Just got back from the Mellow Johnny's Classic.


Had my best ride ever, finishing second and just under a minute behind Catherine Pendrel, the 2011 MTB World Champ. 
The course was rocky, twisty, punchy and lined with super cool fans.
Man, I love Texas cycling.


Don't know if I could type out everything I feel on it.
But here's a photo from my friend Tom of Tom Robertson Photography.


I think it sums it up pretty good.

photo courtesy tom robertson

Unpacking and packing again. Chloe and I leave tomorrow for South Africa and World Cup #1.
Here we go, y'all.

pack it up!

I counted it up. In 2011, I spent almost $1,000 schlepping my bike to and from races on planes and FedEx. With this calculation, plus the plan to increase the international travel schedule, the math added up to taking advantage of my new Ibis Tranny's ninja tricks.

the s and s case

Break it Down

The rear triangle on my little race buddy is attached with bolts. This allows the rider to adjust chain tension when the bike is ridden as a single speed. It also allows the bike to be broken down for travel. Excellent, Smithers.

So I got a 26”x26”x10” travel case from S and S Machine.  The size fits the airline requirements for luggage as long as it’s less than 50 pounds. Using online examples from two guys who broke down their Mojo and Tranny’s for travel, I got down to breaking it down.

I removed a fair amount to make it fit: fork, crank, pedals, one brake lever and shifter, rear derailleur, rotors, cable zip ties, seat post and of course the rear triangle. I’m a little worried about scratching up the frame so I got some foiled bubble-wrap and foam. The other guys didn’t wrap their frames, but I’m going to try it out this way for a bit - even if it does look like I’m smuggling Chipolte burritos.

When all was said and done, I got the bike in there with room enough for a tool kit and spare parts. 

My fastest break down took about 50 minutes, but I’m expecting that to get faster with time.

I'm at Denver International Airport now. Heading to Austin, Texas today for the Mellow Johnny's ProXCT Race. This event kicks off the national calendar....in March. (Anyone remember when the season started in May?) The case checked in at $20 on Frontier. My method of transit for a spare wheel set is a souped up wheel bag. Checking wheels, bike and a case on Frontier costs $90. Ufda. International flights should be considerably cheaper using this case. Going to see how this experiment works in the long run.

Anyhow, we'll see how this goes. Flight is boarding...better run.

Thanks for reading!

Chipolte, anyone?

Bottom layer: wheels, fork, tool bag, spare parts

Next layer: frame, bars, rotors

Ready for take off

Note: This didn't post yesterday. (I was cutting it close getting on the plane!)

I arrived in Austin last night. Some scratches on the case suggested it had certainly been thrown around, but it showed up intact. We got in late so I only did a quick inspection. Frame and all looks good, but it seems a tire must have gotten pinched as there is a small cut in it. I don't think I packed it with a hole. (I did ride the bike just before packing it.) So I'm wondering if contents shifted in the process and the tire rubbed up against something. Interesting, Watson.

Building it up today and will do a better Sherlocking then. 

Thanks  again for...uh ...continuing to read ;)

snow bike, fat bike, just try the bike

If you're looking for a little change of pace, may I suggest snow biking?

my little 35lb friend

I'll admit, before I raced the Teva Winter Mountain Games Snow Bike Crit, I hadn't thought too much about snow biking. But now that I've gotten to ride one, I could easily be swayed to hop on one for some fat fat-tire adventure.


dude, where's my ride?
I didn't have a bike for the race so I headed down to Golden Bike Shop in Golden, CO.  Not every shop rents snow bikes. And not every shop rents small snow bikes. So off to Golden I went to get a ride my size.


It seemed I picked the shop which was a hot bed for snow bikes too. They not only had a small fleet of bikes, but a mini battalion of snow bike riders. I got tips from staff who all ride snow bikes, and one, in particular, who rides his snow bike all year long; Mark Ruda. 

As far as riding your snow bike, Mark says up front, "You will eat shit." After all, you're riding on snow - traction is a fluid concept.


mark ruda, 
a fat-bike fiend


I did hit the ground once when I rode in Vail, but it was more a slide/crash combo. Maybe I just fell right, but the snow was a lot more forgiving than some of the dirt and rocks I've run into before. 


not just a winter thang
Speaking of rocks and dirt; snow bikes aren't just for snow. Not boulder-strewn paths, pump tracks, or dirt jumps are deterrents for Mark. The big cushy wheels monster-truck over big rocks and pop through pump tracks. Even if the winter is "a battle to see who can get first tracks," you can find Mark riding his snow bike on the hottest days of summer.

snow, fat or just plain rad

Which is the reason I should stop calling it a snow bike and stick to calling it a fat-bike, because the bike itself has outgrown the season as it continues to grow in popularity.

