some baked yams, cashews, and coca-cola. The worst feeling I had was climbing for the first several hours. I was victim to my 32x20 gear and could not sit; the hills were relentless at times. I wondered what I was doing out there, so early, so little training, and mainly I wondered why I was on a single speed. Once I got through the worst of the climbing I started to feel a wee bit better but when I looked at my watch at Dewey Bridge and realized it was 8:30, I got antsy. I left quickly and remembered last time I made it through Yellow Jacket in 45 minutes. This time it took me nearly 30 minutes longer in Yellow Jacket and this bothered me. My only real goal at the start of this was to finish, but when I started feeling better instead of worse, the possibilities of a faster finish enticed me. At first I had delusions of a 16 hour finish. When I left Rabbit Valley at 2:30 it dawned on me that a 1.5 hour pace to Loma is what the big dogs put down and let’s face it, I’m of the feline species. Thereafter I imagined a 16:15 which slowly became a 16:30 then an under 17 hour and finally I just figured I would finish eventually and would just have to be ok with whatever that was. Turns out I am pretty happy with a 17:16 time and more importantly I had a great time out there. I looked at my watch quite frequently in those last couple of hours in an effort to go faster but somehow neglected to do so when I finished, stupid. I'm sure it was only a few minutes that had passed by the time I did look at my watch for my 17:16 official finish. I guess I was just so happy to be done I really didn't care at that point what time it was.

I felt great, happy, well hydrated, and well fueled for most of the race. I don’t know if it is being on a single speed but I just seem to enjoy myself so much more on the bike these days. I definitely had pain, especially in between my shoulder blades and neck and feet; but this time I just was able to handle it better. I believe that two rounds with the CTR have helped and 17 hours or so on the bike compared to 6 plus days really isn’t that bad. It helped me to just stay in the moment and finish the section I was on before I would allow myself to think about the next one. It seemed to go by a lot faster that way. Before I knew it I was riding, well mostly walking, down the Salt Wash, up Troy Built and onto Lyon’s and Mary’s. I rode much more than I thought I would on Lyon’s and Mary’s. Matt and a couple of friends were at the bottom of Mary’s and so was Ringo (my squirrelly cattle dog). Ringo ran the last hill on the road with me before he took off after some poor prairie dog. That finish was so sweet, even though it wasn’t until then that my stomach got sour.

24 Hours of Moab.....3rd time is a charm???

2010-10-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

The National 24 Hour Mountain Bike Championships is in Moab again this year and it starts tomorrow. I will be racing in the singlespeed solo category and I'm very excited. The last two times I raced at this venue it did not go as planned. I realize that no race ever goes exactly how you plan but I'm hoping this is my year. I have been juggling school, work, and training but I somehow seem to have managed it all. You can check real-time results here: http://www.grannygear.com/realtime/public/index.php?view_race=grannyg_2010_moab. Wish me luck and speed!

My Post-CTR Month

2010-09-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I have been putting off writing so much. I have spent the last month thinking about what I want to write. As I go for a run with my dog and occasional bike ride, my thoughts race with ideas and creative sentences. Maybe I have been too busy with school and getting organized or maybe I've just been avoiding it. Once in a while I look at my fellow bike riding friends' blogs and an hour later I wonder where the time went. I get this feeling in my stomach after reading that makes me feel like I'm nervous or something. The feeling is envy, envy that I'm now in school and they are out there still riding their bikes, seeking adventure, finding themselves.

I miss the CTR! That's the only way I know how to explain it. I crave the trail, the high alpine air, the cold, the rain, the sun and the moon, like I crave chocolate. I miss the trail like an old friend. I feel sad that I haven't seen her in over a month now and my heart aches when I sit down to read the blogs of my friends. I think to myself that I should avoid reading their blogs then I think again. I think about all my wonderful friends that supported me by following my SPOT tracker during the CTR. I wonder sometimes why they did it. I wonder if they had anything better to do. I wonder how they felt watching my SPOT instead of being out there, riding, seeking their own adventures. They didn't decide to turn off their computers because they were envious or had too many other things to do. They watched because they wanted to, because maybe it was their way of being part of my adventure.

It is now my turn to watch. Thank you again my friends for inspiring me to be a better person. Thank you for continuing to ride your bikes, seek adventure, and write about it. Thank you for letting me be a part of it.

Tales From the Trail; CTR 2010

2010-08-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

NO race ever starts for me without a hitch. CTR 2010 starts at the Indian Creek trailhead. Matt and I camp nearby. I get up to go to the parking lot where I think it starts and panic strikes. No one is there. Where are they? The start is 6:30 not 6:00 right? Did I misread something; did they start without me; did they start somewhere else? I ride down the trail following one tire track. They couldn’t have started already. Maybe there is a parking lot down the trail further. No one. I go back up. Crap! What is going on? I stop a car driving by.

“Have you seen a bunch of bikers out here?”

“No bikers” he responds.

I head up the road in the other direction, I see cars. They are there; the nerves settle. I see Dave Harris; I ask him a couple questions about my GPS, totally last minute stuff. He tells me not to worry; “It will be ok”, he says; gives me a hug and says I’ll do great. I say hi to Ethan Passant. We wish each other well. There is a quick briefing with Stefan and we’re off. Matt is still at the campground; he doesn’t know where we start either and now I have no last goodbye with him….I guess I’ll see him in Durango.

My goal the first day is not to blow up, to ride easy, walk the steep stuff and eat and hydrate plenty. On the single speed for the first time I make sure not to ride hills that require too much effort. It is hot and I don’t eat a ton all day. When I get to Bailey I stop to grab some drinks including chocolate milk and hit the road. At Kenosha pass I decide to push through and stop up the trail for dinner. The thunder starts, then the rain then the lightning. Keep going up and over is the plan. Don’t stop, make it to tree line and reassess. I make it to tree line and by then just rain but no lightning. I’m soaking wet and cold: great ingredients for a fast descent. I can’t feel my feet or hands; my neck feels like stabbing knives are going through it. Where will I stop and sleep? Why stop now and just bivy in these cold and wet conditions? Up and over I go. I decide to stop around the North Fork. Earlier I eat mac and cheese and drink coffee. I stop to bivy and am still cold and wet and I don’t want to eat, I feel somewhat nauseous. I hang my food in the tree; get in my bivy cold and wet and try to sleep. Finally when I look at my watch at 3 am I wonder if I have slept at all. I’ve been shivering and awake for 4 hours. I should just get up and go. At 3:30 am I reluctantly climb out still cold and wet, gather everything, put on my wet and cold shoes and leave. A mile or so down the trail it dawns on me that my bag is still in the tree. I go back, I have wasted time. I won’t eat until the sun comes up! This way I can warm up as I eat. I stop at Gold Hill to dry out, eat breakfast and push on. Miner’s Creek hurts; everyone is passing me. How can I move so slowly? I have no energy; I’m nauseous and can’t eat. Descending into Copper I go over my handlebars and land on my hip. I’m ok; luckily I have womanly, cushiony hips. I’m back on my feet but need to fix my bent bar end and my GPS holder is now broken. No more GPS on the bike. It starts to hail and thunder; the trail is tricky and wet and slick. Come on Copper! I eat a warm meal and take a long break. Still a little nauseous but manage to get food down. It is raining, but I can’t wait any longer. I just ride. Up Searle Pass, another long and arduous and slow climb. Why am I so slow? More people pass me or maybe just one. Finally I decide to push on to Leadville, not eating much at all and feeling sicker. If I make it to Leadville I can get a hotel, I promise myself. I don’t know if I can finish this thing. I am going to puke. I know it!, No, I can’t. Don’t do it, I tell myself. Into town and at a hotel by 1 am. IT is taking SO long to get checked in; I need to puke now, please hurry. Finally, I am in bed. No food. Just dry everything out and sleep. Awake at 5:45 A.M., I feel better. I have to keep going. People, friends, family are pulling for me. Plus this is the challenge of the race. I will feel sick, but I’ll also feel good from time to time, and the good times definitely outweigh the bad. Too much time, money and effort have been put into this. I can do it. I just need to eat better, more frequently and smaller amounts, stay on top of it and push through.

By Buena Vista (BV) I feel good, slow riding into town due to single speed. Spent a LONG time in BV, too long, but I have food paranoia and need to make it to Silverton with enough food. I Leave by around 6:30 pm. I start my journey towards MT. Princeton Hot Springs. There is snow on the trail. Is that from tonight? I’ve been riding in the rain, but this is snow. What am I going to do at 13,000 feet if there is snow at 10,000? I keep going…head up Chalk Creek through the road closed sign and into the wet cement mud that sucks me in like quick sand. Ugghh, am I going the right way? This is where I screwed up last year I can’t do it again. Why are there only a few tracks through this mud? I go through it 3 times just to make sure; my GPS is off track, I’m unsure. Finally I become sure. I make it up the trail to a dry camp spot. Before I go to bed I discover hot spots on my heels that need duck tape before I start riding again to prevent blisters. I am also miraculously blessed with the pleasure of my period 4 days early! Of course I get it out here, under these conditions! Why wouldn’t I? Come on body, how do I even have blood to bleed at this point?

My dry night of sleeping turns into sleeping late as my alarm doesn’t work for my 4:00 A.M. wake-up call so I oversleep until 5:45. The ball of my foot and the entire area around my right big toe is swollen and tender. Is it infected? Will THIS cause me to drop out? An annoying appendage problem? No way will I let this keep me from my dream; I’ll suffer as far as humanly possible before I pull the plug because of my stupid foot. I’m passed in the morning by Sean Allen who is by the way passing me for the second time. He says he is now just touring, taking pictures, taking it easy. He must think I’m the slowest person alive, he is still riding up what I think are steep hills, meanwhile I don’t even try. I finally get to Marshall Pass around 5 P.M. after a long afternoon, I run into Zack, we are both riding more tonight, he goes ahead and tells me a bunch of people are dropping out. They are nervous about segments 21 and 22 and the weather. Should I be nervous? Will I be ok up there? I decide I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I have put too much into this to stop. This is mountain bike multi-day racing; this is what it is all about. I have blisters, I have my period, wet gear, clothes, and shoes, maybe not enough food or warm clothes but I know I can do it. The finish is in my head. I know it is tough, this is why I started. I know what to expect, this is why I thought of a thousand reasons why I should quit on my way to Leadville. I know the rewards of finishing this beast, it is why I thought of the 1,001 reasons I should finish after Leadville.

