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!!!!

One of these is not like the others!!

Sometimes I just feel the need to get out of my comfort zone.  Which couldn't have been more true this last weekend when I went and did the Coeur D'Alene Ironman.  It is still an endurance race but not the sort of thing I ever really train for. 

I borrowed a TT bike and had a whole 5 days on it before I was racing.  If you are one of 'those' people that can learn from other peoples mistakes than learn this, that isn't enough time to get trained in the aero postition.  Second, running less than 20 times before doing a marathon is about the same.  Doable but not very enjoyable. 
It was a perfect day in Coeur D'Alene, a little bit of cloud cover so I didn't fry like an egg and a little windy to keep me a cooled down.  The change in the bike course was great for me.  Lots of big hills.  I was nervous coming off the bike though.  I knew I was in a pretty good position but I hadn't been running so I basically just tried to conserve as much as possible.  I have never eaten so many gu's in my entire life at one time, 22 to be exact.  But once I was at the second turn around I knew I was going to be able to make it I had a little bit more energy to pick it up to the finish line. 
All said and done I did the best I could do on that day (not the same thing as the best I could do ever but I'm going to have to let this slide) and ended up 17 in the age group women and 25 with the pro's and 247 overall. 
But now it is time to go back to my love, mt bike racing.  Next stop will be the Breckenridge 100.  Lets hope for a better race in the mountains.

Fast and Serious.

MSC #2, Chili Challenge, took place in Angel Fire, NM.  First real mountain race for me (big climb up and long descend down)  My plan: drive there fast, pre-ride the course, eat, sleep, RACE!!  Ahhh (serious) and drive home fast again.  Everything went as planed.  I didn't get lost driving there (I always get lost) so I'm more happy about this then anything! 

The race took off at 8am.  Usually its divided into categories and we take off in 2 minute heats.  Not this race, pro men, pro women and all CAT 1's took off together.  SURPRISE.  The start loop was a bit chaotic, but I liked the rush.  Hitting the single track, I got on Nina Baum's wheel.  The climb begins.  Lots of switch backs.  Nina pulled away, as hard as I tried to not let that happen.  The descend was smooth and so fun!  I had to complete 3 laps.  First lap was good, sometimes running into traffic, but stayed motivated.  My second lap was a bit difficult.  I kept thinking 'how am I going to do this a third time??'  Trying to stay focused, my third lap ended up being over a minute faster!!  

After the three laps, I took 2nd, about 4 minutes behind Nina!  So stoked and keeps me motivated! 

Next race is just a  half hour up the road (guaranteed not to get lost driving here!) in Crested Butte.  We will be riding some classic trails, one including Dear Creek!

by Amy Beisel

Back in the saddle

Once upon a time I tried to convince my Mom that mountain biking was a safe sport. Not so much. On lap two of the 64 mile suffer fest that is the Growler, I went down hard. I swear there are invisible mountain lions out there! Causing me to cut a two inch hole in my knee. Luckily with the support of Dave Weins, who drove me out to the base, the Alpine Orthopedics staff, and the Amazing Dr. Rhett Griggs I was quickly on to the road to recovery... well not the road, more like the couch to recovery.

Thankfully the body heals, and two weeks after my crash I was ready for some shammy action. Pulling out those yellow Mavic shoes I realized they still had three crusty drops of blood, reminisce of an irrelevant memory, for nothing could stop me form grinning for the next two hours.

Now, four weeks have gone by and summer bike ridding is all back to normal. With the Fat Tire 40 under my belt and many more races to come, I'm just giddy with excitement. Once again a big thanks to AO and Dr. Griggs for getting me back in the saddle in no time!