Golden Bike Shop sold about 10 snow bikes last season. By mid-February this year, they had already sold 40. While Colorado's winter bike races are picking up, snow bikes have already taken hold in the mid-west.  Bike the Keweenaw has a healthy series in the land where, according to my Michigander friend Matt, "the snow bike is the new fixie."

change of pace, anyone?

Whatever it's called, it's fun. The race in Vail was a whole new experience. Pedaling up hill was a plodding concentration on balance. I worked to keep each pedal stroke smooth and in contact with the snow. Sure, I didn't go as fast as I would on a regular bike, but the action fit so well as we cruised through a winter wonderland to the crunching sound of the snow beneath. It felt great to be out in the cold crisp air. Then, when we got to the descent, it was like reaching the top of a roller coaster. The adrenaline surged as we slid, pedaled or carved down the mountain. 

If you're looking to mix it up a bit this winter -or maybe this summer- you should try one.  You may find fat never felt so good.

life as a bike jockey: ride it wide!

Before jumping back into the official race season, it’s always good to get at least one practice race in. For one, it’s to get friendly again with that ‘ol familiar hypoxic feeling, but its also to get back in the racing groove. It seems after some time away from the races, my Hammer Gelling and number pinning get kinda rusty and half my racing gear has migrated to the Land of Missing Socks.

Photo courtesy: 

Vail Valley Foundation

February bike races in Colorado, however, are slim pickings. So the opportunity to hop in the Teva Games Snow Bike Crit in Vail, Colorado was a welcome event. 

Click here to read more on Singletrack.com

good things that come from biking

A benefit to having been somewhat nomadic for racing is that I have some very good friends in different parts of the country. And these very good friends also have some very good couches.

Michele and my 

kale-blueberry smoothie breakfast

I moved to Vail, Colorado after college and somehow became a bike racer. It was at one of the local races where I met Michele Keane. Our conversation started when one of us needed to borrow a spare tube from the other. I can't remember which one of us needed the tube, but we haven't stopped talking since. 


I got to go back and visit Michele for the weekend when I raced the Teva Winter Mountain Games earlier this month. I did a little couch surfing and we did a lot more chatting.

Whether she knows it or not, Michele was actually my mentor in my early racing days. She was a top cross-country pro in the 90s; even becoming the 1999 Masters World Champion. In between the laughs on long rides, Michele taught me loads on training and racing.

Today, she’s the Spa & Fitness Manager at the Arrowhead Alpine Club, a vegan and arguably the Vail Valley’s best Zumba instructor. The irony of it is, she still rips the legs off the gals around her, only now they pay her to do it to a Latin beat.

She's an excellent cook and has the table-side manner of an Italian grandma. She prepared enough food for an army anticipating my arrival. Delectable vegan dishes were served up all weekend. "Eat! Eat!" was the kitchen mantra. 

Michele's cat, Jimi. Sleeps by day, 

demands attention by night.

But with vegan fare, each serving was practically a salad in disguise. I tasted a date and carrot chocolate cake that in itself, easily smuggled the recommended daily allowance for fruits and vegetables. It's what I told myself anyways as my "oh just a taste" turned into a piece of chocolate cake.

I usually eat healthy with plenty of greens, but I wasn't sure how my carnivorous system would react to the such an influx of vegetables and fiber. It all made me a little nervous in the kitchen. I've got good will power, but still, all the dishes were tasty and practically goaded you into having seconds. Example in point, Michele made banana bran muffins that hung out near the stove and taunted you with their deliciousness. I had to resist for fear of becoming a fiber time bomb.

By the end of the weekend though, I realized I was happily satisfied and feeling great. The dreaded disaster was never an issue and in the two days I became more interested in vegan cooking.

MIchele's passion for racing has morphed into a passion for vegan cooking. Having studied so much about food and the body, she could talk to you for days about the health and environmental benefits of a vegan lifestyle. She's got her eyes set on opening a full-vegan restaurant; the kind where the food is so good, you won't know what you're missing. I've seen her determination on the bike; I can see this restaurant becoming a reality.