The next day I am off making my way towards Hwy 114 and the beginning of the long detour to Spring Creek Pass. This section is hard, a long ways to where the “trail angel” was last year. I wonder if he will be here this year. My knees are screaming out in pain, I can’t ride. How will I get through the detour? It is all road and road I can ride but not with these knees. I hear from some hikers that the trail angel is there. I’m stoked and motivated. I get there and eat raman noodles. The sodium does me well and I ride through the night to Spring Creek Pass. On my way up to Hwy 149 I stop to look around, up in the sky, no lights, no sounds, just me, the stars and the beauty of it all. The shooting stars are going off, I am in the sky, I am riding through the sky tonight, I am so lucky to be out here! Before the pass I stop at a campground, it is around midnight and I think about sleeping there, I’m exhausted. Either way I have a cold descent to bear on Hwy 149 to the pass so I can do it now or wake up at 4 and do it then. I do it now because I figure it will be easier. I am falling asleep on the descent, I can’t keep my eyes open and I think this is dangerous. I look to the side of the road and wonder where I can crash (go to sleep) but I sing, tap my fingers, click my tongue, breathe deeply and anything else I can think of to stay awake. Finally I make it, awake and alive. I find a picnic table and crawl under it to sleep thinking it will shelter me from the wind and cold, it doesn’t. I have yet another cold night waking to the sound of my shivering body and chattering teeth. I get up and get moving. I’ll eat breakfast later, when the sun comes up.

I start the trek towards Coney Summit and get to the stream where I will get water for the last time before segment 22. What is happening, where is the stream? There is no water. I have 4 oz left in my water bottle. I could freak out but luckily the weather is cool, it might even rain and this time I invite such weather figuring I can catch rain water and drink that. I decide I will take my time in order to conserve energy and thus not need as much water. It is just what I have to do, no need to freak out. With 1.5 miles left of this segment I am desperate for water; I now have a dehydration headache. There is a lake off trail below me that I can see. It doesn’t look that far away. I can make it, I will get water there. I hike down, this doesn’t take long. I drink and drink and fill my bladder and bottles. I hike back up to my bike. This takes a lot longer than going down. I keep going, I have water, I am happy. I find a bag, someone’s first aid kit. It has a ziplock of “drugs” in it. I take the bag with me in hopes to return it to the owner. What are these pills? They look good, perhaps some good pain relievers, maybe some caffeine derivative or something, anything to get me through this. I decide against taking anything, in fear of an adverse reaction. My feet are screaming. I hate this chamois, I still have my period and my food options are becoming limited and my tongue is full of canker sores. Eating is no longer pleasurable, just a necessity, just fueling this body to move forward, move towards what seems like the forever-away finish. My throat has hurt for days and my tongue burns. My heels have new hot spots, I itch everywhere, I can’t breathe and I don’t know why I’m here. I think there is a storm rolling in and I’m around 12,000 feet. I think of my mother. She prays diligently, she is praying for me right now, I know it. I think she may be praying that I don’t die; I think this because I feel I could get hit by lightning. Normally I don’t worry about it but a fear overcomes me. In this moment the sun pops out of the clouds for 30 seconds and then disappears. I know I’ll be ok. I am flushed with tears and the love of my mother overwhelms me. She is with me, she is protecting me. This is what my friend Lynda Wallenfells calls a “white moment”. I push on and do segment 22 and am in Silverton for dinner. With only 5 minutes before the store closes I buy as much as I can grab for my final leg to the finish. This consists of 2 snickers, 2 subs, 2 danishes, 1 gatorade, 1 pack of cashews, 1 ice cream snickers, and 1 bag of Doritos. I eat the sub, some Doritos, Gatorade and snickers. I start the climb up to Molas in the dark and before I know it the rain is coming down again. I’m cold if I stop so I keep moving. I lose my smartwool beanie on the way up, I can’t go back to look for it even if it is only a few feet away. Must go forward not backwards! The thought of sleeping under the crapper on the top of the pass is what keeps me going. I never thought I would be so excited to sleep under the roof of a long drop in my life. Luckily it was closed for cleaning so it didn’t smell. I slept warm and dry that night!

Up at 4 A.M. and rolling by 5. I am going to finish today or I am going to finish without another night of sleeping out in this cold and wet weather. If I finish before tomorrow that will put me in under 7 days and this is my goal, my dream, my vision. It is decided, I will ride all night and I will finish under 7 days. The mist finally clears and the sun starts to break out. I eat breakfast with the sun’s warmth; this has been my game plan every day. I am grumpy this morning, I’m salty about everything. My skin is crawling and I want to rip it off. There is a hair hanging from my head that is rubbing against my arm and I can’t find it but it irritates me. Where is that hair? My filter isn’t working and neither is my patience. Screw it, I’ll drink straight from this creek, everyone else does. I don’t care if I get giardia; I’ll be home soon enough and I can get antibiotics then. I want to make coffee but, my pot is dirty with rice, the rice that makes me sick to think about. The rice is gross and I hate the smell of it. I can’t eat from this pot when it tastes like this terrible rice. I use my cup to heat the water instead for coffee. I drop my lighter into the coffee. Oh my god, is a cup of jo too much to ask for? Ugghhh, why do I feel this way? I’m so close, I can do this, shape up Cat. I’m salty because I feel slow, feel like I wanted to break the women’s record. Why is there ALWAYS someone faster, why can’t I be the fast one? I’m envious, I’m irritated, I just want it to be over. Ok, pull yourself together Cat. I tell myself that I expected these feelings, that I can just feel them and that is all they are, feelings. I move on, I keep going, I want this finish, I can do it and I will do it under 7 days no matter what it takes.

I am surprised by my friend who is out riding (he lives in Rico), I see him several miles before Black Hawk, and he tells me where the other guys are. They are not far ahead. He wishes me well and tells me he wants to see my spot in Junction Creek tonight. “Don’t worry, you will!” As I approach tree line at Indian Trail Ridge the thunder starts. There is no chance in hell that weather is going to keep me from getting over this thing tonight no matter what. I shout out to the storm gods that I won’t have it, I will get up and over this and not get stuck. Thunder and darkness to the right, thunder and darkness to the left, blue sky above me. I win! I make it over and I’m at Kennebec pass before dark. I am tired and am descending the worst I’ve descended the entire race. My skills are off and I keep having close calls. It is getting later and I need to finish, I have to, I won’t sleep out here one more night. I start to push up, I’m climbing again, now I’m just walking. I walk and walk and walk. I can ride this, it isn’t that steep. Get on your bike and ride Cat. I can’t, I’m so tired, I can’t keep my eyes open. I feel sick, like I’m going to throw up. I am out of water and I don’t want to stop and get more. I just want to finish. What if I puke, right here with 15 miles from the finish? Will someone have to come get me; will I have to push the help button on my spot tracker? Oh god, I really think I’m going to vomit. I think I am going to have diarrhea as well. Ok, maybe I can try to go to the bathroom and see if I feel better. I stop for what seems like forever to relieve myself. I feel better and I manage not to puke. I keep pushing. Where am I? Did I make a wrong turn? Can I make a wrong turn up here? I don’t even think there is another trail this high up but where on the trail am I? I have never ridden this in the dark and it’s confusing me. Have I already climbed as high as I’m going to climb? What if I’m lost, how will I find my way out? I will quit, I don’t care even this close, I am just too tired and can’t keep my eyes open. I stop, on the trail, bike on top of me, head resting on my hand, elbow holding me up pushing against the slanted ground along the trail. I close my eyes for 30 seconds, maybe 1 minute. I’m asleep, I wake back up, I get up, I have to finish very soon. How much longer? Why is this so hard this close to the finish? I feel like I will never get there.

As I continue forward not sure of where just forward along this dirt path I feel I am not alone on the trail or the trail is not a trail. The trail becomes a person or an entity, I’m not sure which. It is a she. I am talking to her, talking about her, I can’t describe this. It is she, this is all I know, in my head I refer to it as her, and I talk to her and her to me. Is this hallucinating, can I be committed? Would I rather be committed at this point? I think about this and try to make sense of what I’m doing and saying but I can’t. It is just a feeling I have, I am not alone. I was never alone.

Before I know it I am descending to the final stretch, it is all a blur, and it is all so surreal. I can’t believe I am going to finish. I can’t believe I am almost at the finish. It is 1:45 am and I am less than 1 mile away. I called it; I knew I would finish at 2:00, so did my sister, and later she told me her and her entire household woke up at 2:30 A.M. and she thought of me, my mom woke up as well, eastern time but “it was a sign” she believes. This last section is sketchy and one wrong turn, you are down the cliff into the creek. There is a tree or a root sticking out, I clip it and go cart wheeling off my bike but it is in slow motion. The fall is soft, I am asleep, I do not feel it because I am about to finish and I am happy, euphoric. I still need to be careful and I really shouldn’t be riding, it is dangerous, I am sleeping.

I am at the finish. My dog runs towards me and I screech on my breaks as I almost hit him. Matt takes a picture and I fall to the ground. My dog won’t leave me alone. I stink so bad he wants to roll in me. I am happy Matt is here and he has brought me chocolate milk, fruit, juice, and a rotisserie chicken. I eat and talk and change and 1.5 hours later we leave, find a hotel and sleep. I have finished.

The thousand reasons I came up with to quit this race turned into a thousand and one reasons I should not quit this race. This is an example of the mental trip the CTR takes you on. You have to know your mind and your demons. If you can overcome your demons you can finish this race. I would tell myself before each hard section how hard it was going to be. I would try to remember the worst from last year and prepare myself for it. I would tell myself how bad it was going to hurt and how long it was going to take and I would remind myself that it was possible. I would tell myself that it would be painful but that my mind could get me through it because it is after all just a state of mind. When I would get to the sections I thought were the hardest after this mental preparation, they wouldn’t be so bad anymore, they went by quicker, easier, and I enjoyed them rather than loathing them.