New Teammate Zach Guy Killing it at the Salida Big Friggin Loop

The Salida Big Friggin Loop, a new addition to the Colorado Endurance Series, started out in classic style for me. Scrambling to print out course maps, a McD’s power dinner in Gunni, and rolling into Salida to camp in the Walmart parking lot around midnight. About 70 riders took off from downtown Salida the next morning to loop around the Colorado Trail to Buena Vista and back via the Arkansas Mountains. There was a long loop (~110 miles) and a short loop (~90 miles), and the race organizer emphasized at the start that you would definitely get lost without a GPS on the long loop. Without a GPS to my name, it sounded like a challenge. My plan was to follow tire tracks or latch on to someone who knew where they were going. When the course hit the Colorado Trail about 10 miles out of Salida, I started moving up through the pack and found myself in first. Without any tire tracks to follow, and with temperatures already becoming uncomfortably hot, the idea of the short loop was growing in appeal. The deal was sealed when I crashed off a sidehill section of trail and snapped my front brake hose, leaving me with just a rear brake. Dozens of skid turns and off-trail mishaps later, I was resupplying in Buena Vista with a bag of gummy worms and water to mix with my Aclimate for the last 50 miles back. Coming off of the Midland Trail, I caught up to Chris Phenicie, who had passed me after the crash, and we were both happy to have company for the brutally hot dirt road return back to Salida. We were the first to roll back into town together in just under 8 hours, both a bit delirious from the heat and dehydration. Over the course of the day, all I could stomach was a PBJ and a bag of gummy worms because the heat spoiled my appetite, but my Aclimate mix and the thought of a cold beer at the end kept me rolling. Thanks for a great ride!


http://schizoidepics.wordpress.com/

Hey, It's Janea

The Original Growler haunted me for months.  From the moment I hit "submit" for my online registration, I knew I was committed.  Thoughts of the race appeared in my mind every day.  "Are you ready?" was the reoccurring question the day before the race.  Yes?  No?  Maybe?  Does it matter at this point?  I arrived at the start line excited, nervous, and shivering from the mountain morning.  My first "real" endurance race in five years, the first since having two kids, stood there looking me in the face.  It was time to rise to the challenge or retire for good into mommyhood. 

After hitting dirt, I worked my way up kill hill trying to figure out if I should ride hard to avoid the singletrack bottleneck, or save some energy for the many hours ahead.  The first hour was very mellow, with nowhere to pass and lots of easy riding and walking sandwiched between dozens of riders.  All in all, the first lap felt great and those downhills on Bambis, Joshos, and Rattlesnake were awesome.  Crew members at every station told me I was in 3rd and I just wanted to stay in that spot.  Riding through the lap zone made my day:  two kiddos and my man handing me food and drink and cheering for me, someone handing me wet rags for my face, and an amazing AO crew to work on my bike.

As for lap two, well that felt great too until about mile 15, when all of my reserves suddenly disappeared.  A bottle of ice cold coke at the bottom of Bambi's and my daughter screaming for me was just what I needed for that final push.  Rattlesnake might have been more fun than ever before on that last lap.  Nothing like some caffeine for the girl who never drinks any.  In the end, my 3rd place finish put a huge smile on my face.  It was so fun to be back in the world of racing.  And I could not have done it without my awesome AO support and my bomber gear:  Pearl Izumi clothes, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Stans NoTubes Rims, Rudy Project helmet and glasses, and A LOT of Acli-Mate.  Thanks everyone!

BD wrenching on bikes for the Growler at Rock N Roll

Go see BD (lingo for Bryan Dillon) if you need anything done on your bike for the Growler.  They are around last minute tomorrow.  And have a wonderful weekend!!!

BrianSmith-Multisport: Racing with young pups and stuck in bushes

Brian Smith's race report: Mountain states cup 2012 race opener.

BrianSmith-Multisport: Racing with young pups and stuck in bushes: I competed in the Riverside Rampage MSC stage race this past weekend. This would be my first true test of the 2012 pro men's talent in Col...

12 hours of Mesa Verde

 

I feel like I should say something divine like, Confucius says, He who rides bike long time needs to invest in good saddle.  But there is so much more to it than just a good saddle.  And really by the time you decide to ride your bike for 12 hours you have so much more to think about.  Like nutrition; how much salt, how many calories, what kind of calories, water bottles or hydration pack.  Then tires; what size, how durable, and how much pressure.  Then clothes and shoes; could I possibly ride my bike for 12 hours in my carbon shoes, how much will my feet hurt and will I care?  Oh the list goes on and on.  I settled on a few must haves: my yellow Mavic carbon shoes, my Stan No Tube wheels, my Rudy Project helmet, acclimate and VESPA, and my bike all tuned by Rock and Roll. 