It was great to get some time from busy schedules to spend with a dear friend; joking about the past and catching up on the new.

At the end of the day, it was just another story of awesome things that come from riding a bike.

maybe in my next life

Sometimes I get asked what'd I be doing if I weren't racing bikes. Most times I try to give an impressive answer like being a doctor or the hairstylist to Donald Trump. But really, in the back of my head, I'm thinking I'd be a back-up dancer for J.Lo. 

It's not because I'm a great dancer. I'm ok on the dance floor. I can generally find the beat, but I usually sport the white man's overbite when I'm looking for it. 


It's just because I love dancing. It's fun, giddy-making and induces smiles even when I stink up the joint. What's cool is that it's not unlike biking. It's a lot like the sensation you get when you find the rhythm on a twisty single track in the woods; when what you see, hear and feel move to the same beat and you step into the flow of the moment.

Today's instructor, 

Rico

I used to dance a lot more in college. I took a few swing and salsa classes. I even tried a tango class with a boyfriend once where I think between the two of us we had four left feet. (I'm not sure if it's coincidence, but we broke up shortly thereafter.) These days though, I don't get out dancing as much as I'd like. 


But not today...
Today was Hip Hop Saturday. Oh yes. Yes it was.


For 10 bucks at Streetside Studios, I got my dancing queen on (with guided instruction and less chance of hurting myself). 


I don't think I've ever laughed so much in a workout. 


I don't think I'll be getting any calls from JLo anytime soon, but maybe in my next life.

What we did at school today. 

We did east side/west side shows;

 half the class watched while the other danced. I'm behind the camera in this shot. 

life as a bike jockey: hit it

Elwood: It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas,
half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark… and we’re wearing sunglasses.
Jake: Hit it.
-The Blues Brothers

this year is looking to be a crazy ride.

Click here to read more.

move over mayans...got big plans for 2012

Big plans are afoot for 2012. And not the Mayan sort.

While I really enjoyed and was honored to ride for the Kenda/Felt Mountain Bike Team, I'll be switching gears and riding for the Crankbrothers Race Club.

The move will help me go after my biggest goal of the season...and possibly my life - The Olympics.

In December, I was announced to the the US Olympic Long Team. To make a bid for it, I've got to knock it out of the park at the races. Most notably - the World Cup races between March and the end of May of this year. The two female riders to represent in London will be decided in early June.

And...a girl has got to go for it. I don't want to be on the other side of this opportunity thinking I could have done more.

Here's a preview of our

Ibis Tranny Hardtails

I'm also really stoked to be riding for the Race Club.

Crank Brothers has got a cool vision and stellar product. There will be a lot to see and do fo sho.

And...things are coming round.

From the photos and plans, it's going to be a lot of fun. And...we'll be looking pretty stylie. Think race car with 5'2" pistons.

I'll be teaming up with Chloe Woodruff (formerly Forsman). You'll see me pedaling round in cahoots with good company.

So...stay tuned. I'm working on a new website now and plan to have a lot of fun on this adventure. Hope you come along for the ride!

life as a bike jockey: travel like a pro. or don't - it makes no difference

It’s the height of holiday travel season right now.

Having spent a few years traveling to races, I like to think I’ve learned a thing or two about flying and airports. I even fancy myself a bit of an expert.

But it doesn’t matter what the subject, whenever I get comfortable with my level of expertise, Experience always shows up to trump the house.

Click here to read more.

olympic pictorial

Singletrack.com put up a little gallery of the 2012 U.S. Women's Olympic Mountain Bike Long team. Kinda funny selection of photos....


Click here to see the whole gallery.

me with
high hopes.
Photo:
Dave McElwaine

the long road to the olympics

It's been a crazy few years. But I've must've done something right.

Rooty descent at the
World Champs - Champery, Switzerland
Photo: USACycling.org

On December 1st, USA Cycling announced the 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike Long Team. And listed as a "discretionary nominee" was ....me!

There's nine women on this list, from which USAC will pick just two to represent the US at the 2012 London Olympics. Key factors to choosing the two riders are world cup podiums, UCI points and overall consistency pointing to a chance at getting metal in England.