When I got salty, which was often, about the fact that I wasn’t the top female I tried different approaches to settle my feelings. I tried telling myself everything from the fact that she was a pro (I think) to she was on gears to she has been racing/riding longer to this to that. Finally I decided that it is never about the other person. This is a race within you and it is so much more than a race. I could really get philosophical now and come up with a million clichés about what this journey is, was and will be. The bottom line is having another chica out there, ahead of me, suffering, riding fast, sleeping in the cold, rain, and wind was downright inspiring. Knowing that she was out there made me proud, proud of my gender and that is what helped me over my mental hump. The second thing that helped me was knowing that my many friends and family members were watching my spot move across a computer screen. They more or less knew where I was and I could feel their energy radiating through me. I knew no matter what they would be proud of me, finish or no finish. Matt told me before I started that he was already proud of me no matter what; just proud of me for starting. Somehow having everyone with me on such a level kept me going. Everyone tells me that I am an inspiration to them for doing this, but really you were all my inspiration!

Experience Your Life

2010-08-01T11:42:00.001-07:00

“A woman is running from tigers. She runs and the tigers are getting closer and closer. She comes to the edge of a cliff. She sees a vine there, so she climbs down and holds on to it. Then she looks down and sees that there are tigers below her as well. At the same time, she notices a little mouse gnawing away at the vine to which she is clinging. She also sees a beautiful little bunch of strawberries emerging from a nearby clump of grass. She looks up, she looks down, and she looks at the mouse. Then she picks a strawberry, pops it in her mouth, and enjoys it thoroughly.” (Pema Chodron’s book, Comfortable With Uncertainty)

I'm off to pick strawberries..................

Links, tracking, and other things.

2010-07-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last year I did the Colorado Trail Race with the goal of finishing and figuring things out so that I could really race it in 2010. This year I am ready to go! I know there will be other, different obstacles to face that perhaps did not exist last year or did but maybe other concerns took precedence. Hopefully by Monday morning I will have my own spot tracker or be borrowing one, nonetheless, the tracking site is: http://www.trackleaders.com/ctr
The site for the race is: http://www.climbingdreams.net/ctr/

Thanks again to all my friends and family members for supporting me in this self-support event.

I have a race plan but you'll have to watch my spot to see how it unfolds!

CTR Round 2

2010-07-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

I am well aware that it has been just under a year since my last blog entry. That is all I have to say about that.

I have been on summer vacation from nursing school since around May 15th. I have been riding my bike since about May 25th give or take a couple of days. I have been training for the CTR since I got back on my bike in May. I know it doesn't sound like much time but it isn't. I hope it doesn't matter that much. I have really strong muscle memory but the pain of last year's race....GONE!

What can I say? I have been craving the CTR since 2 days after I finished last year. I have played it out in my mind a thousand and one times of how I can better and quicken my performance from last year's. And they do say....if you can go there in your mind you can go there!

This year there are a few changes for my CTR. Number one is that the first part of the CT is closed so the start is a little different. Secondly I have a new bike and will be on a single speed instead of a geared bike. I know people have many varying opinions about SS's in general. I chose this method for a simple reason, it is simpler. I just like it, it suits me and feels good. I have never had so much fun on the bike. I understand it may be harder and I may be slower. I also consider that it may work better and maybe I'll even be faster. I'm open to the possibilities. I've always been someone who likes change and challenge; I set out to accomplish just this.

Here are some pictures of my bike and my two favorite boys.

Matt and Ringo on top of Mt. Sneffels.

My bike on my back porch with a view of the National Monument.

2009-10-02T15:18:00.001-07:00

“In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.”

-Baba Dioum,
Senegalese ecologist

Finished the Colorado Trail Race

2009-08-12T14:08:00.001-07:00

#1 goal achieved...I finished! #2 goal achieved....I finished in 7-8 days #3 goal not achieved....I did screw up navigationally as feared and lost HOURS!!!!

I'm still really tired (sleepy) but my body feels surprisingly well. I can't believe I accomplished such a crazy monster of a ride. I'm high on life and need to put it all together in words before I forget.
I'll create some poetry and post sooner than later I hope.

The Colorado Trail Race.....

2009-08-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

......starts tomorrow at 6am. I don't know how long it will take me but I'm planning on definitely being out there 7 days probably more. The link to view my spot movement and possible call-ins is here just search for CTR '09 and it should be easy enough to navigate. I'll need lots of good vibes while I'm out there so send them my way. This is a total self-support event covering over 480 miles with much altitude gain. I've mailed myself a box to Buena Vista post office and included an extra pair of legs! I'll let you know how it goes when I return. Peace and love to all.

Long time no post

2009-07-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Too much happening to blog. I've been spending my weekdays working and my long weekends riding and training. I'm doing the Colorado Trail Race which starts August 2 (more later) and Lynda W. has helped me come up with a nice training schedule for it. Here are some photos of summer fun which include mostly bike-packing trips. Last weekend we went from Copper to Buena Vista via the Colorado Trail but had no room for the camera. It was a spectacular time though. These pictures are from a tour up on the Uncompaghre Plateau and we rode trails that give new name to the words "single track". Wow, were these trails covered with wildflower, cow poop and just shrubbery!

After pulling in around 11pm to our great big pine tree to sleep under. The single track was so grown over, it took us 3 hours to ride only a few miles!

Single track that you can actually see and not endo on because of all the hidden rocks! Matt and I both had at least one such incident.

Our second night out with the tarp tent...and it did rain. Won't have such a luxury on the CTR.

Grand Loop Done

2009-06-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

Matt finished the Grand Loop yesterday at 4:20 pm! It took him 3 days, 20 hours and 40 minutes. Let me reiterate MATT FINISHED THE GRAND LOOP. He had a sore rear end and an insatiable hunger. I'm so psyched for him, such an accomplishment and inspiration. I was glued to the computer this weekend watching the spots out there. Matt of course didn't have one so I watched mainly Jefe's. I got to meet Jefe at the finish thanks to that spot and it was so fun to listen to his stories and laugh. Jefe is an amazing rider and person and has a great attitude and spirit, a true mountain biker, earth dog and one humble dude. We love you Jefe!
Here are some shots of him at the finish.

I then went riding around the Tabeguache until early evening in hopes to get a glimpse of Matt even though I figured it was still too early; he wasn't planning on necessarily racing as much as just finishing the beast. I left and returned to the trailhead later until almost 10 pm, anxiously anticipating his return. I reasoned with myself again that he probably wouldn't be done until early am Tuesday. I headed to work at 5:45 am Tues and left him instructions to call me immediately upon returning to the house. By 10 am and no call my stomach started to turn. Logically it probably made sense that he wasn't back yet but anxiety and worry got the best of me and I became an emotional wreck. I kept thinking about the things that could happen out there and wondered at what point I needed to start worrying. The whole time following Jefe's finish I wished Matt had a spot. The day after Jefe finished I swore Matt would never do this again without a spot. I think I knew he was ok but weirdly became overly concerned with how he was feeling, how he was suffering. I know what pain is in endurance biking but to be out there for days alone with the pain is different. I had an overwhelming empathy for him and his suffering and "spoke" words of encouragement with eyes closed and heart open, hoping he'd hear me. It may all sound corny now that he's home safe and sound but it's just hard not knowing. He's now one on a short list of guys who have finished this. He's been humbled by the beast but modest about his achievement. Big congratulations to all who attempted, finished, didn't finish, rode their bikes this weekend for a long ass time on the Grand Loop!

The Grand Loop

2009-05-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Official race start time for the Grand Loop was 6 pm tonight from Tab TH in GJ. Matt is doing it, Jefe and Jim started also and the others are already out there. You can see updates from the forum: http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,211.new.html#new

Matt

JIM

Jefe

Riding up Monument Road.

These folks showed up but decided to bail once they saw the other guys' bikes.

Jefe and Jim have spot trackers and Matt does not. Maybe he can call from Bedrock to let me know he got there and when or maybe someone passing the other way will report when and where they see him. Wish 'em good riding, weather, conditions and navigation! I'm a little jealous that I can't be out there. I can't wait to hear how it goes.

"Always bear in mind that your resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing." -A. Lincoln

2009-05-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Familiar Places

2009-05-14T14:41:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow night at midnight I embark on one of my favorite journeys of the year. I'll be riding the Kokopelli Trail from Moab to Loma. It is roughly 145 miles of a combination of paved road, dirt road, single track and double track. I am joining some other folks for this event without any outside support. The idea is to complete this quest without help along the way, to push yourself beyond your limits and come out on top. It will be fun and there will be moments that probably won't be so fun. Needless to say I can't wait. I love this ride and I love how it makes me feel. More than anything I love the sections on Fisher Mesa, Onion Creek, Hideout, Cottonwood Canyon.....the views are amazing and you feel like you are the only one on the planet until you stumble across some other suffering soul in the middle of nowhere.

I'll filter water probably from Hideout Canyon and then again at the Westwater Ranger Station (no filtering necessary here) which is game. The station is only 20 minutes round-trip off course including time it takes to get water. It is well worth it as riding through Rabbit Valley in the middle of a hot summer day without water is not my idea of a good time. The first year I did this it took me 20.5 hours from Moab to Loma. The second year from Loma to Moab (considered harder, as you climb the mother from Dewey to the La Sals) it took me 18.5 hours. My number one goal is of course to finish and number two is to do it a little faster than 18 hours. I don't know that I can since I haven't been able to train as much being in school and working a lot. I don't feel in the greatest shape so we'll just have to see what happens. I'll finish, it just may hurt a whole heck of a lot.

I'm bringing an assortment of items with me. I'll have the usual perpetuem, cytomax and water. I'm receiving my new Ergon backpack tomorrow which I can't wait to try out! Thank you Jeff! For food here is what I'll be munching on: fritos, pringles, fig newtons, chips ahoy, apples, pb&j, one chocolate ensure, an orange, a lemon lara bar or two, snickers marathon bars or something along those lines, oh I almost forgot I'm freezing a ginger ale, putting it in a coozy (sp?) and drinking that treasure in some hot place (I'm sure I won't have trouble finding one) when I'm about to puke.

