I Should Really Know Better By Now...

I haven't even finished my post from yesterday entitled "Permagrin All Day Long", but it plays into today's, so I'll give you the title. I've been trying really hard to stay off of the damn proverbial rollercoaster, but I just can't! Hello...I want off!! It should have dawned on me that as great as yesterday was, something would have to even that out. Well today did, hands down. Some things about today were great. I got to hang out with Lisa all day and I haven't gotten to see her very much because I've been so busy with school. Also, I got to see two ripping 20" riders and Nate Adams throw down at the Road 34 House Jump Jam, so that was cool. Oh ya, and David Camp killing it on the 16" coaster bike was pretty sweet. Other than that, today might have been one of the worse days that I've had in a long time. To add injury to insult, the drive up to Fort Collins reminded me of my dog Bridger most of the way. It was almost exactly this time last year that I made the drive up there 1-2 times a week to take him to chemo for lymphosarcoma. Thinking of him really reminds me of how wonderful dogs are. They love you no matter what! It's pretty much unconditional, no strings attached, and honest. What more can you ask for? I think I need to get another dog.

Permagrin All Day Long

Ahh, early morning shuttles in the rain!

So, it has become a bit of a tradition to do Friday Morning Shuttles on the pipeline trail. I have to say that I am a big fan of this tradition, as it gets my Friday morning off to a great start! This morning was no exception! I got to TJ's and Jon was already there waiting in his truck (still up without any sleep, no doubt, because Jon's "daytime" schedule doesn't follow the same course as most of ours!!). TJ, however, wasn't quite as ready to roll as he normally is for our early morning riding sessions! He opened the door still "getting ready to go". hahaha David Camp rolled up a few minutes later and we made the call that we were still going to ride even though it was raining out. (We're pretty spoiled with our normal Colorado riding conditions!) We picked up Caroline and Jessica and were on our way. 6 people and 6 bikes was easily doable in Jon's fabulous shuttle vehicle. I think we could have gotten one more. Now we just need to give a 5-speed driving clinic, and we'll be all set with 6 shuttle drivers. Today we only had 4.

TJ's so good at loading the bikes that he
can pretty much do it in his sleep. =)

David's homemade DH bike, The DC Special giving my new Glory a little hug

The trail was a lot of fun with a little bit of rain and snow on it! It was a little bit cold and pretty early for most people, but it was a ton of fun and I think we all had a good time. Even David had a good time on his DC Special (his "homemade" welded DH bike). David and I took the same welding class, at different times, and he came out of the class confident enough to weld a bike. I came out of the class psyched that my recycled bike art welding projects MIGHT hold together!! Kudos to David!!

Two of Boulder's finest Pro DHers, TJ Sharp and David Camp

A little mud love for our bikes. It's almost always dry in CO, so we can't complain too much.

I gave TJ the super Calc II shuttle and then headed to work to make up some excuse about why I was getting there after 10:00. I walked in and nobody was there. Awesome. It's days like this that I'm excited that I didn't get there at 8:00 ("on time") because no one noticed the difference! I promptly left to get some coffee and breakfast, as I was starving and needing a caffeine fix! Einstein's it was. They had my favorite coffee, Cinnamon Hazelnut. Just one more reason to add to my permagrin today.

Work was crazy, as to be expected, so I just took it in stride. Got off at 5ish and joined Eszter, Kevin, Heather, and Miller for happy hour at the Southern Sun. I got there round 5:50 and ordered a Korova Cream Stout on nitro and an Amber. The bartender asked for two i.d.'s. I had to explain to her that both beers were for me! =) Happy Hour was ending in 10 minutes. You can't gamble with timing like that!

So, I sit down at the table and Eszter says, "So, I guess the DHers did shuttle runs this morning?" I say, "Ya. What, did you see TJ parading around campus in his sweet, muddy moto pants?" (Eszter is TJ's Physics TA) Last week she saw him DH- clad, late for class on Friday. This time, however, she didn't see him walking around, she saw our awesome lines down the Pipeline trail, several hours later when she and Heather rode down the trail. She said she could tell from the crazy lines and skid marks that we had been riding there! Awesome! Too bad we can't recruit her to the darkside...I think she would kick ass! She's really good at that uphill riding nonsense, so I guess we wouldn't want to steal all of the raw talent!