I know I'm probably the last person on the list they are really looking at, but from what I understand, with the selection process being based on races starting January 1 through May 22nd, 2012- it could be anybody's game.

So here's to a new year,
and new possibilities...

life as a bike jockey: what's going on in the off-season

Contrary to my summer race-focused routine of ride, eat, nap, eat, manicure, massage and fanned grape-eating, November has been more run-around with a sprinkle variety. Here’s the highlights and heckling.

Click here to read more.

shorter by 5 bucks

Alright. So my mouth was writing checks that my legs couldn't cash.

I made a wager with the fella on who would have the faster Iceman time.

Did I really think I could beat him?
History has shown I've been able to drop him once or twice.

Did he really want to take the bet?
Who wouldn't shake on a bet with a smack-talking fool when History virtually has a PowerPoint presentation favoring your odds.

The outcome?

The week after the Iceman Cometh Race finds me $5 lighter in the pocket...and none the smarter. Goaded by a taunting two minutes - the wager stands again for 2012.

This was a good photo finish.
photo courtesy Rose Torrance

come on, iceman!

Rewind...365 days ago...


I was getting ready to hop on a plane to Michigan for my first Iceman Cometh Race in Traverse City.


Scratch that, I was ready to hobble on a plane in crutches and a boot to watch the Iceman cometh and go-eth.

Just one week before the race, I broke my foot. Denied!


But not this year, kemosabe...


Now I'm ready to go!
...and so is my bike.


Gearing Up for Iceman - The Race Rig
The reports I've gotten on the Iceman course is fast, rolling terrain without long sustained climbs. The phrase 'road race on dirt' also comes up a lot in the conversation.


Translation? My 26" wheels and 26/40 - 11/32 2x10 set up might do well with some tweeking.


So tweeking we did.

This morning
in Boulder, CO.

Thanks to a new 44/32/22 set up from Chris and Eldon at WickWerks, a 29" wheel from my teammate Colin and a rigid fork and the mechanical mastery of James Huang - my trusty steed is Iceman-prêt-à-ridé.

James lent me a rigid fork to make room for Colin's loaner 29" front wheel. The photo doesn't show much, but it's pretty impressive to have this set up on a 15.5" frame. It's good to have good friends.


The bigger gearing and wheel will be better suited for this fast course. And speaking of bigger...



Big News, Big Names
The Iceman has teamed up in a big way with Bell's Brewery for the 2011 event. Last year's impressive $3,500 top prize has been out done by this year's $5,000 first place booty. With the increased prize list has also come an increased line-up. Both the men's and women's fields are seeing entrant names more commonly found on a world cup start list....Pendrel and the Flückiger boys to name a few. Nice work, Steve Brown.

Mishigas in Michigan
I'm also looking forward to a little rendezvous with the Kenda/Felt crew. There'll be some mingling in the Michigan woods with my teammates, friends from Kenda, Felt, Hammer and many Michiganders I know and love. ...if not love to race.


Tom and I have a little wager on our Iceman times this year. There's $5 going to the winner. To be honest, I'm not actually sure as to why I put up the bet. I think it had to do with the lure of smack talk all ending with "honey."


So bring it on! The racing...the smack talk, the weather....
oh yeah...the weather.

This week's weather
report for Traverse City

Ironically, if not just luckily...the weather in Traverse City, Michigan is looking more inviting for a mountain bike race than is Colorado today.

Hmmm...heading to the northern part of the mitten for a break from the weather. Whodathunk.

Crazier things have happened...

life as a bike jockey: don't temp fate. just don't.

Going to let you in on a little secret. Life as a professional cyclist lacks a little of the glitter some people think it has. I know. Hard to believe, but really some days it’s just a crazy series of misadventures colored by Fate. And someone just told Fate you said her ass looked big in her favorite dress.

Or maybe that’s the painkillers talking. Lemme explain.

Click here to read more...

sol vista memories...

In 2009, I scored lucky 7s at the National Championships for XC and STX in Granby, Colorado.

The year before that, I was 8th and 17th respectively. For 2011, it was 6th and 7th at nats in Idaho.

Sometimes when it feels like progress isn't happening, it's nice to get a reminder that it is...just maybe not as fast as I'd like.

Anyhow...after that weekend at the Sol Vista race in Granby, some friends and I went riding in the park and MTBAction photographer John Kerr was taking shots.