Then I was off.  Before I knew it I was on the starting line ready to run for my bike.  What happened and how I got exactly there I really don’t know.  It all kind of fades together but I do know it was the perfect race to work out the kinks before I try my hand at the 24 Hour Solo World Champs in September.  I have to say that really the bulk of the race was very mundane.  Just road around in the most wonderfully fun circles all day.  Once it got hot in the afternoon we were blessed with the most cooling rain and hail.  I was soaked in a matter of minutes and it felt so good.  I might add that to the game plan for other races, to have someone dump a cooler of water on me a few times.  Oh and the trail was so very perfect after it stopped raining.  Just smooth and buff and fast. 

Then I proceeded to miss the cut-off by 6 minutes so I was done in 11 hours and 6 minutes.  Not a bad day but I will be back next year getting my 8 laps in.

A HUGE thanks to Alpine Orthoaedics for all the support, which includes getting to the starting line in the first place, all the help during the race- the team but mostly Stubbie and Ochs you were on fire, and helping me hobble home.   The Hot Tomato for all your love and support.  Pearl Izumi for the best chamois ever made, you made it easy to sit in the saddle all day.  To Tom and all your friends, thanks again for the G love and Special Sauce, you brought me back to life.  I owe you BIG time!

Til next week when the race is shorter but still in the hurt locker.

Getting Smoked! (Travis @ the Whiskey)

I had a great weekend in Prescott at the Whiskey 50. I put in a great effort and my legs cramped worse than they ever have in a race! Am I sick in the head you might ask? No,  I realized this weekend that attitude and perspective are important. I will explain...

There are two ways to approach a race when racing at an elite level: 
1. stay within your comfort level and pace yourself

• this method can have great results, however your comfort level probably isn't going to get you on the podium

2. go with the lead group from the start and hope you can hang (aka: "pin it to win it")

• this method more than likely needs to be employed if you want to finish on the podium at an elite race because your going to have to ride outside your comfort level

I chose the #2 approach at the Whiskey because my goal was to have a top ten finish. How did my plan work out? I'll give you a quick run-down of the weekend. 

Friday evening was a quick introduction to caliber of riders at the Whiskey 50 this year. The fat tire crit was held downtown as a spectator event on a brutal circuit. If you want to race the 50 mile cross-country on Sunday you have to race the crit. I was busy warming up right before the start (in the hope that it wouldn't hurt as much when the gun went off) and I missed the lineup at the start, resulting in having to start at the back of the pack of 100 guys. Having experienced the crit the year before I realized this might be to my advantage in that I would be pulled sooner. My tactic ended up working for the crit, I just sat in and punished myself until I was pulled when the leaders were about to lap. All in all, a good leg and lung blowout in preparation for Sunday. 

Saturday I spent the day enjoying Prescott and the trails. I watched the start of the Whiskey 25 that had 700+ competitors (the 50 on Saturday had another 600+). Mountain biking must be growing because I heard rumor that 2,000 people contacted the event to try to register on-site!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! As soon as we rolled out from town it was apparent that the field was more aggressive than last year. The first 4 miles of the course is on-road, riding peloton style with the pro field. I sat in and waited for the group to explode when the climbing got steep a few miles in. I put in a hard enough effort to make sure that I was in the lead group and not stuck back in the lemmings once we hit the singletrack. I judged correctly and found myself riding in the top 20 and didn't have to deal with too much congestion on the singletrack. 

I was right where I wanted to be 15 miles in when I turned on the road to to the Skull Valley out in back. I knew there was an advantage to riding in a pack on the descent down to the turn around at Skull Valley. Luckily I was close to a few other guys and we managed to form a group about halfway down the descent. As we got close to the turn around we passed the lead pack which to my suprise was comprised over over 10 guys and was only about a minute and a half ahead of the pack I was in (the second chase pack). We hit the turn around and I swapped a couple bottles(thanks Dr. Griggs from Alpine Ortho for the awesome support). 