The cool thing is that Matt is attempting this for his first time. I've warned him that if he's curled up under some bush somewhere in the middle of the desert in fetal position, I won't be able to stop and help him, we're on our own for this one. He doesn't know what he's in for but it will be a blast to see him finish or him see me finish.

Continued after the weekend.........

18 Hours of Fruita Results

2009-05-04T08:22:00.002-07:00

Kris wins Fruita with 29 laps! Dereck Fish also wins, and the best part is that he thought he got second until after the race was over. What a great race for everyone. I loved being a cheerleader and spectator. The course got muddy at times with some on and off raining. On her last lap, Kris had to carry her bike since it wouldn't pedal and pushing it just picked up more mud. Anyone who rides in this area knows how it gets when it rains here, so you can only imagine the conditions of the course with 70+ teams. They re-routed the course towards the end of the race, knocking a mile off of it. Congrats to all who came out and raced, it was a great day. Soon after it ended there was a huge opening in the sky with hail and pouring rain; it came not a moment too soon.

Go Kris Cannon!!!!!

2009-05-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Just a last good wish to Kris Cannon who starts 18 Hours of Fruita tonight a 12am. I really don't miss that start. The good thing is that the sun comes up quick. Go Kris! You are going to charge the course! Anyone who knows Kris or is reading this, send her your good vibes. I'll update with results tomorrow. Also want to wish my friend Dereck Fish or Fish(not sure if he spells his name this way) good luck. Fish is racing in the solo category on his single speed. He won the race last year with 34 laps I believe. Yes, one will get dizzy racing this 5.5 mile course that many times around. Anyone else I know out there racing but don't know it now...BEST OF LUCK!!!! I'll be by in the morning to cheer you on!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ride strong and steady.

Ice Cream

2009-05-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

I've tried to give up ice cream but it just doesn't seem to work. It is especially good after an arduous, hot, desert ride. The reason for trying to give it up is because I hear about all these other racers and all the good foods they eat or the bad foods they don't. The truth is, I eat pretty healthy stuff, mostly organic and mostly vegetarian. Let's be honest though, a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream with some nutella on top tastes damn good!

Today I road from Moab to Dewey Bridge on the Kokopelli Trail. It was great and I'm tired and a little bruised. The weather was perfect, I got an early start and avoided the hot sun for most of the day. Near the end of the ride I got body slammed by some menacing sand. Wow, I went down hard and it really hurt. It is always my left hip that gets it too. Man, I'm pretty sure I'll have an extra hip by the time I retire from biking, as if I don't have enough hip as it is. I also kind of knocked my head and did a little whiplash number on my neck. One thing is for certain, I will be feeling the pain tomorrow. Matt met me with the car and dog at Dewey and he road from Dewey, actually he is still riding as I write this, to Fruita Kokopelli TH. Ringo (our dog) and I went to the boat ramp before driving back to Junction. My dog is crazy, he leaps through the water, runs fastly through the sand and charges me head on covered in water and dirt. He dried on the way home and the sand just kind of fell off him onto his bed in the car. He's one tired pup now.

The truth be told, I had first an ice cream bar, then a bowl of ice cream with the nutella. I feel great now!

Fun Fruita Folks

2009-04-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Fruita Fat Tire Festival filled with lots of fun. There were definitely some people in town and on the trails. I got to meet up with Kris and Kelly from Steamboat for some riding as well as our new friend Nancy from Moab. It was so fun riding with the girls, all very awesome strong riders....thanks ladies.

Last year at this time I was counting down the days before 18 Hours of Fruita, this year I have a different race agenda. As for 18 Hours, my friend Kris Cannon from Steamboat will be rocking it out. I am happily going over to support her in her first race of the season. Kris is a super strong rider and placed second last year in 24 Hours of Moab and first in 24 Hours in the Sage, needless to say she is a hammer. Good luck Kris, I'm proud to stand by you.

Here are some shots of Kris....always smiling. That was one of the first things I noticed about her, she smiles even after 20 hours or so.
Riding the line.

Final hours in 24 Hours in the Sage, Gunnison 2008

The Beatles

2009-03-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

While driving home from Denver last weekend I heard the tail-end of an essay written by a little girl on NPR's program, This I Believe. I just listened to the entire essay on NPR.org and posted a link to it for this blog entry. I love the Beatles. They speak to me too, and I love this little girl's essay.

A lot(sort of) has been happening since my last post. I am in school for Pre-Nursing still and am awaiting acceptance into Mesa's Nursing Program starting next fall. It is full on spring in Mesa County which offers great riding conditions. I'm not as obsessed about training this year as I have been in the past for a few reasons. One reason is that I am in school and working which only allows me so much time to play. Also,sometimes I just want to go on a nice long run or hike with my dog. Lastly I'm not sure if training harder really makes a difference in my personal performance. Many would argue otherwise but I really have learned a lot about my self and body this year. I'm happier if I'm not obsessed and being happy helps me use riding as a meditation and therapy rather than a competition. Don't get me wrong, I'll still be racing, just with a different attitude and different priority. I really can't afford to spend a bunch of money on expensive entry fees so I plan to do what I have been threatening for the last couple of seasons. I'm on the grassroots, self-support mission. I'll spend the money on a GPS instead and do some huge, self-support rides and bike-packing. It really is the way for me to go and I am free to do this since I am not a sponsored athlete having to fulfill expectations of my sponsors. Life will be lots of fun this spring and summer.

Anyone coming to the Grand Junction/Fruita area, please let me know and I would love to join you for some riding. I'm up for anything.

Winter in Grand Junction/Grand Mesa Marathon Ski

2009-01-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

I have been too busy stalking people on facebook to even think about "bloging" lately. Until last week I had not been on my bike since the "incident" in Moab. I chose one of the coldest days to get back on the saddle though, it was a high of 15 degrees last Monday when I decided to go for a ride. There is an open space area not far from my house that is snow covered so the conditions for riding were nice and hard. It's a great place to take my pup too. Since then I've biked one other time and temps were almost too warm, softer snow makes riding a tad more challenging.
My prebike moment:

Yesterday I participated in my first skate ski marathon. I figured the two other times I skated this year for all of 2 hours combined, was enough training to guarantee a good spanking. This took place on the Grand Mesa, one of the best places for x-country skiing in the state. The elevation starts at above 10,000 feet and tops somewhere around 11,000. The day was crystal clear and the snow was sticky slow. Out of the handful of folks that started only a few completed the entire 42k. Some of us actually did 48k (not on purpose) and others stopped after one loop or half the course, due to super SLOW conditions. I was the only female to complete the marathon and one other super fast girl did 21k. One guy who did it last year said it took him about 3.5 hours and this year he did it in 5.5! Needless to say, 2 hours could have been shaved off our times if conditions were better. We started a little after 10:30 and I was out until dusk. What a gorgeous day! It was cold, forcing you to keep moving otherwise numbness would set in to the toes and fingers quick. By the end my feet were frozen, arches throbbing and lateral sides of my ankles in pain. Actually these things set in just before the halfway point.

After the first loop and halfway through the ski, I really questioned if I could finish. Lots of people had stopped or did a modified version because of the conditions which gave me an excuse to want to stop too. After giving it some thought I figured I should at least try and race the sun. There was little gliding to speak of so I felt like I was running in quick sand. I could only go as fast as the snow and my unwaxed skis (I'm so unprepared) would take me. I told Matt to meet me at County Line (the trailhead we passed twice that would be a good bailout in case I couldn't make it the whole way) and when I got there it was 4:05pm. I was worked by then and doubted my ability to get back before dark. Matt reminded me of the full moon and that was the excuse I needed to finish this huge day. I slowly made my way back to the Skyway trailhead and enjoyed the amazing sunset during my favorite time of day. As I approached the last turn I looked back to see the full moon rising. A little emotion came over me as I celebrated my achievement and felt happy for such a spectacular day.
Here's a couple of photos skiing on the Mesa the week before with Matt and Ringo.

Ringo the wonder dog.

There was a bomb fire and hot soup waiting in the parking lot with lots of good folks to celebrate with. Information on the Grand Mesa Nordic Center and their events can be found at gmnc.info, or click on my blog title above. There may be a write up about the marathon on the website within a week.

Rest, recovery, work and school.

2008-10-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been up to. Now more than two weeks have gone by since Moab and I still have numbness and loss of sensation in my fingers and I'm still healing. I've been to the Doctor more days in the past 2 weeks than I have in 10 years and I'm still going. I am getting better but still not completely better, still can't ride, still can't run and can barely hike. I can't believe that this happened. It's crazy how sick I got and how fast it happened and how long the recovery road is.
Biking is my therapy, so not being able to do it lately has been tough. I know that rest now means health later. This has been quite the experience, the worst pain of my life. The pain still comes and goes and when going through treatments with my new best friend, my P.A., the pain can get out of hand to the point of tears. It has been a lesson for me though, as I try to see the good in every situation.

Not getting to podium in Moab has been hard to swallow but my health was/is more important and who knows what would have happened if I didn't stop when I did. I realize that maybe it wasn't my time and that my new friend, Kris Cannon needed to get 2nd that day instead of me. She rode strong and hard and was rewarded for her mighty efforts and she got to celebrate that. Of course there was that part of me that felt envy and sadness but once I could let that go and realize the selfishness behind it, I felt better, happier.

I want to thank all my friends who have supported me especially these past couple of weeks. Most understand how difficult it is for someone like me not to be able to do what I love most. My great friend Julie from Big Sky, Montana told me to "embrace the pain" as her pre-race advise. I shared this with Kris Cannon before Moab and we both copied the mantra onto a piece of duck tape and put it on our handlebars. I spoke with Julie about this the other day and she laughed as she most always does. Today I think about that and wonder if her advise can't be used for my post-race blues? Can I embrace the pain I'm feeling now? Not just the physical but the emotional. Maybe she spoke those words knowing that they were important for something else, maybe she didn't. I suppose embracing is accepting and just being, not changing, not judging. So, here I am 2 weeks after Moab, crying less, suffering less, stressing more. As I write I decide not to stress it anymore, worrying is wasteful. I trained this summer with Moab in mind, thinking that it would be my race, the one I was ready for. Well, I was ready, but someone or something had other plans so I have to just be. Sometimes life is out of our control and when we fight it we feel those unwanted feelings. The moral of the story? Simple, don't have expectations, just try your best and see what happens. Lynda Wallenfels quoted someone last year when she got sick right before Worlds (I think that was it). The quote went something like this "God takes things away from us that we care about sometimes to humble us." Perhaps I needed to be humbled. Don't we all?