John got this shot of my friend Tom (who has since become the fella) going through the corners.

There's a much better view of this shot here. It was fun riding in the green that day.

Crazy to take a stop and look back every once in a while.

back in the saddle

After Worlds in early September, I was needing a break. It's not just the legs that need a rest, but the mind from all the racing logistics and traveling.

Bumpy flats...ugh.
Photo courtesy of Melanie Long.


And throw in a Vegas/Interbike trip, a wedding weekend, family in town, a job search (btw...know anyone who wants to hire a bike racer?) and September was just a good time to hang up the wheels and take care of...well, pretty much everything else.




But this weekend was time to get back in the saddle...and why not do it at intensity?



Tom and I headed up to Fort Collins, Colorado for Saturday's USGP 'Cross race. And the end of my racing repose was greeted by 40 degree temps, rain, wind and a jack hammer bumpy course.


Johnny had it all, a trainer, a rain suit
and my greenest envy.


Which reminds me...next time I see a rain suit on sale....I'm buying it, even if they call for forty years of drought the day before, because the one day you need a good rain suit in Colorado, it's worth its weight in gold.


Totally under dressed for the occasion (when in doubt..always go formal wear), I was lucky enough to mooch a trainer from Johnny Coln and some tent space from Action Wipes for a warm up. Tho I'm as much a fan of water for our dry Colorado climes as the next tree hugger, starting a race in soggy chammy doesn't top my list of 'Good Times.'


That said...it was maybe the best day to jump in a race. Because rainy days kinda tip the inclination toward movies and roller rides (or smokes and drinks - it's always a toss up) - but a race plan gets you out the door with little deliberation.


And to boot, muddy slugfests are just amusing if nothing else. Riders are spinning out, sliding out and getting taken out by mud. The gal ahead of me hit a fence post rounding one bend. She was fine but her shorts weren't...they were fully shredded up front for a little Betty-bits exposé. Luckily her burlesque attire was only on display for the last lap...or parade lap..however you want to look at it.



Sunday's plans to head out to Heil Trail in Boulder were well-timed. We got sunny skies and tacky trails for a good day of riding. And we got back in time to watch Sunday's Elite USGP streaming on Velonews...which was all followed by a TV showing of Breaking Away. It was a day cosmically aligned for cycling love.


All in all...not a bad weekend to get back on the bike.

queen bee

A friend just sent me this photo from a race earlier this year. I had left my bike chained to the fence while I was course marshalling. When I got back, I found about...oh 30,000 bees sitting on it. It seems a hive was relocating and the queen bee took a break on my bike. And as the queen bee does, so does everyone else.


Some park rangers tried a smoke out attempt, but to no avail. We ended up calling two local bee keepers out there who literally swept the hive into a box with a car snow scraper. After a days work, a beer and chat, they drove the buzzers off to their new location.


Crazy stuff.

vegas, vegas, vegas

Just got back from Interbike in Las Vegas. For years, I have heard nothing but how ludicrous it was to rendezvous a mass of healthy, exercised-focus people to the land of $5 All-You-Can-Eats and all other celebrated gluttony.


But at last year's show, when Interbike was slated to move to Anaheim for 2011, I was stopped by petitions going round to keep it in Sin City.

Ceiling in the
Venetian Hotel

I don't know the how, why or who, but I'm glad they kept it in Vegas.

Because once a year it is good to see Elvis singing 'VivaCrossVegas', walk through the faux streets of Venice, dance at clubs till you get kicked out and hear at least one person reaffirm they'll "never gamble again."

Elvis, of course

Here are a couple of pics from this year's Interbike.

Sorely missing are any photos of Dirt Demo. I got on a Felt Virtue and experienced the whole new-to-me world of trail bike riding: Slack geometry, sofa-couch cusshy-ness, wide don't-care-about-weight-cuz-this-isn't-a-xc-race tires.

Bright lights, Big crowds
at CrossVegas

Don't know if it was a total born-again moment in the desert, but it was an eye-opening cruise around the very fun test routes of Boulder City.

Viva Las Interbike!

Felt has a new custom
paint job program

Amanda's NUE Trophy

SRAM challenged artists
to make art from parts.
Below: 2 of the Pieces that went on auction to benefit
World Bicycle Relief
Further below: more bicycle art and furniture from around the show