We started the twelve mile climb back out of skull valley in a large pack, roadie style, taking pulls at the front. The pace was blistering and a few guys dropped off. I felt like we were riding as fast as you would on flat ground, however we were climbing a substantial grade. I stayed with the pack for about 5 miles of the climb before I recognized that there was no way I could hold the pace up to the top and I dropped off (30 miles in).  

My race turned more into a survival ride, especially once I hit the twelve percent grade portion of the climb. I could only watch as I was passed by rider after rider. My legs began to cramp up and I was lucky to make it to the top of the Skull Valley climb without cramping. Once I hit the singletrack, I was treated to some descending, followed by the worst leg cramping I've ever had. I had to get off the bike because my legs locked up, I couldn't even walk! I had to just stand there,grit my teeth and try to get them to unlock, finally after what seemed like a couple minutes I was able to get back on the bike. 

Despite that my race had totally blown up, I was still having a great time! Yes, I might be slightly sick if I can still enjoy myself when my legs are seized. I was still out riding my bike and I had put in a good, calculated effort. My goal was to finish in the top 10 (actually more like the top 15 with the caliber of riders present) and I had given myself a chance to do that. In the end my legs didn't have it, but maybe if I had more miles and races on my legs I might have. 

If I had the chance to do it over, I would ride the same way again (maybe drop off the roadie pack a little sooner on the climb). I know I can finish mid-pack or better if I ride in my comfort zone (even if I don't have many miles in), however I'd rather take the risk because of the potential reward. After all, in this type of race there is no coming from mid-pack and riding your way into the lead pack. 

Thanks to Team Alpine Orthopaedics for the awesome support and great weekend! And nice job to everyone that finished the Whiskey! 

And check out the short video recap of the Pro race (nice shoots of Prescott and the course)

Whiskey Off Road

 

Pristine weather, great laughs and hard racing made for an amazing weekend down in Prescott, AZ!With the Whiskey being the first race of the year, I would have to say it hurt, but it was a fun time. Doc. G and Ochs, who did the singlespeed 50 on Saturday, were out supporting us for Sundays race. Could not have asked for better people to be out there.

For me the race went well, very cool to be mixed in with so many seasoned pros. The descending was fast ans exciting, the climbs... well 16 miles and 3,000ft up in the middle of the course, all I could think was “how the hell did Ochs do this on a singlespeed?”

All in all on one of the best weekends of my life. Congrats to Travis, Stew, Jari and Dave for some great racing and thanks again to Doc. G and all other sponsors for the support.

At the Whiskey 50!!!

Just had a preview for the race tomorrow with Scheefer, Bryan Dillon, and Stew.  There is some sweet single track here and I am looking forward to being in the hurt locker for a few hours.  Perfect weather and conditions, seeing how it rained two days ago, but now its sunny and 70.

Headed to Arizona for the Whiskey 50!

I was busy last night packing for this weekends escapade to Arizona. I went into work for a couple hours this morning and now I have a few minutes before I'm off to the airport to head South! 

I'm going to Prescott Arizona for this awesome little, wait BIG, event called the Whiskey 50. I think they have somewhere around 1,750 competitors this year and for the pro race they have a $30k cash purse! That means the best of the best will be attending. Check it out-

Pros Flock to Whiskey Off-Road -Cycling News


The Whiskey will be my first real race of the year, I went to Tuesday night road Worlds last week here in Bozeman, but that doesn't count. I actually feel well prepared despite not racing yet. This is because of all the road riding I've been doing this spring here in Bozeman (and on the trainer, sshhh...). I'm looking to be on the podium this weekend and plan to race accordingly! 

 Hopefully all the road riding this spring will pay off!

A bunch of us from the Alpine Ortho team are headed down so wish us luck and we'll keep you updated with how it goes!