Cellulitis

2008-10-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

That's what I got. It's been a hard few days. I'll spare readers the details but I'm on many antibiotics and hopefully on the road to recovery. Still have no feeling in my fingers so can't write much more. I still plan on giving the full race report once I'm feeling better. Thanks for everyone's great wishes and encouragement.

24 Hours of Moab Short Version

2008-10-12T19:59:00.001-07:00

I'll have to write more later as my fingers are completely numb. The short version is that I had a great race until somewhere around 3-6 am. I hurt a part of my body that made continuing near impossible. Initially it felt like a saddle sore until the pain spread to the front of my pelvis and it swelled up like a balloon. I went over the handle bars a few times and fell in various other ways but could not pinpoint what specifically caused it. My last loop started after 3am and it took me over 3 hours. I could barely ride, walk or just sit and coast. I knew something was up and it wasn't a "good" pain that I could work out. It got worse after I sat and right now it's hard to sit, stand or lift up my leg to get in bed. Hopefully it's just a bad pulled muscle or an infection or cist of some sort. If the swelling doesn't decrease I'll have to have it checked out. Tune in later for my full report.

24 Hours of Moab

2008-10-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

When: October 11, 2008 12:00PM Start
Where: Moab, Utah
Finish: October 12, 2008 1:00PM

Real time results can be seen on race website found by clicking on "24 hours of Moab" above.

White RIm In A Day

2008-10-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Matt and I rode the White Rim. For those of you not familiar, it is the 100 mile loop starting just outside Canyonlands National Park. Isn't it just like me to post this weeks after we did it? Here are some pictures.

Double Lives

2008-09-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Why, When I love the woods' cool solitude
Where leaves cast shadow shapes on leaves beneath
And frame the patchwork of the sky above,
Do I feel a peace and deep well-being
When I step into the light
And see the valley-farms, houses, fields-below?

Does the chaos and aloneness of the woods,
Where life and death lie littered on the forest floor,
Awaken need for order
In those tilled and tended places?

Like the frog an salamander we live doubled lives
Thriving in both wild and settled spaces.

by: Sabra Fields

Vapor Trail 125 Race Report......finally!!

2008-09-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

Pathetically this is the only picture of the VT 125 Matt took. The batteries died but I find the blurry shot quite appropriate. It is me finishing and it "clearly" represents how I was feeling.

I have been the ultimate blog slacker. I can’t believe it has taken me this long to post my Vapor Trail race report. I started working full-time and on the other days I am taking one class. I had two exams last week in the midst of my VT 125 recovery which by the way was lengthy.
I am not great at giving the play by play race report for a couple of reasons. The first one is I don’t think I’m good at it and secondly I’m not sure if anyone actually reads them. It’s all good though because I see blogging as a journal that I can look back on years later and have fond memories. If you do happen to be one of the two people that read this blog, let me know by posting a comment. It is so exciting to me to see a comment has been posted after one of my blogs, it’s like getting a letter in the mail these days.
Back to the Vaporizer. Surely the hardest race I have ever done. Those of you who have not been able to finish or unable to start, need to put this on your to do list. I feel every endurance biker should have this on your race resume. Again I have several reasons for believing this way. It seems like an achievable enough endeavor, 125 miles. We cover more mileage in 24 hour races after all. I am convinced however that the Vapor Trail somehow covers more ground in less mileage. The near 20,000 feet of climbing may have something to do with this. Hands down the Vapor Trail is the coolest “race” ever. It is an invitational event, not to say that I’m someone special for getting an invitation but more importantly I want to bring attention to its stellar organizer. Tom Purvis is one cool dude. Shawn Gillis is too. This is virtually a free event, there is no entry fee. There are stocked aid stations, this year free Ay-Up light demos and search and rescue cards paid for by Shawn Gillis. Now who would do all this for nothing? Stellar people. Thank you Tom and Shawn and Absolute Bikes. I forgive you now Tom for that Starvation Creek loop but don’t ever do that again.
So the line up this year was thicker than last with 40 or so people. I was one of two girls to start. The race leaves downtown Salida led by a pace vehicle until we hit county road to heaven, about 40 minutes maybe less. We started at 10 pm and my demo lights had ample power for the entire night. Thanks Darren and Brianna! These lights are bright and light, that’s all I ask for. I got to Absolute Bikes after 8 pm with a 10 pm start, over an hour after I wanted to be there. I almost didn’t go, feeling stressed about life. Matt finally got me in the car and drove me to Salida, showing me that he sometimes knows me more than I know myself. It’s funny but as I stubbornly told myself that I wasn’t going, I experienced a deep pain almost to the core of my heart. It’s hard to explain but as I imagined riding my bike through the night towards the Alpine Tunnel, hiking my bike up the CDT, seeing friends and familiar faces I started to miss it, to long for it, to crave it. I was craving the Vapor Trail, riding through the night and seeing the sun rise was something I didn’t want to miss. I knew if I made the decision not to go, I would be sad, I would regret it. So I went and am happy I did. As soon as I checked in the lady at the table (I’m sorry I don’t know your name) said she overheard a few people asking if I was going to be there and made some nice comments about me. This made me feel so good and happy to be among friends. This is my community and this is why I ride and race. I may only see these people a few times a year but when I do it’s just an awesome feeling. We seem to understand each other without saying much. In this crazy and sometimes negative society, finding a strong community through these endurance events has been very helpful to my soul. I’m so appreciative of that.
The night riding was awesome and I never got too cold. I stopped a lot though, to fiddle with this and eat that. Too many stops, too long, slow transitions for sure. Oh well, this was a training ride more than anything for 24 Hours of Moab. The sun rose after my Tomichi descent and during the start of the big mama hike-a-bike to Canyon Creek. This is when I felt my best. I love hike-a-bikes. I’m built less like a cyclist and more like a hiker (whatever they’re built like) and I have stamina. Walking up a hill over virtually a scree field doesn’t bother me. I passed a few people and that made me feel good because I know I’m staying strong at a critical point in the race. The descent was sweet and fun and pretty fast and would have been slightly more enjoyable if my hands weren’t numb. This is where I met up with Matt Juth and from here on out he would become my riding partner and companion to laugh and suffer with. We got to aid station #2 and I was starving. I hardly ate anything though which annoys me. I can never eat during these races. I had a couple sips of black coffee, a couple bites of muffin and attempted to eat some potatoes and I think that was it. For a famished girl that’s not much but by the time we climbed Old Monarch I was ready for more food. The folks at Monarch made us sandwiches, got our lights off our bikes and did just about anything we wanted. They were awesome! Really everyone was.
Off we went after probably too long of a time at Monarch. I wasn’t really paying attention to the clock. I knew I’d finish eventually so I just had to keep plugging along. The Monarch Crest Trail hurt, every little incline felt like the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Matt and I joked a lot and laughed which was much needed. The loop up and down and up Starvation Creek sucked. That’s the only word I knew in that 2.5 hours of agony, sucks. I couldn’t ride a lot of the more technical down hills through the tight narrow sections. I couldn’t find balance, I kept falling to……I can’t remember which side now. After Starvation we worked our way up, yes up again to Silver Creek and descended that to the beginning of the Rainbow Trail. The Silver Creek descent hurt and I felt like slowing down because every muscle in my body throbbed. Matt said that it would hurt whether we went slow or fast so we might as well go fast. He was right then my body just became numb and stopped hurting. We downed some soup and soda before Rainbow and I got the kick I needed despite burping the soup up for the next hour. You could smell the finish at this point so mentally I’m able to hammer it out. I wasn’t going that fast but if felt a heck of a lot faster than the previous section.
In the end I was the only female to finish. I wish more had come out and if the ones on the roster had, their names surely would have been above mine at the end of the day. Nonetheless I’ll take my 1st place finish with grace and pride and want to say congrats to Nicole Habay who has been out of racing for a few years and came back for this one. You’re awesome girl and it was great chatting with you at the start. Thanks for cheering me on at Silver Creek too.
As agonizing as the Vapor Trail can be at times and as many moments I had wishing something would go wrong with my bike that would prevent me from torturing myself any longer, I am ecstatic to have started and humbled to have finished. It is an event that I want to support because of Tom and Shawn and Absolute Bikes and Salida Trails and the volunteers and participants. Like I said earlier I see old friends and meet new ones and I feel so lucky for this. Thank you to all who cheered us on and supported us and made it possible to finish this great adventure. I love the beauty in it all. I take everything from this event; the good, the pain, the scenery, the agony, the climbing, the descending, the people, the volunteers and just the opportunity to pedal my bike on some of the most gorgeous terrain not only in Colorado but in the world and I cherish all of this as a gift.

Just some fun summer riding.

2008-08-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Getting started in Marble.

Bliss on the 401 trail in Crested Butte.

The Crystal Mill.

Must have coffee.

More of 401.

Morning at our camp spot.

Matt and I went on an awesome bike tour this weekend. We parked in Marble and headed over Schofield Pass to Crested Butte. Devil's Punch Bowls and Crystal Mill were just a few of the amazingly beautiful attractions. I was a total tourist stopping every few minutes to take pictures. I left the camera with Matt who isn't back from Summit until next week. Here is one of the Crystal Mill to tie you over until I get the camera back. I found it on the following website: http://www.atvtrails.org/Schofield_Pass.html

Other great rides this summer included my biggest group ride ever and that was on Lenawee Trail. You climb to the top of A-Basin and descend into Zuma. It's a pretty short ride but lots of elevation gain and fun, fast, single-track descending.
Katherine's brother, Richard.......

Looking into Zuma Bowl (a controversial decision involving the disapproval of many long-time locals)......

Katherine, the fastest female descender I know, my teacher, and great pal........