I Really Hate Bad Dreams!

You know, a lot of people say that they don't remember their dreams. There are a lot of times when I wish I was one of those people. Last night I woke up at 1:40 after having had a horrible, horrible dream. I felt like I was going to throw up because the dream bothered me so much. Some of you might think that I was dreaming about "snoks", but I wasn't, it had to do with people I know. I guess the trade off is that sometimes my vivid dreams are REALLY cool, so I guess I don't know if I'd give those up to not have the awful ones!

Like most things in life, there's always a trade off or a balance, I suppose.

Bad Way to Start Your Day...

So, I was already going to be late for work this morning, but I just could not get out of bed after a weekend of epic riding (and some racing, too). I was really looking forward to a cup of yummy Einstein's coffee on my way to work. I got there and realized that I didn't have my wallet, went home to get the wallet, and then went back to Einstein's. I filled up my 20 oz. cup of piping hot coffee and made my way to my car. I got in and was trying to move stuff to put the coffee in the cup holder when the lid came off, and I dropped the coffee, spilling it all over myself. It was ridiculously hot, and I spilled nearly every drop either on my pants or all over my car seat! I don't think I've ever gotten out of my car that fast. There was someone waiting for my parking spot who got to witness the whole event and have a laugh to herself, I'm sure! Yea, Happy Monday!

Doubly in the Minority

So, I am pretty used to being THE only or one of very few girls in the groups that I hang out in, but tonight I was not only the only girl, but I was the only white girl at the table with 5 cute Asian boys eating sushi! Lucky me. =) It was pretty funny when we noticed. Hapa Happy Hour is the best! I hadn't had much to eat all day and had done a pretty good XC ride with Rudy at Betasso earlier in the evening, so I was ready to eat some sushi! Their rice beer is pretty darn good, too. Just like rice milk is WAY better than real milk!!

Okay, well off to bed so I can get up and do some DH shuttles in the morning before work.

One other note. I wasn't have the greatest of days today, and then a lycra clad XC guy made my day (hard to believe I know)! I had flown by the guy on the descent and then he (of course) caught me quite a bit later on the climb. When he caught up to me, he said something to the effect of wow, you did a really nice job of riding that back there. I mumbled something to the effect of thanks, and he said, "That's so cool!" That returned the smile to my face that had left sometime earlier in the day. It's awesome when I guy not only respects a girl's riding but thinks it's cool when she rides something faster or harder than they do! Thanks Rocky Mounts XC guy who made my day!

I Love Colorado!

I pull up to the parking lot to go on an XC ride this morning and there is nobody else there! I LOVE it! My fitness has taken a turn for the worse as a result of the Sea Otter "weekend" and last week's work/school insanity, so I passed up a DJing with Lisa this morning to get a good XC ride in, and man am I ever glad that I did. I got my bike ready to go and rolled out. Springtime in Colorado is amazing. It was already 60º at 8:00 in the morning and the pine trees smelled amazing. I took off down the trail, concentrating on pumping the backsides of rollers and out of the berms. Before I knew it, the rolling twisting descent had ended and it was time to start the climb. It's funny what you notice when you're descending at a fast rate and what you notice when you're climbing (slowly, in my case!) Every once in awhile there would be the most delicate, perfect purple flower just starting to bloom on the side of the trail. Beautiful. I love flowers. I'm sure the other part of the trail had them, too, I just didn't notice until I slowed down enough to see them. Funny how that's sort of how life works sometimes, too! Sometimes I have to consciencely pay attention to see if I'm missing things because I'm going too fast to pay attention.

I hope that you get to enjoy this beautiful spring day, wherever you are today!

