Getting Away--In the Slow Lane of the Interstate

This was another awesome day. This is better than winning a race. I went to race in Eagle, CO (in Vail Valley). It came up at the last minute, most of my teammates are racing Mt. Evans today. I love to road trip with others, but do enjoy time alone, too. No other women showed up to the 1/2/3 race so I got the "win" and prize money. Cool, it paid for gas. The best part, though, was getting to race with the 1/2/3 guys. I've been wanting to do that, but I'm not bold enough to jump in one of their races without a seemingly compelling reason. The guys were decent, and
I tried to uphold my end of the deal by not letting a gap open up between me and the guys in front of me.

After the race, I went for a two-hour ride up to the town of Gypsum and into the mountains. The pics to the left are from that ride. Around every turn was an even more beautiful area, the sun was shining nicely on the hills and peaks of mountains off in the distance. The hills were green, absolutely green. These pictures don't do it justice. How can you stop riding and decide to turn around?
Well, food is my limiter. I was worried about getting a "hunger flat." It was very hot and it was impossible for the boiling water in the water bottles to quench my thirst. The market in Gypsum had the only thing that would help: chocolate milk. While gulping it down, it was necessary to read the bulletin board at the market. Funny, yes, but it reminded me about how I'd like to raise chickens someday. (Not just because of the movie, either!)

After getting back to the car and taking a "shower" in the sprinkers, I found this great bar and grill in Edwards, CO (The Gore Range Brewery). They had a smooth, rich stout on tap called the Biker Stout that was...too good to describe. Got a nice spot at the bar, right in front of the t.v. with the Tour and Floyd riding to victory. I wouldn't have traded today for anything in the world.

Boulder Creek

The Boulder Creek was the place to be today. Hundreds of people were there tubing in the refreshingly cool water. This morning was a hill climb race from Boulder up to Nederland. It was only 4500 ft of climbing or so, but it was very steep in many locations. In the 100 or so degree weather, it was brutal. I've worked a lot on my climbing, but I still have a lot of work to do. This was very good practice for other climbing races coming up. After the race (and a post-race ride), I took a dip in Boulder Creek. It was the next-best thing to a shower. Simply marvelous! 

Go Blue Train!

The guys came out very early to the race to cheer us on before their race. They set up the tent and supported the other racers who came in with flats. Twin Peaks is a fine example of good sportsmanship in cycling. Racing is so much more fun with the support, cheering and people to hang out with before and after the race.

 

Ft. Morgan Crit

Jen, Leigh & I represented the women's team in Ft. Morgan yesterday (women's open race). How fun it is to race with teammates (these are not just any teammates, either)! It was hot (107ish) and none of us were able to talk very well after the crit was over (result of breathing the burning air so long and hard).
It was an amazing race--I finished 1st cat 3, 5th overall coming in 2nd in the field sprint. This was the most adrenaline-filled finish so far this season. Very, very satisfying.

Win!

Today I won my first race ever!!! (A cat 3 only race). It was awesome...a few girls out there were on the same team (and they're very strong)...they kept attacking and attacking. One other girl and I chased down each one. On the last lap, I hammered the final hill, so scared someone was going to pull around me at the last moment. Found out later that I had a 20' gap on them! Woohoo! Got a medal for the wall (that's better than cash in my book, but the beer prime would have been nice). Time to get on the trainer. This isn't the last race of the season.

Race in the Rain

I got my wish. Last week I was bummed that the race was cancelled prior to the rain pouring. Today it rained (hard, for most of the hour crit) in Boulder. The crit course is sketchy without rain. With rain, very interesting. There was one corner I felt my back tire lose the pavement every other lap. There were 35 laps. After the race, I went for a ride, that helped clean me and the bike off well. (pic will be here soon). The race went well--I ended up in a chase group that caught the lead group with 1 lap to go. They were shocked ("they were lapped, right, right? noooo...") Ha, funny to see 1/2s panic like that. I was there for the sprint, but felt it best to stay safe because there's an important race tomorrow.

Dead Dog Friends

Jen, Lana and I had a fabulous weekend racing Dead Dog. Jen and Lana had a very successful weekend and were looking good afterwards. I was in need of a shower and a nap.

Lana, we're all going to miss you so much. But you're a good excuse to do some CA racing. Those long, cold, epic winter rides in Boulder won't be the same without you.

Avalanche

My brother and I went to an Avalanche game in March. We rarely get to hang out, but it's always fun when we do. I can't believe he's getting ready to get married this summer. Luckily, his future wife will be a good sister-in-law. I enjoy watching hockey, though hardly ever get the opportunity to go to a game. In general, I enjoy watching sports I don't know how to play...with cycling being an exception. Thank goodness OLN has a website and some video clips there. Life without a t.v. is the best way to live *except* during the Tour de France.

Tour of the Gila

This is before the start of the third day of the Tour of the Gila (the fifth day for Art and Mike, shown in the picture). They met the previous week at another stage race in Arizona. Thank goodness, too, Art was staying with the coolest host family and he didn't mind sharing the space. That made the trip a complete experience. Two stage races in two weeks. I can't imagine. And they were having fun with it. It's an 11 hour drive each way to get to Silver City, NM. This was my first stage race--only 3 days, but that was plenty.

The point of this picture is simply to show how short I am. Well, Art is 6' 7", the tallest bike racer (wait, tallest person) I know and Mike is well over 6'. They and our host family were really supportive when I came home banged up from a crash on the second day. That was my first real road rash. I've crashed a few times before (not in races), but nothing that amounted to anything. Tegaderm bandages rule. I'm glad to have the shock of crashing out of the way. I think I'm a little less scared of racing and crashing now (as strange as that may sound).

Team in Moab

This is the third day of the team spring training camp. Behind us is Arches National Park. Another beautiful day! Soon it will be too hot here to enjoy the riding, good timing.