The group, Maya, Richard, Scott, Mark, Dawn, Katherine and I. Yes a huge group but loads of fun.......

Other fun stuff this summer.....Here is Christian, tired after The Firecracker 50, he told me he needed to get some cytomax.

The kids on Morgan Peak.....

24 Hours in The Sage

2008-08-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

I rode on a 5 person co-ed Absolute Bikes team for The 24 hours in the Sage. It was a great time and Matt was one of my teammates. He had a good time too and I think we are closely tied for the fastest lap. His laps were super consistent, all fast. I only did 3 laps because I arrived late so that I could take my CNA state test in Rifle that morning.
The hardest part about doing a team 24-hour is the waiting. Riding is awesome but then you have to stop just when you’re getting hot, try to eat sleep maybe shower and before you know it you’re getting ready for your next loop. Matt and I are talking about racing duo next year. It is such a great venue and everyone is super mellow and nice. The KOA in Gunnison is an awesome place to have this type of event. They served coffee and pancakes and sausage for breakfast! Mmmmm, that was delicious.
We got first in our category and I did have the fastest loop (just found out from the results), a mere 4 second margin!

I drove back solo to GJ after the race and had to stop to nap, I was practically falling asleep at the wheel. I start my A&P class tomorrow at Mesa State. I’m getting ready for the Tabeguache Trail this Friday. Go time is 12:00 a.m. from a brewery, so Matt Turgeon style. Purchased the BLM maps for Delta and Nucla today, I hope they help or I hope I can read them in the wee dark hours of the morning. Can’t wait for this one, it’s going to be an adventure for sure.

Here are some random photos. The first two are of Blue Mesa Lake which I took as I drove by it with the camera out the window. This was scenery on my way to Gunnison.

This one is the only race shot I got. Yes lame I realize but it is Matt finishing a lap in all his blur.

The Rio Stampede 12 Hour Endurance Race

2008-08-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

I’m a little late on my race report for this one but I don’t spend a whole lot of time in front of the computer. I suppose that is a good thing and means I’m spending more time outside. The scheduled 12 hour race turned into a 7 hour one. Hail and wind caused the early finish.

Ryan Huth and I travelled together for the short ride from Summit County. Matt decided to do a bike tour and would maybe meet up with us after the race. He (Matt) parked on Rabbit Ear’s Pass and was going to check out the Continental Divide Trail in those parts. He showed up after my fourth loop and before my last one. Just in time to clean up the big mess, the transition area quickly turned into what we all expected it would. When you stage a race at the bottom of a ski mountain under construction with no grass or any other erosion control devices, you are going to have a big old mud mess. I really enjoyed the race directors Katie and Brad so I don’t want this to come out the wrong way. I do have to be honest though even if it is a complaint. I was tired before I started this really arduous course, about 2,000or so feet of climbing per lap. Did I mention I’m not a strong climber? We had to lug all our “stuff” from our car to the staging area which consisted of about 5 trips to and from. My forearms were sore from carrying the heavy cooler. We also had to do the same to and from our hotel room on the third floor. The construction zone at the mountain didn’t allow for cars to pull in so unloading and walking a borderline uncomfortable distance was what our pre-race evening and morning consisted of. Not exactly the resting I was looking for before this effort.
Well now that I’ve vented I can talk about the actual race.

There were 3 solo females including myself competing. Erika Tieszen I knew and Kelly Bonaface I did not. Taking one look at Kelly I knew she would be tough. She’s built like a climber; lean, little and strong. I am built like a rugby player; tall, thick and strong. Erika is a strong rider too with tons of experience under her belt. I knew there was going to be a race this day and as soon as it began I knew I was going to get my butt kicked. I tried my best to hang onto Erika’s wheel but my HR was anaerobic and I knew I couldn’t sustain that without blowing up so I backed off. Then Kelly passed and disappeared just as quickly as she appeared. She was cute saying, “So there are three of us now so we’ll all podium”. I never saw her again. The climb was relentless, steep, slow, hard and back breaking. I had heard about the climb and one reason I did this race was to improve my climbing skills. The first lap was HARD, the second easier and I felt better, the third and fourth terrible and the fifth, ahhh the fifth. I loved the fifth! The dark clouds formed and thunder howled. I tried not to look up at the lightning striking virtually on top of me. The rain came and cooled me down which was nice, then the wind which made for a nice breeze that moved the rain from vertical to horizontal. The best was the hail. With no rain jacket or any warm wear to speak of, what choice did I have but to laugh? I laughed out loud and my terrible back pain went away. I was fixated on the descent, because I knew it would be hypothermic city. I figured they would have some garbage bags at the aid station on top to hand out or I figured they would call the race. I hoped to continue because bad weather is a true test of strength and determination and it can sometimes even out the playing field. I wanted to ride in this weather, finally getting another chance after Moab 2 years ago, they can’t cancel it. I reach the end of the climb and approach the tent with a dozen or so cold wet riders. The aid lady is waving me in saying the race had been called. We all go inside the gondola house to get warm, the race is over we find out a little later. We jump in a vehicle that transports us down the mountain and Matt has already moved all our “stuff” under a roof. There was still no escaping the rain and mud mayhem so we spent the next 3 hours cleaning up and loading up.

I felt bad for Ryan because he broke his chain on the first loop but had caught up by his sixth and was in fourth and riding strong. I think he could have done really well if it had continued. That’s mountain biking though.

Needless to say I came in third out of three and won $100 which more than covered my entry fee! I also got a 6 pack of Dale’s Pale Ale and some Smart Wool socks. These guys know how to have an awards ceremony. The raffle prizes were awesome, including a Yeti frame and some DT Swiss wheels. It sure is nice for us starving racers to have the opportunity to participate in an affordable event that knows how to reward their racers. The male and female payouts were also equal; a big thumbs up to Brad and Katie for that one. All and all a good time was had!

Breckenridge Beauty.

2008-07-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday’s fourth annual Breckenridge 100 with also my fourth year at participating in the race. For me fourth time happens to be a charm. I achieved my personal best time of 12 hrs and 55 seconds. I really wanted to break 12 hours and probably could have if I had a rear brake during the race. I hate excuses and hate when other racers make comments like “I could have beat this person or won or blah blah blah if I didn’t flat or crash or blah blah blah”, so I feel guilty saying this. I was as usual racing the clock though and descending fast could not be a priority today. I had to be conservative and gentle with the front brake. By the time I finished I will say that my front braking skills were quite good.
So, the race started like this:
I jump on my bike to run to the bathroom when I notice that my rear brake lever is touching my ergon grip. Not a good sign. I run around nervously with tears in my eyes venting to friends but feeling it’s not a nice thing to do that as they are rightfully preoccupied with their own pre-race goings on. “I just need to deal with this” I think to myself. I ask Thane if there is a mechanic and he nicely makes an announcement requesting help on my behalf. A gracious racer offers his support but not to my surprise there isn’t much one can do for an air pocket in a hydraulic disc brake. I quickly borrowed Thane’s phone to call Matt who realized that a phone call at 5:45 am probably meant that something has gone awry. He will bring a spare brake and put it on after the first loop if I can just make it down the Wheeler Trail. Uggghhhh!!! “Just make it down the Wheeler Trail”, a concept that is understood as no small task for all participating racers. I flailed on the single track section right before the hike-a-bike switch backs without a brake. It is technical on this part and with the morning dew still settled things were slippery and sketchy. I fell and stumbled, swore and mumbled. “God help me get through this” I prayed. As I approached the top of the climb I did what any well-raised Christian would do, I made the sign of the cross and prayed to safely make it down the Wheeler Trail. I did just that, within seconds I had a rear brake. I couldn’t believe it, so I took off still conserving as the fear of the brake failing at any moment was very real and very possible. Matt was in Copper on the bike path waving me down but I told him I was fine and kept going. I jumped on the Peaks Trail and made it back to Carter Park much faster than last year without that hike-a-bike. I transitioned for a few minutes, re-fueled and hydrated and was off.
Loop 2
After feeling like I was still sleeping on the service road climb on loop 1, loop 2 reminded me that I did have legs again and yes they did work. I also had Cytomax, my new-found miracle drink. I tried to just take every loop at a time, pretending that I only had to ride the loop I was on. This imagery tactic helps me mentally even though it may not be the best race strategy. If I let my mind wander too much into the dread of climbing back up Boreas from Como, I’d be doomed before I got there. So I got present quick and it actually worked. Little French went by a lot quicker than I thought it would. I walked a lot more of it compared to the Firecracker 50 but I didn’t want to waste too much energy here. The American Gulch descent was super fun but less fun than last year because of the brake situation. I didn’t miss the North Fork section of the Colorado Trail. I’ve had to climb that so many times in such bad condition that a new view was called for and even though we still climbed plenty, the change of scenery did me good. The other part of this race that I always dread is the end of loop 2, the Gold Hill Road section. Again I just kept moving, kept my momentum and stayed positive and it flew by. I was amazed when I came to the top of the climb. I felt so much better this year and I had lots more to give which benefited me since there were lots more to ride.
Loop 3
Mentally loop 3 is always the toughest. This loop has the most climbing which consists mostly of road. Climbing up Boreas from Breckenridge was also faster this year; I think the road was in better condition, really smooth and hard. I made it down the single track to Gold Dust with no crashes which I am always grateful for. The flume section of trail is just so fun, twisty, fast and cool that it made me feel like a million bucks. When I got into the Como aide station I asked for some caffeine and a fellow racer offered me a sip of his warm red bull. Thank you whoever you are!! I didn’t spend much time in Como and was riding away looking at my odometer knowing that 10 miles to the top was what lied ahead, not always an inspiring moment. The miles cruised by though. At times I was riding anywhere from 6-10 miles an hour and I was watching the clock diligently trying to break 12 hours. I caught up to Leon Fetzer on the road and no sooner did he drop me leaving me to finish out the last endless mile alone. I now think back on the afternoon and wish I could have hung with Donny, Big Wheel Racing rider, who came cruising by me from Como like he was fresh in the saddle and finished in 11:45ish. In the moment it’s hard to push it hard to the end, even though you know you want it. In the moment of the race things hurt that don’t hurt now and it’s hard to justify going any harder or faster knowing that it could exacerbate the pain. In this moment as I write this race report, I feel happy that I finished with the time I did but I wish I had pushed it just a little harder to come in under 12 hours. I didn’t feel trashed at the end of the race this year, which may mean I had more to give…..who knows though??
Basically cytomax was my #1 caloric source. I had 2 bottles of 500 calorie perpetuems, a pb and j sandwich, 4 or 5 pretzels, pepenzymes, water, vitamin-I, half a banana, 3 small pieces of watermelon, a joint juice, and some caffeine type orange powder drink from GNC (I experimented with this in the race which is a no, no but it turned out safe).
I had a great day and kept a smile on my face for most of it. I love riding my bike! I can’t imagine keeping up with the top females who finished in 10:00 to 10:30 hrs. Unbelievable in my book! It was fun to see Cullen, Thane, Matt Turgeon (toughest guy out there according to Matt Fletcher and I….single speed winner in 10:04, good enough for top 10 overall. Very impressive and pushing a BIG gear!), Bethany from Park City, Josh Tostado, Ryan Huth, Jeff Rank…….good friends that I know from racing and almost only see at races. Congrats to all the boys and girls who came out to play, who were supportive and positive and who had fun. Thanks Thane for being concerned about me and helping me out with supportive words and wisdom. Thanks to all the awesome volunteers for a great race and great aide stations. Thanks ladies for saving food for my slow self, even though I couldn’t eat it. And once again thanks Matt Fletcher for always being there.