Day 5+++: MX and the EPIC Drive Home

So Sunday got off to a start with the amateur MX finals. I had qualified second behind one of the two junior BMX rippers that showed up, the other sister qualified third. In the first round I had gate choice and a moto with one of the BMX sisters. I got a bad gate start and wasn't as far ahead of the girl going into the berm as I had hoped. She was on my right side and was leaning on me pretty hard running into the first right hand berm (she'll have to gain about 20 pounds if she wants to push me over in the future!). The course was set up so there were both berm options and inside line options that had either rollers or jump-like features. Well, I could tell the girl wanted to ride the berm, not the rollers on the inside of the turn, so I just held my line, barely to the left of the rollers and set her up to have to ride the rollers. Well, she was going too fast to handle them, apparently, and flew off the course, almost taking me down with her. While I felt bad that she flew off of the course, I was happy that I wouldn't have to contend with sister tag team duo in the finals.

It's Fun to Race When There is Strong Competition!

Unfortunately, the finals didn't go quite how I would have liked. I was really looking for the W, so I could feel completely justified (well, maybe more like satisfied) in upgrading to pro. It wasn't in the cards for me that day. I had a great strategy for how to handle the other BMX sister in the first berm, but I didn't even get to try it out. After a much better gate start, a combination of catching a little air and shifting at apparently the wrong time caused me to pull my foot out of my pedal and nearly go over the handlebars. I was so convinced I was going over that I was eyeing where my face was about to land on the ground. Miraculously my fork rebounded and I didn't stack it up. By the time I got myself back together, though, she was off the front and I had no chance of catching her. Somehow, the other two girls in the final didn't pass me, not quite sure how that worked, but oh well, second isn't too bad, I guess.

It was a lot of fun to watch the Pro MX race, even though it started raining. There are always so many ways to ride the course that I never think of. I learn so much from watching them. Unfortunately I missed my MX podium because I was watching the Pro race. Idiots! Oh well, it was way more valuable to watch and learn that it was to stand on the podium. I know some would argue, but that's my take on it!

Are you Kidding?

Kevin Giddy About How Much Lighter His Pockets Are After Buying the Last Tank of Gas!

Once the racing ended, the fun REALLY got started. Our 5 person drive down turned unto 7 on the way home. Natasha and TJ didn't want to stick around for the Yeti get home a lot later program, so they came home with us. We tore down camp, got loaded up and then helped TJ take down the Yeti production so he could come home with us. We got all 7 stinky people (some more than others) loaded up and were on our way. The trip got off to a good start, seemingly, as we made a brief stop for some much needed In-N-Out and then got back on the road. I'm not quite sure where it all went so wrong, but between a certain factory Yeti rider missing the turn to I-70 and running out of gas, the trip home ended up being 27 hours as well...Ughhhh! We rolled into Boulder about 11:00 (p.m.) on Monday. Just in time for a shower and bed!

Overall I had a TON of fun at Sea Otter. It was really good to see people that I haven't seen since the end of last summer, and the just the whole racing scene and energy was awesome! I've decided to upgrade to Pro, for MX/DS at least so hopefully there will be fewer complainy blogs about the ridiculous practice scenarios at the National events! I am REALLY excited to step up the racing. I have been working really hard to improve my skills and fitness over the winter, so I can't wait for the season to really get under way!

On a final note, I just want to say how psyched I was that Bobbi, TJ, and Cole had such great races at Sea Otter. They are all such great people who train and focus religiously and just plain old love to ride their bikes! I can't wait to watch the Colorado crew rip it up all summer long!!

Day 4: Pro DS and Rest Day for Me

I didn't have "anything" to do on Saturday, well not as far as racing and practicing was concerned, and it was really nice to take a break. I wanted to watch the Pro DS event and the dirt jumping comp. I only made it to DS. It was pretty entertaining to watch a lot of the pros really struggle on the DS course. After spending about 13 hours at the course between Thursday and Friday, I had developed a real love/hate relationship with it. It was fun to get to watch my friends ride, and I think that I learned a lot from watching, too.

It Was Sort of Like a Pig Sty!

