More Pics from the race

Zach and me at the start.  The only time that I saw him the whole race.  Congrats Zach for coming in 4th.

 Thanks for the great support Koz and the great pics.

The calm between the storms, it happened about every 1 hour 30 minutes.  Thanks guys!!!!  Again I can't say it enough, thanks to Alpine Orthopaedics, NiteRider, Mavic, Pearl Izumi, Stans No Tubes, Rudy Project, RecoFit, Endro Bites, Aclimate and Vespa.

National Championships

Oh what a day.  It started off how most days start off but excitement was in the air.  Getting to Palmer Park a little later than I would really have liked, there seemed to be so much to do and I didn't want to be frazzled and using more more gram of energy than needed to set up my pit area.  Luckily I had to amazing guys helping me.  Thanks Koz and Brian Maslach.  As they set up the AO tent I double checked my bike, picked up my number plate and tried to get my food and other much needed items for a 24 hour race set up. 

Once again, it always comes to quick.  The race and the start. Le-Mans style of course.  At least it gets out some of the gitters before you have to get on your bike.  Not many but a few.  I wish I could say that when you ride your bike for 24 hours (in actuality I only road for 22 hr and 9 min) that you have tons of stories but mostly you are just thinking about the course.  Palmer Park is a might bit technical so its a constant trying to remember what is coming up, which side of the trail is the best line and so on. 

My only notable story is about 3 am I was getting tired and thinking how good my bed sounded and I heard a noise.  And not being about to pin point what noise it was I started to fantasize.  One thought leading to another I concluded that maybe it was a mt lion and that they would have to call the race off to keep us racers safe.  I know, I know totally preposterous.  I was in a park in the middle of Colorado Springs, there certainly was not going to be a mt lion but still... Wouldn't it be nice!?!?!?

Then the sun came up and knew that the end was near.  Only a few more laps.  This always puts me in a good mood.  Me thinking, I only have to pass by here 3 more times, now only 2 more times, then finally, this is the last time I have to ride over this stupid rock, root, sandy section.  You get the point.
It was ever so wonderful to be able to cross the finish line a few hours early and earn my Stars and Stripes jersey.

And that's about it.  Besides being on the podium and physically getting my National Champion jersey.  Oh and after we were all packed up, I still had my jersey on but I needed to get out of my bike shorts (no disrespect Pearl Izumi my chamois was fantastic but after 24 hours its time for it to come off) I put on a sundress.  This was over top my jersey still with my compression socks on and I made Brian, one of my crew, take me to get something else to eat.  I am pretty sure that I looked like his mentally challenged sister/friend but I didn't care.  It wasn't time to take of my jersey just yet.

Marathon National Champs, Bend OR

It really wasn't supposed to be like this but sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.  I had a plane ticket and was all ready to go to the 24 Solo World Champs in Canada and then...It was cancelled.  What?!?!?  That's right, it turns out they can just cancel races.  So instead of racing my bike for 24 hours I went to the marathon national race in Bend, OR.  It turned out pretty good.  Not my best race but not bad either.  I ended up 7th.  A much better lead into the 24 Solo National Champs this weekend.  So wish me luck and hopefully it's not as dusty as Bend. 

My first Enduro race, by Janea

A few months ago, I had never heard of an Enduro.  Someone suggested I try it.  "Lots of downhill," he said.  "You'll love it."  Sure, I thought, I can do a twenty-something mile downhill race.  How hard could it be?  Now I know:  really, really, really hard.  How fun could it be?  As fun as bike racing gets!  Last weekend I tried out the Kennebec Pass Enduro, the second event in the Big Mountain Enduro Series.  Thank goodness a local dude in a Durago bikeshop told me to go with Nomad instead of the Tallboy.  The two big climbs were untimed, leaving two downhill timed stages.  I was stuck in a no-man's land of physical exertion.  The race sections were shorter than sustained-pace cross country races but longer than five-minute, all-out sprint downhill races.  I had no choice but to just go for it on a "downhill" trail I had never seen. Thirty minutes each of phenomenal riding.  Thirty minutes each of sheer craziness and pain.  Anyone who says downhill is easy isn't trying hard enough.  I'm pretty sure that race might have been more difficult than most cross country races.  I sprinted up all of small climbs with a desperately low saddle, and held on with screaming triceps on the descents.  I patted my bike every couple of minutes and thanked her for not flatting.  Despite two really big crashes (thank you SixSixOne for keeping my knees and elbows intact and Rudy Project for protecting my head), I learned at the after-party of my victory.  Next up....perhaps The Whole Enchilada?  That sounds seriously intense and incredibly fun.

Podium at the MSC Telluride

Here's a couple of shots of the AO team at the Telluride Mountain States Cup race.  It was a super fun course with lots of single track.  YEA!! 

Eszter finishes the Tour Divide

I'm not exactly sure how to summarize the Tour Divide in a single blog post so I'm not going to try.  Instead, I'm going to revert back to the tried and true tactic of adding a lot of photos and then writing a few choice words to accompany them.

The Tour Divide was a longtime dream of mine.  I'd been dreaming about it for years so when the stars aligned and the opportunity arose, I jumped at it.  I got all my gear together.  I trained.  I planned for as many contingencies as I could.

When I left the start line in Banff, I knew all I had left to do was pedal, eat, and sleep.  It was a simple existence.

I did this, through the snow in Montana, the gravel and sand of Idaho, the winds of Wyoming, the passes of Colorado, and the heat of New Mexico.  Everyday, wake, eat, pedal, eat, pedal, sleep.  Somewhere in there would hopefully be a hot meal and a stop at a gas station to restock provisions.

I finished pedaling the 2,745 miles in 19 days, 3 hours, and 35 minutes which was good enough to be the fastest woman, 7th overall out of 111 starters, and set a record that I think will be difficult to break.  Not impossible, as I think I can go faster with my newly acquired course knowledge, but difficult.

None of this would have been possible without the unconditional support of the team and I owe them more than I could ever repay.  Thank you all!

Fat Tire 40, Crested Butte

 Brian Smith

 Ethan Passant

 Travis Scheefer

 Brian Dillon

Amy Beisel

Here's a few photos from the Mountain States Cup race that was here in Crested Butte a week ago.  And since it has been raining here for the last few days it is only going to get more off the hook.  YEA!!!!