Front Range 50

2008-05-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

It was a short and fast race. For a 50 Miler I was psyched with my 3rd place finish in my age group. More than that I was happy with my time. I was shooting for a 4:30 and I finished in 4:15! I cramped really bad in this race, everyone I talked to did also. I had to stop and fill up water bottles after the first loop and just had to stop and grab new ones every loop thereafter. I lost a few minutes each loop having to stop for drinkage but I expected that. We did 5 loops on a 10 mile course, the same time The Battle of The Bear XC race was happening. There was a lot of passing but everyone was super nice on the course. I felt consistent with lap times between 45-49 minutes. I think I had a 52 minute lap, which was my fourth I think.....major cramping on that one. I thought I could just hammer my final lap but I had nothing left and thought I was going to die. I felt terrible. I was cramping, thirsty/dehydrated, nauseous, and aching (back and head). I couldn't believe that feeling so awful I could still do a 45 minute lap. I guess sometimes it just doesn't matter what your brain is saying because your body just keeps on going. In these short races, every single second really does count. I made sure to big ring it on the flatter "rollier" stuff and really focused on keeping the momentum up. My goals were accomplished in this race: 1.) Ride 4:30 or less 2.) Keep going steady and consistent 3.) Try to podium in age group 4.) Be in the top ten overall.
It was a great way to spend the day and a great workout.

Results and pics

2008-05-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the lap results from 18 Hours of Fruita. In the column to the right where it lists our results there is a link to overall team results and I'm listed as Girls4Dirt which is a name that not many people know yet. Consequently no one knows or thinks I did the race! Very funny. I believe that pictures help tell a story and even though they are not stellar shots, they are helpful.

The start of the race. Looks like all other starts...dark, lights shining at the camera. We ran about 50 yards across the sandy beach to our bikes and were shortly off them again up a very steep short hill that without enough momentum or room, you weren't going to make it. Following that cluster with less than 5 minutes into the race I took an incautious sharp left and landed hard on my left hip. "ahhh!!!OUch!!!", I thought, "already". However, that was the one and only momentary lapse of reason.

My Specialized S-works Epic dusty and resting as my Ventana and I take a whirl on the course.

Still in the early am judging by the attire. The 12:00 am start was frigid, in the 30's and my feet thankfully stayed numb for the next 10 hours. I am really, really working on my form in this shot...head down, slouched back, straight arms, a work of art I tell ya. Jeesem I'm hurtin' already!!

Up that one switchback hill that just kept getting harder. By the end I was climbing it standing still. Quite a skill I may add, not many people can do that.

I think a good picture showing off our awesome team kits by Voler.

Okay enough of those pictures. It was all in all a fun event followed by a short results announcement and a taco party. Soloist got to eat first and a nice lady took me out of line so that I could do so. Yummmy, I was so excited that I could actually eat. I think it was all the ginger ale that kept my stomach functioning somewhat properly. No "podium" shots because there wasn't really one and Matt a.k.a. camera man, was graciously packing up camp during the awards.

I fell asleep within 10 minutes of getting into the van for our long 25 minute drive home. Shower and bed. Upon awakening the next morning, an ice bath to soothe those sore legs. Legs were good the following day but other parts still ached for a few to come.

Next stop is.....The Front Range 50. It is clearly a 50 miler, not my strong race but a good training event. I look forward to putting in a good strong effort and eating chicken bbq made by Dale from Oscar Blues afterwards!!!

18 Hours of Fruita Race Report

2008-05-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

I am still recovering and will give a better report with pics later as I have a sister, niece and nephew to entertain. I placed second in the solo female category and fifth overall (solo female and male). I completed 28 laps on a 6 mile course and stopped riding at about 17 hours and 30 minutes. I felt that 28 laps was enough of one course for one day and I knew 2nd place was mine so I stopped a little early. Jari Kirkland won with 31 laps! I was pretty happy with my performance being the first real race of the season. I spent April in Summit County where there is still a ton of snow. I did some road riding and went to Boulder once for a mtb ride. So considering the challenges of training on the bike this last month I feel really good about Fruita and feel I'm strong and ready for the '08 race season. Details to be continued...

Dawn 'til Dusk

2008-04-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

The best part about doing a long technical self-support mountain bike ride in the desert is that I get to spend virtually every minute of daylight outside, on my bike, and in the beautiful outdoor world. I am truly lucky and appreciative to be alive, healthy, strong, motivated and in possession of a fine bike. I am also lucky to have Matt Fletcher as my partner because he is a wonderful self-taught bike mechanic and a genius when it comes to conjuring up ideas on how to make a bike self-support race ready. Oh, not to mention Matt also happens to be quite the bike rider and last Saturday proved himself to be a pretty good racer as you can see by the results here. Not bad Matt for your first “race”.
Photo taken of Matt by Tom Purvis.

My main goal for the Rim Ride was to have and stick to a nutritional plan. Believe it or not I have never controlled my nutrition in races before hence the nausea I experienced in every race last summer. It felt great to be in control of my caloric intake and even better to reap the benefits of this new found strategy. No nausea until about the 12th hour and I’m pretty sure I know why.

We started riding at 6:20am with lights. Up the bike path towards Bar M Loop we went soon to enter Rockin’ A slickrock trail. The name is appropriate as my lower back suffered immensely. I thought I was in trouble when at only hour 1 my back already felt like I had been on my bike for 10 (hours). Luckily I was able to stretch later on and take some Excedrin to help soothe the pain. On Sovereign trail I fell and broke the end off my brake lever. I thought because of the impact of the fall that my left Ergon grip would have been broken in half, but there was zero damage to speak of. The grips are awesome, I use the GC2 Grips and when I used to experience numbness in my hands pre-Ergon grips, now I only experience pain in my butt. I started to leap -frog with Brad Mullen, Adam Lisonbee, Tom Purvis and Matt Fletcher starting on the Sovereign Trail and gradually by the end at the “top” of Poison Spider it was just Brad and I.

Rather than going into all the details of the different trail segments I’ll just point out some highlights. Actually seeing Lynda during the first 5 minutes of the race was cool, she was on her SS of course but I’ll take what I can get. She is my hero. The morning sun on Poison Spider Mesa seen from Sovereign was spectacular, almost surreal. Taking an Excedrin (or 3) on Seven Mile and feeling like a new woman afterwards enabling a slow (as usual) but steady pace until the very end was life saving. Matt finishing and finishing 20 MINUTES in front of me, after feeling at mile 30 he couldn’t make it, was a great example of how if you endure the worst will pass. Seeing Josh Tostado coming up behind us on Gold Bar Rim when he started almost 3 hours after us was not only a humbling experience but testament again to what a strong and amazing athlete Josh is. Having a friend like Brad Mullen to finish such a long day on the bike with was a gift. The end of this one happened to be the hardest for me with some nausea setting in during the last hour, I couldn’t pull a strong finish together but I finished and that is always the #1 goal. On Potash Road Brad not only accompanied me to the finish but he practically pulled me in. He would actually stop and turn around to come back and ride with me when he’d get ahead. He also gave me a peppermint candy which was like gold at that point. Thank you Brad, there are not many men or women that would sacrifice a sprint to the finish to keep a tired and hurting rider company.

All in all the day was a wonderful success and adventure. I can’t stop thinking about how great it is to live on this beautiful earth and be able to see a great portion of it from the view of my handlebars. I also can’t stop thinking about the KTR!!! Moab to Loma this year is going to be pure bliss. Happy riding and thank you everyone for an awesome day.

Rim Ride Tapering

2008-03-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have figured out that being consistent is hard for me. This is why having a coach is helpful. All I need is a personal assistant to help me with my blog and help Girls4Dirt get sponsorship. Dream big right?!!? I have been enjoying the fine weather that Grand Junction has to offer this time of year. Finally got to take the leg warmers off this week to show off the pale legs! Getting ready for my first big ride of the year next weekend. I'll be heading a mere hour and a half away to Moab, one of my favorite places on earth. The Rim Ride is my favorite kind of race/ride. It is a self-support 100 mile mountain bike race. No caches, no drops, no cheerleaders and no course markers. For me this is what mountain bike racing is all about. Physical stamina is extremely important but preparation, navigational skills and endurance of everything are the ingredients necessary to ensure a finish. That is my first goal.....to finish. I have no idea how long it will take and I'll keep those expectations to myself. Training has been good, going fairly strong since early February. I don't feel it has been too hard (the training) and that makes me nervous. I think in order to conquer a ride like this, I need to hurt before going into it with enough time to recover before the race. In 7 days I'll know if I did enough hurtin' to prepare for the technical desert riding Moab has to offer. Tune in next week to see how it went.