This guy thought it was an out-of-order triathlon: Bike, Swim, Run!!

Some people were more comfortable than others slipping around in the mud, that's for sure! TJ had an awesome first Pro race performance qualifying 26th, making it look easy to ride in the mud. I know first hand that it was NOT easy to do, so looking good riding through the mud requires REAL talent. Jo Jo looked good in qualifying but was not happy with her qualifying place. The pro women's field had some strong competition for sure! It was a lot of fun watching the world's elite racers on this crazy muddy course!

BK Watt Looking Cute and Clean Before Practice Got Under Way!

Jo Jo Loves the Mud, Too!!

TJ and Lee Checking Out the Course

One of the best parts of the weekend was getting to hang out with Joanna and getting to see my Dad for a little bit. He's never seen me race before, so it was nice to have him out there cheering!

I Miss Getting to Hang Out with Jo Jo!

Days 2 and 3: DS Mudfest

So, my first day at Sea Otter found me scrambling in the morning to get to DS practice only to find out that we were only getting one practice run on each of the two courses! Normally I would have let this really bother me, but I am taking a new approach this year: Don't waste energy on the things you can't change. This isn't to say that I have given up the fiery attitude some have grown to hate me for. It just means that I won't be expending energy in places where it has 0% chance of helping! We did two practice runs and then qualified, and it only took about 5 hours! Yea for amateur practice, soon to be a thing of the past!!

Well, after some consultation with Lee, I had my qualifying strategy figured out. It included pedaling as hard as I could on the off camber-cross-the-hill section that would later be taken out of the course. I started out on the blue course and was doing great out of the gate. I came across the off camber section and was psyched that I was pedaling as hard as I was until suddenly I ran straight into a mud bog at least a foot deep that wasn't there when I did my practice run. Hmmm, well, needless to say, I had my weight totally over the front of the bike, as I was pedaling pretty hard, and I ended up stacking it up really badly. I sank nearly to my elbows in stinky mud when I tried to "push" myself up from the ground, and then I couldn't get my bike out of the bog. I was surprised that I even qualified, as my blue course time was almost 30 seconds slower than my red course qualifying time. Lame!

I love the mud!! (Sorry pic is so small, I couldn't get it to be the right size)

Off to try to clean off the bike. Luckily Damion let me use the Yeti super power sprayer which was nice because then I didn't have to stand in line to use the piss poor no pressure hoses that were available to everyone else!

Damion with One of the Team Yeti Bikes that he Washed Many Many Many Times

Friday brought an hour of DS practice and then the finals. Well, we only got two more practice runs for Friday's practice, and they decided to change the course to include the "classic Sea Otter" berms. They're not so classic when they are full of smelly boggy mud, but even still, it was cool to actually get to ride them. So, we got our 2 practice runs on each course in and then we're ready to race, no wait, we're not ready to race because the race officials have decided that it would be way more fun if we change the course again and not let any of us ride the course again! Ughhhhh, the reasons to upgrade are getting longer and longer! The courses were not very even as far as the times on each course went, and it ended up being sort of the luck of the draw...If you got the blue course first you probably were going to win it. Unfortunately I got the red course first against Caroline, so that's where the hopes of winning DS at Sea Otter (or even getting 2nd) ended. Oh well, 3rd isn't the worst place, I guess it's still on the podium. =)

Checking Out the Course with My Personal Bike Sherpa, Shawn. He Adopted Me at Deer Valley DS Last Year and Insists on Pushing My Bike for Me At All of the Races! Thanks Shawn!!

Sea Otter Day 1+: Anti Shotgun and Bob

We loaded up the Buell's trailer and Yukon and headed out to Cali bout 8:00 on Tuesday night. We were riding in style for sure. It makes a trip go a lot faster (even when it takes 27 hours), when you get to watch DVDs of your favorite bike vids and movies. It also turns the driver into the chauffeur as, no one was bothering to call "shot gun" on this trip!

We took a short break in Moab and then set our sites on the Monterey Bay. It is typically a 20 or so hour drive to Monterey from Boulder, Colorado, but for some reason, it took quite a bit longer than that...

Our first non-gas station stop was in Las Vegas for the coveted In-N-Out Burger stop. I had never been, so it was all the more important! We were all relatively inexperienced In-N-Out customers except for Kevin. He knew and the Ins and Outs like animal style, 4x4, Neapolitan shakes. =)

Virgin In-N-Out Celebration

Brian just Hanging Out

Once we left Vegas, we all started getting a little antsy to be there, but we had to remind ourselves that California is a big state. At one point Brian found an ant crawling on his arm, probably from the palm trees he was climbing in at In-and-Out. We decided to name our new friend Bob and made him our mascot for the trip. Bob would venture back and forth from the front to the back seat on people's arms and what not. We quite enjoyed the hilariousness of our new friend. At one point Kevin and I are sitting in the middle seat and I see him have a convulsive type fit where by he slaps the back of his neck. At first I don't think anything of it, but then I suddenly realized the implications of what has just happened...Kevin killed Bob. Although we were not able to locate the remains, so he technically could not be found guilty, it was quite apparent what had happened!

Bob Chillin' On the Orange Peel Before Kevin Brutally Murdered Him!!

So we were very close to Bakersfield, CA and very much enjoying the thought of being at Sea Otter in "not too long". All of the sudden, we were in stop and go traffic not making much forward progress at all. The friendly trucker with a CB next to us, we found out that the road ahead of us was closed and would be for several more hours, at least three. Apparently there were several accidents that had caused the road closures. We had the option to sit and wait or detour our way to nearly L.A. Being the ADD sorts that we are, we opted for the detour option. If we hadn't taken this detour, we wouldn't have been able to fully appreciate the beautiful windfarm that we had briefly seen and driven by on our way to the road closure. (I'm trying desperately to find some positive experience in our out of the way detour nearly to Hollywood!)

Lovely Wind Farm that We Would have Missed on the less than 27 hour Route

'06 Race Season Off to a Great Start!

Today got off to an early start, but it was well worth it. I rolled over and picked up Kevin at 6:00 in the a.m. to head down to Nathrop for the first race of the season. It was only a local spring series mountain cross race, but it was on my favorite course, and I have ridden in quite a bit this fall and winter, so I was pretty psyched to finally get to race it. It was really windy, which sucked, but there was a pretty good turn out anyway. I was pretty psyched to get to race Bobbi Watt. She is so fast! She was looking good in practice, but then decided not to race as she was still feeling run down from a cold and didn't want to get more sick for Sea Otter. Qualifying was really windy, so I couldn't hit a few things cleanly or some things really at all, but I was really pleased with my time. I was only 4 seconds off of the top pro guys, and the next closest girl was 4 seconds behind me, so that's always good! There were only two of us in the first moto, so I tried to go for everything and take a few chances since it didn't matter in the end, and I crashed. It was a pretty sweet crash at the end of the course. I felt like I was sliding down a playground slide into home base or something. It didn't hurt at all, but I was sure glad I had my elbow pads on! It ended up being a great day for me. I felt like I needed to prove something to someone, not sure who, my teammates, my friends, the other people I race, or maybe just myself. It's been a crazy and amazing off season filled with a lot of hard work, great times, and some really cool friends. I feel like I convinced myself, today, that I really have stepped my riding up, and I know that I'm ready to play!

An another cool note, check out my new helmet:

Thanks TJ, I love my new helmet!

My amazingly talented friend TJ has taken up a new hobby, airbrushing, (because being a pro gravity racer and full time college student doesn't require enough time!!), and he put my name on the back of my helmet for me. I am really psyched about it and think that it looks awesome! He has sweet plans for his helmet, fully custom and has spent many, many hours working on it. Unfortunately the Yeti Nazi =) grabbed too much of his time to build up their new race bikes this weekend, and he wasn't able to get his helmet finished for Sea Otter. However, his new factory team Yeti DJer is absolutely beautiful and soooo light! We all can't wait to see him tear it up on it this season!!