Here are just some pics for folks who haven't seen where I live now.....

View of The Monument from the house.

Winter biking in Moab, Klondike Bluffs area...

New Year Biking

2008-01-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

Matt and I decided to toughen up and do what we moved to Grand Junction to do......ride our bikes. We headed over to Kokopelli in Fruita and did a couple of loops by the river. It was a gorgeous day and turns out we weren't the only loony ones out there in these temps (mid 20s). It was my first real snow biking experience. Most of the trail was actually dry (well 50%) and since it has been so cold the snow stays nice and hard making cornering and climbing quite manageable. It was a ton of fun and I can see how riding in the snow helps bike handling skills. Being on your line and keeping your upper body strong are two ways of making the experience a successful one.

Here's Matt wizzing along Rustler's Loop on his 29er (I know it doesn't really look like snow biking here but I promise there were some sections, but nothing compared to the high mountain riding).

Just a couple pics from the parking spot to show the amount of snow around (I've been told it's a lot for Fruita this time of year.

No pics of me riding 'cause the batteries died. I realized as I was ascending the first hill on Mary's Loop that the last time I did this was in May at the beginning of the Kokopelli Trail Race. Ahh the memories.

It was a great day and way to spend New Year's. I'm totally psyched to be back on my bike. Oh and Matt has so graciously rebuilt my Blur which has been sitting without arms and legs since July. He has set it up trail bike style with some fatter tires, sturdy wheels and of course the Blur is already such a great trail bike with a nice cush suspension. Boy did I miss riding her.

Happy New Year to all!!!

Kokopelli Trail Race 2007

2007-05-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

May 18th, 2007: Somewhere around 10:30 pm the BLM showed up, just before the 12:01 am start time. Panic set in as they started saying we couldn’t have this race. Finally a $275 dollar ticket was issued and a bunch of us rode the Kokopelli from Loma to Moab (to make a long story short). Some folks started before the 12:01 time and about 25-30 of us waited until midnight.

Riding at night felt great, it was so warm and the sky was clear but the little moon there was slowly disappeared. The singletrack section (the first 15 miles) got more technical and less manageable. I fell pretty hard on my left arm and talked myself into relaxing a bit knowing that an injury now would cost me big later. I couldn't seem to stay on my bike, walking stuff I'd normally ride. I think my seat was a little too high. I had too many things mounted to the seat post though so there was no adjusting at this stage of the game. Once I finished the hike a bike out of the Salt Wash I felt better.

I decided to ride fast the rest of the night since I felt so good and got to Dewey Bridge by 8:15, filtered water (sour, yuckee water) and started the long and arduous climb towards the La Sals which would last the next 10 hours. The climbing was slow and hot but the company was good. There were about 5 of us that kept yo-yoing each other. It’s always nice to know you’re not the only one out there suffering.

I kept my eye on the clock and kept my breaks short, filtering quickly and drinking lots, I was set to finish in 18 hours. I was struggling on and off almost the entire race with waves of nausea. I kept it at bay though, which was a blessing.

Second filter location, Hideout Canyon with about 10 other people. Funny things were said and people were tired, for me it was the comic relief I needed. I tried to keep may stay short as the shade and cold creek were way too inviting. Nearing Fisher Creek there was a little rain which cooled things down a bit. The lightning kind of freaked me out and I began having irrational thoughts of dying on the trail....it passed. By the time I descended Castle Valley I was fine but not feeling super strong for that last push up La Sal Mountain Loop Road.

I never doubted I could do it and quitting was never an option especially not at this point. I just didn’t know how fast I could do it and it was 4:15ish so I had to dig deep if I was going to make it in 18 hours. I topped the climb at around 5:35 and kept moving to fly down the big descent to the finish. Turns out this descent never wanted to end and the head wind was downright apathetic to my 18 hour finish time goal. I rolled in around 6:30 and lit up with a huge grin as I passed Matt taking my photo.

I had goose bumps I was so happy; I did it, finished that is. At that point I couldn’t have been disappointed with the extra 30 minutes it took especially since I was almost 2 hours faster than last year. Completing a race like this is a success in itself and I had conquered it along with 34 other people out of a 60 person start. I was the second female and 18th overall. Lynda Wallenfels smoked the course in 15:06. Dave Weins was top male in 12:45!

Overall it was a humbling and as usual for a race like this, character building experience. I’m still recovering; my neck is tight and my shoulder feels like needles are being poked in it, sometimes knives. My mind and heart are bobbing around, not so happy to have returned home to cold weather and snow. Nevertheless, I successfully completed my first and favorite race of the summer. The endorphins are slowly wearing off which sends my emotions flying, but I know that’s a part of it and it shall pass.

As for now, rest, relaxation, hydration than get ready for the next one. I have to say though that this one is special, more than the others could ever be. It sits deep in my soul and somehow shapes my heart. I don't know if this makes sense but I actually miss the KTR. Riding the KTR last year and this year was like a soul-searching retreat, an escape from the material world. The desert heat and sand have little mercy on a suffering, tired body trying to reach a tangible goal. The elements perform as they must without thought or consideration nor without judgement. Me, my bike, the earth.....pure, natural and free.

Kokopelli Trail Race Preparation Days

2007-05-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

I thought I would recap on the past month before I give my full KTR report since I haven't been up to date with my blogs.

I had just less than four weeks to prepare for this one as I arrived in Fruita April 21 to begin riding my bike that other than a few rides in Fruita mentioned earlier, had been collecting dust since last October. I was so happy to be on my bike that I blew off the pain I was feeling in my lower back. I woke up day five, moved the wrong way and just like that my lower back completely seized up. I cried over my cereal and wondered why this happened and how I was possibly going to accomplish my May 19th Kokopelli Trail Race only 3 weeks away.

After an acupuncture appointment that morning and a muscle relaxer that evening, the next day I woke up still tight but good enough to ride. Lynda Wallenfels consulted me on a 3 week preparation plan for the race and I was able to stick to it and so began the race day countdown.

My significant other, mechanic, advisor, and best friend Matt Fletcher arrived 2 weeks after I did and spent the next 2 weeks making my bike race ready. We always find ourselves contemplating the same question prior to these races, “Which bike should I ride?” I had been training on my Ventana, very light but not as much travel as my Blur. I figured for the 142 miles I should take something with a little more cushion to help absorb things a little better. Turns out after 142 miles, you’re hurting so badly anyway that I’m not sure it matters. The Blur it was though. The tuning and changing and fixing began. Matt mounted two more water bottle cages on the frame and attached everything else he could so I didn’t have to carry it on my back.

He bought me a great bag called the Wing Nut (appropriate name I thought) which moved the weight from my shoulders to my lower back. I had a patch/tool kit as small but prepared as could be. I tried to figure my caloric intake needs and all that other stuff to carry only what I needed and again avoid a heavy back load like last year. I was ready as I could be and my training was going well, now it was just to complete the race in 18 hours. This year the race went from Loma to Moab which was said to be harder but I wasn’t scared, I like to climb and I don’t mind the heat………..

MORE RIDING IN BEAUTIFUL FRUITA

2007-03-26T13:35:00.003-07:00

I had the great luxury of returning for another weekend of fun Fruita riding. The weather was spectacular. I cruised from home after work (5 massages!) at around 9 pm arriving at 18 Road by 12:30 am to camp with a friend. Rode from camp both days. I felt strong and feel like I'm getting into the groove again. Being off the bike for 5 months (I live in the mountains so i ski in the winter) is always tough. I feel like I have to get used to how the bike handles all over again. I must say though that each year I feel a little stronger and more comfortable. I can't wait until the 20th when I head west for 4 weeks. All I am going to do is ride, eat and sleep. Yippee!!!!! Now I massage my brains out and go to the gym, run, ride on the road and hopefully a couple of trips to Denver to ride the trails. I am definitely considering moving west next year so that I can pretty much ride year round. As Lynda Wallenfels says, "In order to be stronger on your bike, you have to ride your bike year round."

Fruita Riding

2007-03-26T13:35:00.002-07:00

I just had 3 great days of riding in the Fruita/Grand Junction area. I took my Ventana since my Blur is waiting for its new drive train from Sram. I loved how sweet my Ventana was riding. I just felt on my game with technical riding and climbing. My hot pink Ventana certainly is a great climber, light and free. I got to demo (for free!!) an Epic by Specialized and have to say it was nice. It was a women's specific large frame and fit wonderfully. I love the brain on the rear shock which makes it climb like a hardtail. So, as far as my rides..... Day #1--Rode the Monument for a 3.5 hr ride, sweet single track and fun technical moves, a beautiful blue sky day. Day #2--Rabbit Valley to Loma on the Kokopelli Trail. Training ride for the KTR on May 19th. Happy I did it again since I totally screwed that section up last year. Day #3--Back to the Monument on the demo bikes--Holy Cross trail, fun and technically challenging but I rode more this time than last time I did it so that's always great. Hope to return next weekend than for a month starting April 19th!!!!!!!!

spring training

2007-03-19T10:37:00.001-07:00

This is my first official blog. It is March in Colorado and it feels like Spring, should be snowing but what are you going to do? Anyway I have been in training mode all winter for the upcoming mountain bike season. I have been skate skiing, snow shoe racing, running, gym and a wee bit of riding just recently. I had the pleasure of riding at Green Mountain in Denver and am heading to Fruita this week for three days of riding and hopefully good training. Of course it is supposed to snow here Thursday.

So far my race plans for this season include The Kokopelli Trail Race which is to my surprise on May 19th. I literally just found this out as the original date was the 4th. Oh well, more time to train, very nice. So my plan is to leave Colorado and head to Moab by the 18th of April. I'll train there for several weeks until the KTR than home again for some high altitude. I would love to do The Seven which is a 7-day mountain bike stage race from Victoria to Whistler. Still exploring the possiblity of sponsorship as entry fee is costing a pretty penny. The dates on that are July 1-7, 2007. Other options are Breckenridge's Firecracker 50, The Breckenridge 100, Montezuma's Revenge, Kona's 24 Hours of Granby/Winter Park, and 24 Hours of Moab. These are some of the races I did last year and pretty close to home so that always makes things a bit easier.

I'm signing off for now.